How Do I Get My..

[HendrixTheOscar]

You've already been told they are nocturnal and how to light the tank to view nocturnal fish.
If you'd done your reseach you would have clear pipes laying around the tank.
How is a fish to know you have two atypical in character for their species fish in with it? The lower dwelling fish sees a lurking silhouette and doesn't take the chance to find out if they are wusses or not.

I wouldn't keep that mix together in that small a tank and if I wanted a BGK to come out I would put some shoaling dithers in - something like giant danios that may indicate safety.

My last BGK was out at all hours - in one of my 6x2x2 tanks with a shoal of 10/12" clown loaches and a swarm of livebearers. It was starting to get a bit cramped at 16".
I've never (yet, but due to move house) had a tank bigger than 7' - & it is in the garage at the moment. The largest tank I have running at present is 400Litres and houses appropriatly sized fish.
When I get a ten foot tank it will house new clown loaches - I gave mine, with other large fish, to a public aquarium when they outgrew the 6' tank - and I may get another BGK then. I really hate seeing fish crammed into too small tanks and people who expect their fish to betray millennia of evolution for their own convenience.

OK Mr. High & Mighty. So you're suggesting i either change my entire tank to suit one fish and therefore not be able to see my other fish that are daytime junkies? Sounds like a great plan! Also clear pipe aren't going to defer any of the light so how is that supposed to work exactly? If i were to put in giant danios the oscar would eat them in a heartbeat and if he didn't then it WOULD be crowded!

Strange though it may seem to you we don't all have the space or the cash to install and manage a 6 or 7 foot tank. Also i'm not about to start "giving" my fish away to folk.

I generally get on with most people but i can't be doing with people telling me what i should and shouldn't be doing. I don't particularly like arguing with people at the best of times and this is getting slightly out of hand for a simple question isn't it?

Anyway thankyou for your input. 8)

 

[Wonderboy]

OK Mr. High & Mighty. So you're suggesting i either change my entire tank to suit one fish and therefore not be able to see my other fish that are daytime junkies? Sounds like a great plan! Also clear pipe aren't going to defer any of the light so how is that supposed to work exactly? If i were to put in giant danios the oscar would eat them in a heartbeat and if he didn't then it WOULD be crowded!

Strange though it may seem to you we don't all have the space or the cash to install and manage a 6 or 7 foot tank. Also i'm not about to start "giving" my fish away to folk.

I generally get on with most people but i can't be doing with people telling me what i should and shouldn't be doing. I don't particularly like arguing with people at the best of times and this is getting slightly out of hand for a simple question isn't it?

Anyway thankyou for your input. 8)

Actually, a clear tube would work wonders. They don't "see" light... they "feel" it, and when they "feel" like they are hidden (in a clear tube), they feel comfortable. I used to keep a clear tube in my tank, and it worked without a struggle ... He loved the tube. I almost felt bad taking it out and replacing it with a driftwood tunnel. If you read more into ghost knives, you will find that the use a different type of "location" to "see" and will feel very safe in their tube.

~ Wonderboy!

 

[ringham]

OK Mr. High & Mighty. So you're suggesting i either change my entire tank to suit one fish and therefore not be able to see my other fish that are daytime junkies? Sounds like a great plan! Also clear pipe aren't going to defer any of the light so how is that supposed to work exactly? If i were to put in giant danios the oscar would eat them in a heartbeat and if he didn't then it WOULD be crowded!

Strange though it may seem to you we don't all have the space or the cash to install and manage a 6 or 7 foot tank. Also i'm not about to start "giving" my fish away to folk.

I generally get on with most people but i can't be doing with people telling me what i should and shouldn't be doing. I don't particularly like arguing with people at the best of times and this is getting slightly out of hand for a simple question isn't it?

Anyway thankyou for your input. 8)

Actually, a clear tube would work wonders. They don't "see" light... they "feel" it, and when they "feel" like they are hidden (in a clear tube), they feel comfortable. I used to keep a clear tube in my tank, and it worked without a struggle ... He loved the tube. I almost felt bad taking it out and replacing it with a driftwood tunnel. If you read more into ghost knives, you will find that the use a different type of "location" to "see" and will feel very safe in their tube.

~ Wonderboy!

I think that a clear pipe sounds like a great idea for a BGK!!!

I will defo try it.

 

[andywg]

IIRC, BGK are actually blind. They navigate (and hunt) by electro reception. therfore they can pick up the fact they are in a cave, but cannot tell that it is made of acrylic rather than PVC.

If you don't have the sapce for a 6/7 foot tank, then purchasing BGK, Oscars and the like is possible not the wisest move. BGK can hit 20" and 16" is far from common. A fish that size would certainly benefit, if not fully require a tank with a size of 24" front to back.

 

[HendrixTheOscar]

Once again thanks for your input people. I shall certinaly endeavour to find a transparent tube though whether she'll use it or not when she's already got a hiding place i don't know. I'll give it a whirl.

I plan to remove the larger fish as and when they grow to proportions wt which they would feel uncomfortable. I'll sell or swap them for other things either on here or at my lfs.

Thanks again,

Pete

 

[Wonderboy]

Sounds like a plan. Good luck with everything.

~ Wonderboy!

ps - the tube will work.

 

[ringham]

I know that this is a bit off topic, but Wonderboy:

Is that your fire eel in your arvitar(the pic under your name)?

If not where did you get the picture? And if itis how did you get te colours to be SO amazing?

Ringham

 

[HendrixTheOscar]

Ah Ah Ah! Naughty Naughty! No changing topic now

 

[Wonderboy]

I know that this is a bit off topic, but Wonderboy:

Is that your fire eel in your arvitar(the pic under your name)?

If not where did you get the picture? And if itis how did you get te colours to be SO amazing?

Ringham

To bring this back on topic (sorta)... That is my tire track eel(and yes, the picture is mine), and he rooms with my black ghost knife. I didn't do anything to make his colors so amazing. I just gave him a good planted home and now his designs stun me everytime I see him.

~ Wonderboy!

 

[ringham]

ok, on the picture (for me at least) the pattern looked slightly red which is why I thought that it was a fire eel. The redish colour (or so it looked) would have been really hard to get like that for a fire eel, which is why I was so amazed. My bad, maybe I am just colour blind, but it looked red to me sorry.

I used to have a tyre track eel myself befor it died whilst choking on onw of my other fish, but even when he was really healthy and active he never had such a great colouring and pattern. You must be doing a very good job at keeping him