Hi! I've kept many BGKs throughout my life and aren't they just beautiful? I have two of them right now and they are full of love!
Okay I just recently got a BGK and I found out after I got it that it would grow to be about 18 inchs. I have a 30 gallon rectangle tank. The BGK is about 6 inchs. The fish with it is:
2 ablino catfish
1 autocat
1 old swordtail(Giving away)
4 guppies (2 male and 2 female. Am givng away one or two males.)
2 Wagtail platies
1 one inch kribensis(baby)
1 Shadow Phantom Tetra
2 Golden Killi
1 Old Zebra Danio(Giving away maybe)
Are these fish alright together? I am know my tank is too small for my BGK and I will be getting a bigger tank when he gets bigger. I have found a small white mark on his side and I don't know if it was from when he bumped up against something or if my fish are hurting him. If the fish are hurting him I also have a 20 gallon tank set up with a bunch of baby kribensis in it. I am going to be selling the baby fish soon. If the fish are huting him they can go in that. Or I will rehome them.
Yikes, I am very sorry to tell you, but your tankmates are not suitable for a BGK. BGKs don't have very good vision, so it might not catch your fihs right away, but it will only be a matter of time until your guppies and the baby krib end up on your new baby's dinnerplate, and eventually all the other smalleer fish in the tank. If you don't want to lose any fish, you need to get your BGK a new home. I say a 75 gallon tank would be cool. Or, another option can be: if you sell your kribbies, you can move the smaller fish to the 20g and keep your BGK in your 30g. This will be temporary, but depending on diet, it will be able to hold off for, oh, about, 4 months at tops?
I know the fish are okay right now so I'm not going to be buying anymore small ones or anymore fish at all right now till I get a bigger tank and figure out when I'm moving. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make sure my BGK will survive a day trib to a new house?
I wouldn't know if the fish are okay right now. I've known cases where the BGKs hold off for a month or two til its first kill, and cases where half the tank if consumed overnight. Your guppies are very unsafe in there. Hopefully, being in the new tank and all, your BGK will act a bit shy and not to lively and ready to eat.
I have yet to move a BGK (i think, lol), but I've had to move my lovely bichir. No guarantees this way, but hopefully it will work, since it worked with me. Put your BGK in as big of a bucket/tank you can have, and have him WITH YOU in YOUR CAR. You need to bring another bucket of conditioned water (or two), in correct pH and everything else. Calculate the time, and change the water of your main tank, like 100%, or move him around the bucket. This way the ammonia will not have the chance to grow. Remember to throw away the old water; it cannot be used again. Don't think about saving water at this point. I am not sure if it will be cold or hot, so it is important to try to keep the temperature steady and avoid the extremes. Don't place the tank near heater/ac holes, as it will affect the temperature, possibly to the extremes. If your bucket if see-through, I would wrap the bucket with some sort of dark cloth or something, as these guys feel securer in dark environments. also, if you have some pipe or, you know, the hamster hole-pipe thingy, put it in the bucket. It will make a huge difference as far as its comfort level. Any rock-like cave, or heavy material is dangerous. Avoid them.
