Questions On Black Ghost Knife Fish

[BGKfish123]

hi all, newbie here

i've been keeping and breeding different kinds of fish since 2008 - so i already know a lot on fish keeping.

my favorite fish has always been a black ghost knife ever since i saw one in my LFS a few years ago. But, im only getting around to planning on buying one now.

here are a few questions:

- Im thinking of getting the 'Juwel Rio 300' which is 350 litre (~90 US gallons) for just the one BGK no other fish will be in the tank. Many people say it is ok to keep them in a 75 gallon and up while others say it is minimum to keep them in a 120 gallon. so, for the people who have experience, - is a Juwel Rio 300 ok for just the one BGK?

- what (in your own opinion) would be the best aquascape? - for both live and non live plant setups?

- for live plant setup - what would be the easiest to keep plants?

- In your opinion - which lighting would you use for a single bgk - in my own opinion - i think a moonlight only (as the BGK has optimum sight in low lighting) what brand then do you think makes the best moonlight lighting (Juwel rio takes tubes only)

any further help or tips would be appreciated, thanks

 

[Crossfire]

hi all, newbie here

i've been keeping and breeding different kinds of fish since 2008 - so i already know a lot on fish keeping.

my favorite fish has always been a black ghost knife ever since i saw one in my LFS a few years ago. But, im only getting around to planning on buying one now.

here are a few questions:

- Im thinking of getting the 'Juwel Rio 300' which is 350 litre (~90 US gallons) for just the one BGK no other fish will be in the tank. Many people say it is ok to keep them in a 75 gallon and up while others say it is minimum to keep them in a 120 gallon. so, for the people who have experience, - is a Juwel Rio 300 ok for just the one BGK?

- what (in your own opinion) would be the best aquascape? - for both live and non live plant setups?

- for live plant setup - what would be the easiest to keep plants?

- In your opinion - which lighting would you use for a single bgk - in my own opinion - i think a moonlight only (as the BGK has optimum sight in low lighting) what brand then do you think makes the best moonlight lighting (Juwel rio takes tubes only)

any further help or tips would be appreciated, thanks

Not sure on tank size, but live plants are a must. Provide extra oxygen, shade and refuse, as well as keeping it looking natural. You could get T8 lighting, and just keep low light plants like crypts, java ferns, anubias, mossess, and IME amazon swords and tiger lotus. I think a good aquascape would be plants galore, sand, and then in the middle of a tank a sort of pipe system, PVC pipes big enough for a large BGK, like in this video, just instead of SW, freshwater with plants. If you want, you can take some driftwood and semi cover the tubing, then if you want to go further you can use silicon glue to glue sand and gravel on the tubes to make it look natural and tie moss to the driftwood. If you add peat or almond leaves to the the tank, you will get blackwater, replicating a BGKs natural habitat and making it less shy. If you get them as babies, they will get used to normal lighting, so no need for moonlights during the day, regular T8 is fine. They're also quite tame, if you get a baby you can teach them to be handfed!

 

[BGKfish123]

cheers crossfire

 

[Davo86]

Personally I would say tank size is ok, especially as the tank is going to be built around the knife, although I do think keeping it alone is a bit of a unecessary waste and tbh I think it could also effect the outgoingness of what is already a relatively shy fish. a few larger select community fish may be beneficial in coaxing the BGK out of hiding every once in a while,

I also would have to respectfully disagree with the above regarding adding pipes as by doing this you are almost certainly forcing it into a fish that will always hide, My BGK is around 5-6 years old now and is roughly 9-10", it is very active at feeding time, with much of the time spent semi visable pottering around in the far end of the tank, The tank is dimly lit with lots of movement that does encourage the BGK out into the open parts now and again. The tank is also positioned in the busiest part of the house and so it isn't fazed by people moving around outside the tank.

 

[BGKfish123]

Personally I would say tank size is ok, especially as the tank is going to be built around the knife, although I do think keeping it alone is a bit of a unecessary waste and tbh I think it could also effect the outgoingness of what is already a relatively shy fish. a few larger select community fish may be beneficial in coaxing the BGK out of hiding every once in a while,

I also would have to respectfully disagree with the above regarding adding pipes as by doing this you are almost certainly forcing it into a fish that will always hide, My BGK is around 5-6 years old now and is roughly 9-10", it is very active at feeding time, with much of the time spent semi visable pottering around in the far end of the tank, The tank is dimly lit with lots of movement that does encourage the BGK out into the open parts now and again. The tank is also positioned in the busiest part of the house and so it isn't fazed by people moving around outside the tank.

what fish would you suggest then?

i was thinking hujeta gars, but apparently they need a fair size aquarium.

keeping the fish to a bare minimum - as with the BGK - i wanted a single fish - and its definitely the BGK i want. I want to stray away from having too many fish and have just the one or a few to make it more "clingy" i guess. just with a dog or cat, instead of having like a load of cats. lol its hard to explain

 

[Davo86]

Maybe something like a pair of Angelfish or a Single Severum?

 

[BGKfish123]

Maybe something like a pair of Angelfish or a Single Severum?

i wouldnt mind a severum, having said that - will it make much of a difference?

 

[Davo86]

Maybe something like a pair of Angelfish or a Single Severum?

i wouldnt mind a severum, having said that - will it make much of a difference?

tbh I'm just not totally sure that a BGK would work as a "wet pet", yes they can be trained to hand feed but depending on how the tank is set up I think for a good amount of time the BGK is not going to be on show, especially if you buy it young, which would mean that for a good amount of time each day you would be looking at what seemed an empty tank? Not trying to put you off here but by all means it may be worth a try but IME, in a big tank with a lone BGK you may not get the outcome you were hoping for.

Also If it is just the one species then it might even be worth starting with a group and seeing if you end up with a pair? obviously there is a risk of aggression but if you start off small, (the ones i get in are no more tan 10cm) it just may work out

 

[BigFish01]

Maybe something like a pair of Angelfish or a Single Severum?

i wouldnt mind a severum, having said that - will it make much of a difference?

tbh I'm just not totally sure that a BGK would work as a "wet pet", yes they can be trained to hand feed but depending on how the tank is set up I think for a good amount of time the BGK is not going to be on show, especially if you buy it young, which would mean that for a good amount of time each day you would be looking at what seemed an empty tank? Not trying to put you off here but by all means it may be worth a try but IME, in a big tank with a lone BGK you may not get the outcome you were hoping for.

Also If it is just the one species then it might even be worth starting with a group and seeing if you end up with a pair? obviously there is a risk of aggression but if you start off small, (the ones i get in are no more tan 10cm) it just may work out

My bgk does great with my clown loaches. Have 4 clowns and a bgk in a 55. Have a 130 gal tank ready to go up then im getting three more clowns and some torpedo barbs to go with. Very unique fish the bgk are. And in my opinion make a great "wet pet" highly suggested if you like them. Mine is almost always out and my tank is in the basement without a lot of foot traffic either. Dont affect them at all it seems

 

[prankster705]

It will do fine.

Live plants are always welcome, but imo not necessarily needed. They will not provide any extra oxygen in any properly filtered tank as oxygen is at an equilibrium with atmospheric oxygen.

Good amounts of cover, whether it be driftwood or pvc will be appreciated.

I would suggest keeping some congo tetras or similar with it - fish that are large enough not to be eaten, but small enough not to be perceived as a threat. You will see it out more often than.

 

[fishmania06]

i was wondering whether anyone could help me, i have had an elephant nose fish for about 2 month now and she is doing well but she is currently in a tank on her own. I was hoping to find a good tankmate for her and i was hoping a black ghost knife fish would be a good companion. Help please

 

[Davo86]

i was wondering whether anyone could help me, i have had an elephant nose fish for about 2 month now and she is doing well but she is currently in a tank on her own. I was hoping to find a good tankmate for her and i was hoping a black ghost knife fish would be a good companion. Help please

BGK are possibly the worst tankmate for an elephant nose as the both use electrical pulses to find food and when their signals cross paths it will cause aggression and stress