BGK's

[CFC]

I had a BGK for close to two years and in that time it grew from around 3 inches to around 8 inches before it was sadly killed along with nearly all my stock in 2003 when the filter on my main tank failed while i was on holiday.

I recently bought another BGK again around 3 inches long and in 3 months it has not shown any noticable growth. At a rough growth rate of 2 1/2" a year the average BGK is going to take 5 years to reach 12 inches, pleanty of time to buy a larger tank.

 

[BlueIce]

So you are basing an average for an entire species of fish on two fish?
Perhaps it's the food you're feeding them.
They are slow growers but not that slow.

 

[CFC]

Most people i know who have kept BGK have also experienced growth of around 2 to 3 inches a year, some may grow quicker or slower but IME this is a pretty average figure.

All my fish get the same very varied diet, i feed mussel, cockle, whitebait, shrimp, bloodworm and krill all mixed in a bucket plus weekly supplements of catfish pellets, Cichlid pellets, earthworms and unwanted fry. Thats hardly starving or under nourishing them.

 

[One_Trick_Pony]

well at the time i worte what i did there was no idication of the size of the tank, no need to get so shirty blueice

 

[BlueIce]

shirty? stating fact without emotion isn't shirty...it's fact...
it isn't like i called you an idiot or something...i just stated fact... period

 

[Paul_MTS]

My BGk is currently around 10", when the customer brought him in he was about 7-8"

I wouldn't be surprised at this growth spurt though as going from most poeples feeding to my feeding, which has a similiar mix to CFC's would give any fish a burst of live!

 

[BOD]

spose it depends on how fast it grows but like CFC stated if it can live in there possibly for its whole life depending on how big it gets...and then if it does get big its going to take years...and i have a nice 6ft hole in the wall....

 

[lucky62]

 

[BOD]

sorted.....

 

[BOD]

just one more question...what the minimum size fish it can be kept with...2 inches? 3 inches? i dont want it to eat anything!

 

[boxman]

I have honey gouramis and they're fine (1.5" at present).

I would go for mature penguin tetra size or larger, say over 1.5" to be safe. My BGK's are young (2.5") so they'd be fine with anything.

Oh, they love to 'sleep' in 1/2 a drinks bottle (plus you can still see them!)

Pete

 

[BOD]

thanks for the advice cant wait to set everything up now and get one....

 

[BOD]

can they be kept with discus???

 

[troutfly]

Discus would be a great fish to house the BGK with along with other non agressive fish that are bigger then it's mouth, if not you have just given it food. I have my 6" BGK with 5 Congo tetras (3-4"), 4 Dwarf Gouramis (2 m-2.5"/2 f-1.5") 3 glass cats (3") and a dwarf pleco (1.5") and they seem to be doing fine.

 

[BOD]

strike 1)

ive been looking at lots of fish...and which of these can i keep with a BGK?

skirt tetra
columbian tetra
serpae tetra
congo tetra (these ones are bigger rite?)

pearl gourami
angel fish
discus
red scissortail


and of course i dont mean all toghter im just getting ideas of what can and what cant....

adios!