Fading..

[pica_nuttalli]

depends on the specimen. some say fast, others say slow. fortunately, you have a pond already available as a back up in case yours grows faster than your wallet fills up. i think you should definitely start saving for as big of a tank as you can possibly own (a 120g even!). a BGK is a stunning aquarium fish that is best seen from the side, not top-down. the bigger the tank you can put it in, the more flexibility you have for selecting tank mates--bala sharks, red-belly pacus, groups of geophagus cichlids...

if you can weasel a giant tank out of your parents, i think you definitely should.

 

[boxman]

As a BGK owner I think it's quite sad that you don't have the opportunity to see the fella in a tank setting - I was watching mine for ages yesterday flitting back and forth attacking the tubifex I'd put in.

I agree with pica, BGK aren't easy to pin down on growth rates, I've had my current one for 3 months and he's probably grown the best part of an inch, but then it was small when I bought it.

Agree with betta pond too, if you've got 1 male and several females, the law of nature will take over, they'll spawn, then you could potentially have 10's per spawn, and you'll probably find 75% are going to be males - then you'll be running into serious problems!!!!!

 

[WookiellMonster]

I think thats what my mom is tryin to do so she could sell to a store probably there not veiltails so they mite be bought. And who knoes maybe she mite give me sum of that money About how much is a 150g tank? Cuz rite now i have $250 ive saved. Grrr if only i had a job.

 

[Maroonostrich]

I suspect I know but have to check- what is BGK?
Just don't want to look like a lemon )

 

[pica_nuttalli]

really, the best i can tell you is to just look around at your independent LFS. chain stores generally stick to the prices they have listed online; the little privately owned places often do sales/discounts. i got my 60g w/ stand for $270, then recieved 25% off all additional purchases that day. i'd imagine that a 90g would run somewhere in the neighborhood of $350-400, but i'll say it again--if you can get yourself a huge tank like that, you won't regret it.

as for filtration: go for the cannister filter instead of a hang-on-the-back. you pay a little more up front, but you really save in the long run. the filter-inserts for the larger HOBs are difficult to find sometimes and will cost you an arm and a leg. a cannister also seems easier to maintain and better for creating a more natural environment. the HOB pulls water in at the same place it spits it out, which only occurs at the base of waterfalls in nature. most of the really cool fish come from streams and rivers--they'll appreciate a more linear current. (in case you haven't guessed, my next setup is going with a cannister filter.)

--EDIT--
BGK=Black Ghost Knife.

really, we have got to put up a common acronyms list. too many people get confused by these conversations

 

[Bloo]

really, we have got to put up a common acronyms list. too many people get confused by these conversations

This thread by Undawada really should be pinned in either Chit Chat or Beginners or both !

 

[BlueIce]

Actually BGK and betta do quite nicely together.You shouldn't have any issues between them. Fading btw,is perfectly normal in BGK.

I really wish tho that people would stop and think.
Betta in a small container in your home is MUCH different then Betta in a large environment such as a BIG tank or pond. I know of many many people ,(including myself) who have kept several male Betta together for yrs with NO issues between the males.
You do need a large tank or pond with LOTS of territories ,rocks,plants etc etc etc...

I would say that's just my opinion,however it isn't..lol..it's the opinion of many

 

[pica_nuttalli]

of course, for every person puts two male bettas in a huge tank with tall plants, tons of caves, and broken sight lines... someone else just throw them in a bare 55g. although there aren't many like this in oddballs, a shockingly large number of people think a 30g is a "big tank." for these reasons, i would never advocate someone keeping 2 males bettas together (except possibly in a naturalistic pond environment).

plus anyone who's going to do it properly probably wouldn't listen to us saying 'don't do it' anyways.

 

[Maroonostrich]

I suspected it was knife fish but did not want to say- I only thought that because I saw it at my fish suppliers the other day when I was in buying more plants- and thought it was a pretty bizarre looking thing, kinda shy, wierd wierd wierd! Though fairly cool...

Someone please pin the guide! I think it's handy.

 

[plecoguy]

black ghost knives do not just go around eating other fish, unless it has been fed live fish to begin with. i have kept a ghost for a long time, i started ti on blood worms, and now it eats flake food. he is almost a food long, and he is in a 125 gallon with a bunch of fish that are less than an inch.

 

[WookiellMonster]

I dont think im gonna put it in a pond anymore cuz if i do how am i gonna show off lol? so in like a 2 more months im gettin a 75 gallon tank or maybe bigger.