Black Ghost Knife For 55G

[Paradise3]

Show me one that's over 16". Usually, it's more like 12-14", maybe 16". Potentially and very very rarely, if ever 18". Never 24"

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I've seen them at 18". My partner had one at 18"(not got it any more though) so they reach 18" a lot easier if kept correctly.

 

[HydroPlane]

ill be housing my BGK in a 55g for a while.. and since they do have a slow grow rate, you should be more than fine. & since they normally dont get 2 feet you shouldnt have much to worry about, atleast for awhiiile..
 
i have mine growing in a 29g as we speak with 2 bala sharks, 1 clown loach, 1 dwarf grouami, 1 angelfish & a plecco.. and once i rotate them to the 55g ill add 2 more angels and a couple rainbow fish.. maybe a baby whale depends on how i fill the plants n such

 
i say you are solid since you'll be getting it at a smaller size.. as did i

 

[Paradise3]

ill be housing my BGK in a 55g for a while.. and since they do have a slow grow rate, you should be more than fine. & since they normally dont get 2 feet you shouldnt have much to worry about, atleast for awhiiile..
 
i have mine growing in a 29g as we speak with 2 bala sharks, 1 clown loach, 1 dwarf grouami, 1 angelfish & a plecco.. and once i rotate them to the 55g ill add 2 more angels and a couple rainbow fish.. maybe a baby whale depends on how i fill the plants n such

 
i say you are solid since you'll be getting it at a smaller size.. as did i

 
See if you are moving it up to a decent sized tank after the 55g then that's fine I suggest if the OP really wants a BGK then start it off in the 55g if you have to but make sure you move it up. I personally don't see the point of buying one, growing it up till it outgrows the 55g and then taking it back to the shop to replace it with another baby one to do the exact same thing with.

 

[HydroPlane]

oh yea.. as for tank mates. i have found that redtail/rainbow sharks & barbs dont work with BGK at all. Now the bala sharks swim just fine in the same tank with it, they're the more peaceful of the fresh sharks. & the other fish i posted in my other comment have worked out nice as well. mind you this is in a 29g too, so they would prolly be even better in the 55g.

 

[aether.ed]

To those that say a bgk does not grow to 2ft. They certainly can, will and should grow that big if given enough space. Just goes to show how many people keep them in too smaller tanks. Most fish in captivity can/will grow as large or larger than their wild brethren, you just don't see it as most people don't provide adequate space. I've seen a bgk that lived in a 8x4x3ft tank for over 10 years and it was at least 2ft maybe bigger, they really are quite monstrous fish when fully grown! 

 

[Paradise3]

To those that say a bgk does not grow to 2ft. They certainly can, will and should grow that big if given enough space. Just goes to show how many people keep them in too smaller tanks. Most fish in captivity can/will grow as large or larger than their wild brethren, you just don't see it as most people don't provide adequate space. I've seen a bgk that lived in a 8x4x3ft tank for over 10 years and it was at least 2ft maybe bigger, they really are quite monstrous fish when fully grown! 

 
Thank you! I'd say bare minimum without tank mates would be 5x2x2 but they are better in a 7x3x3 as they can stretch out more and you can have tank mates

 

[prankster705]

To all those who say BGK grow to the giant sizes they mention - where are the pictures?

Note: there are some species that look similar to a BGK that grow larger than a BGK (goldlines, dragons, etc.). They; however, are not BGK

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[Paradise3]

To all those who say BGK grow to the giant sizes they mention - where are the pictures?

Note: there are some species that look similar to a BGK that grow larger than a BGK (goldlines, dragons, etc.). They; however, are not BGK

.

 
It's easy to tell the difference between a Goldline, Dragon and BGK. Very easy. And I don't have photo's because my partner no longer has his. But I'm sure someone has pictures of a big BGK.

 

[HydroPlane]

you give ANY animal a giant habitat its going to grow up around its fullest & can even exceed that "average size".. but im sure this guy isnt expecting his BGK to hit 2feet, i know im not. I'll be happy to see a foot ina half!
 
so unless you're one who goes for the record & what not.. 55g and up is what a BGK can properly be housed in. especially if you know how to utilize tank space (accounting for all fish and their mates/breeding) knowing what/how many of your fish come out at certain times and the schools & sizes of individual fish.. there is a lot that can factor in. i think some people get lost in the giant tank sizes & forget that you take care of a lot with a 55g. personally i think a 55g is pretty spacious.. but one thing to take from this... UTILIZE

 

[Wills]

Sorry but there is just no way a 55 is acceptable for a knife - Hydroplane a 55g is not spacious at all especially not for a foot and a half fish? How will it turn around properly? You will end up with a bent fish - trust me it does happen I have seen it (not in my own tank though) a 55g tank is kind of just the start for any decent sized fish. But even then I would cap your max size at 5-6 inches maybe 8 for an inactive fish. But for a fish that will get to at least 12 inches and is reasonably active especially at night its just not a long term option really...

Ideally yes a massive monster tank for these fish like the 7 foots mentioned but realistically there are hundreds if not thousands of them around (shamefully few of them end up large) and there are not hundreds of people with 7 foot tanks for them so a bit of a compromise has to be had unfortunately... but still a very large 4 foot or ideally a large 5 foot would be best for them. I think a 2 foot width is the best option for them.

Wills

 

[HydroPlane]

my fish are active in this 29g its awesome watching my balas dance for awhile & the clown loach will come out & swim with any of them.. & the angel gracefully swims around the top & occasionally jumps in the soft current. the bgk even comes out clear in the day & remains untouched/unphased by the others, its beautiful to watch. they all carry full bright colors too. i know ill be able to make them comfortable & right at home in the 55g (specially once i lightly school up the angel, loach & balas)

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Didn't Mattlee or mmmint have  a BGK in >5-foot tank in the last year or so which grew to ~20"? They sold it because it outgrew their >125g tank.

 

[Paradise3]

Didn't Mattlee or mmmint have  a BGK in >5-foot tank in the last year or so which grew to ~20"? They sold it because it outgrew their >125g tank.

 
It wasn't Simonas was it? I know he keeps big fish like Fire Eels and stuff as well as his Giraffe Cat...

 

[jasek78]

hello, i'm new here but wanted to say i have 2 bgk in a 135 gallon for now  until they are big enough to go into my other tank, they are about 7-8 inches now but need to be at least 13 inches before they can safely go into my outside set up.
when i bought this house it came with a 20x40 foot in ground swimming pool that i put a green house over and use as a fish tank,
mainly so i can get in and swim with my fish friends when i want to the shallow end is 3.5 feet and the deep end is 10 feet took a long time to set up proper filtration but now its all up and running i have a few [Banded Leporinus] [various ciclids] and others in there now all doing pretty well, even the [tetras] and [jumbo neons] [rope fish] [some eals tiretrack ect.]... decor wise i have drift wood, large and small rocks, sand and gravel, guppy grass some amazon swords and afew others mixed in along with duckweed and lilly pads, lighting is provided by the sun and the pool is heated so keeping it an even 80F is as easy as turning the knob on a tank heater.
 
basically i was wanting to respond to the main poster of the thread and tell him/her that it is unfair to buy an animal of any kind if you are not going to give it an equal / better life than it could have had in the wild, and that you should not buy something just to trade it in later because you don't know who will buy it and how it will be treated by the next guy in line. if you do decide to get rid of it send me a pvt msg and i will take it off your hands, regardless of what people say fish do become comfortable with their surroundings and familiar with their keepers over time, when i get into my pool most of the fish in there know its feeding time and come to see me. you would be amazed at the type and amount of fish you can keep happily together given proper space, habitat ect. i will be posting some pics here pretty soon/ as soon as i figure out how lol but anyways everyone have a great day and keep fishing.  

 

[fluttermoth]

to the forum, jasek.
 
I'm sure I speak for a lot of members on her when I say we would love to see some pics of your set up! You'd need to upload them to a hosting site, like Photobucket or Flickr, and use the IMG code in your post.
 
I'd start an new thread; in the 'Member's Aquarium and Fish Pictures' section