Ghost Knife Fish HELP!!

[rotten_stars]

Ive read all of the other posts on this messageboard about this particular fish, with very conflicting advice.

My wife and I have just unwittingly purchased one for her 60 gallon tank. In it are various catfish, pleca, 3 clown loaches and a school of neons. Weve heard a number of reports that this is a fish which will gladyly eat smaller fish, and some times fish of a similar even larger size.

What are the absolute truths to this? We are very worried about the catsish, which are a couple of years old (and around 4- inches in length and also two of the clown loaches, which are only just babies (about 1" in length).

What should we do. Do we return him to the fish store. Or leave him in this tank and let him become part of the community??

My wife doesnt wanna return him as she thinks hes such an excellent, challenging interesting fish, who has already eaten tubiflex worms from the palm of my hand with no distress

[CHINABOY1021]

in the night, when the small fish are asleep and crusing about, they'll get eaten. since ghost knifes are active during the night and hunt when other fish are asleep. IMO, the knife will eat anything that will fit in his mouth. they can catch their prey easily since they are alseep

[bghost1961]

I think the neons will become meal for the ghost eventually

You did not say how big is the ghost, but if he's 4 inch or larger, the 1 inch neons are easily fit into the ghost mouth...

What I've found in keeping black/brown ghost over the years are they generally will leave catfish, loaches (not kuhlies) and corries alone. Basically, the noctunal fishes that are well alert at night (and have large cross section, such as corries) won't likely to become target.

Fishes that are very vulnable are guppies, neons and the likes... Small, inactive catfish such as ottos are also getting bitten and kill by my black ghost. The way it "attacks" is very unique among predators that many fish get caught completly by surprise: it appears to move parallel along the prey, pass it, but then suddenly move backward with incredible speed at an angle that the prey will get caught if standing still or moving forward...I guess that you have read about its very interesting electric sensoring system...

Find a dark cave for it. Its eyes are very light sensitive, so transparent "ghost tube" is not good enough. It will prefer a dark place over the transparent tube any time...

Let me know if you have any other questions. They are my favorite fish. IMHO, their unusual shape and the beautiful velvet black color are enough to rival any of the most exotic marine reef fishes..