Different Knives Okay Together?

[Isis_Nebthet]

Just wondering. probably only keep clowns with clowns (due to size) but otherwise?

 

[cane76]

i have heard a few people say they keep blacks with blacks as long as space isnt a issue and hiding places are plenty need a big tank tho

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

I'm pretty sure most knife fish should be kept alone. I think the african clown knifes dont need to be alone, but i think the african brown knifes should be. The ghost knifes should be kept alone, the brown and black kind. Whenever i see knifes together in a petstore they usually are fighting, but the clown knifes never seem to fight.

 

[Fruitbat]

In general it is NOT a good idea to keep 'knife' fish together. Virtually of of the South American 'knife' fish (Gymnotids) and the Asian/African 'knife' fish (Notopterids) can be quite territorial and will generally fight on a regular basis with other similar species. The African 'Knife' Fish (Xenomystus nigri) can often be kept with others of its own kind when it is young but this frequently changes as the fish mature. There is no 'African Clown Knife'....so I'm assuming that spAcE mOnkEy was referring to Chitala chitala, an Asian Notopterid that is often called the Clown Knife. These fish get to be nearly 3 feet long (a bit smaller in captivity) and often don't get along well with others of their own kind....though they make reasonably peaceful tankmates for fish that are close to their size (like large catfish and cichlids).

-Joe

 

[penguinpimp1990]

actually when african knives are young the can be kept in small groups, but when they mature they become quite territorial andbeing kept in groups will become very very difficult unless its a huge tank with tons of hiding places

 

[andywg]

Provided the tank is large enough and there are enough spaces for them to sleep, you can keep two or more BGKs together. They will fight at the start over who is boss and who gets the best spots, but within a month my two share sleeping places.

They are by no means fully grown, but I would say that at between 8 and 10" they around half grown. Blueice is another member who has had a large amount of success over the years with multiple BGKs in a tank.

 

[cane76]

how about a black ghost knife with a clown knife?
im guessing not

 

[andywg]

I would say it's worth a try, but only if you have the facilities to split them up if trouble ensues. If not then it's probably not worth the risk.