Ghost Knife Attacking? the filter? Help

-bgk's enjoy high current.
-my daughter nick named my bgk "psycho". that was because he enjoyed attacking and eating other fish. dang thing attacked species he was supposed to get along with.
-they do have amazingly large mouths don't they? when that jaw opens all the way it is a sight to behold.

just brain farts given the relative lack of any real thought. given the descriprion it sounds like he has formed some sort of love/hate relationship with that inantimate object that is creating the flow he enjoys. he'll get over it.

that's so cute. it's sound like my Doberman who would bite currents and foam in water, like at the river or the ocean. he was a cutie. it sounds like your ghost knife might have a little Dobie in him

i can't wait til i have enough money and space for a ghost knife. it's on my list of "fish to get before i die".

Ghost knifes are blind you know that right. And there nocturnal, I had one and my fish ate it. I was kinda pissed off because it was expensive, it was like 20$

Ghost knives are the most amazing yet odd creatures, I had one and have several more growing up. though I never had one attack a filter I had one that liked to corkscrew though the water

plah831 said:

i can't wait til i have enough money and space for a ghost knife. it's on my list of "fish to get before i die".

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Agreed. Just curious as to what is a good sized tank for them - I've read people keeping them in anything from 160 litres (imo far too small) and that they grow to anything from 25cm to 45cm (checked numerous websites). What is an optimal tank for one of these?

Whenever I'd be able to house one, I'd add a school of congo tetras and maybe a butterfly fish or 2...

electric fishes (Mormyrids = elephant noses, Gymnotids = knife fishes) are pretty blind, yeah. because they use their electric pulses to "feel" out their environment, it has replaced the need for eyes. it's kinda like using sonar to get a picture of obstacles, prey, mates, etc. that may be why it's attacking areas of water turbulence: it "looks" like maybe prey moving or something, or is just odd to them. where they live in nature, the water is pretty still and murky, so good vision wouldn't help much anyway.

BTW, they have to swim that way (rigid body, move only long anal fin) to keep their spine straight because muscles around it produce the electrical current. those muscles have evolved from a bending/contracting function to one of purely producing pulses (which all muscular and nervous tissue does, to a lesser degree). if they swam like other fish (by bending tail and spine), the electrical current would be all messed up and no use at all for feeling out their surroundings.

Well, having had another look around the web, I'm leaning towards something around the 4' x 2' x 2' mark (possibly 6' long).

Sound about right for growing one on to adulthood? With congo tetras et al.

Pug, I've read of upwards to 20", but that's caught in the wild (ref. www.monsterfishkeepers.com) From my research, you can expect a healthy Ghost to grow from 10 to 15 inches--in general. Mine was not quite 3.5" when I brought him home; he went from 5g, to 10g. to 44g. 5 months later, he's almost 6 inches, and happy as a lark in the 44--for now. And quickly outstripping his tube I bought a month ago!! I figure I'll go for a 120 by the time he matures--fish, as any other living creature, are happiest and flourish in the best of conditions!! I keep his water pristine, and he'll eat about anything but loves the thawed frozen bloodworms the best. Hope that helps in your plans. . . . ~r

200G minimum for these Regal fish