4 ghost knife fish in a 50g?

[Roland]

Thats my plan. The tank's going to heavily planted with caves and other retreats. Will they peacefully coexist? Im hoping it'll be cool, cos for me they are beautiful and ridiculous at the same time.

Cheers

[ChilDawg]

Sorry, but AC limits these to solitary confinement in a 90g. I would think at least 10 times what you have in order to possibly keep four.

[Diz]

If you are talking about a Black ghost knife fish I read on a site and it said:

Do not keep more than one of these in a tank at any one time, also do not mix with other electric fishes such as Elephant Noses. Their ability to emit a small electrical field aids these nearly blind fish in hunting for food, but can get confused if another electric generating fish is in the same tank.

Dont know if true or not it is just something i read.:D

[ChilDawg]

You are not the only person to have seen that, Diz. I have seen it multiple times, but I think that a really large tank would help to mitigate the electricity in the tank. Regardless, a 50g is too small for even one of those beauties.

[roper930]

Right now I have my 6" BGK in my 29 gallon and he's doing great. He will eventually be transported to my 55. I don't think a 90 gallon would really be necessary until the fish start getting pretty big and that can take awhile since they are apparently slow growers....?
I've heard many people dead set on not keeping more than one together and the reason makes sense to me...I'm just curious because when I got mine, there were 3 or 4 others in the tank and they all kinda huddled together a lot of the time. Course, they were babies (2"), adults probably get more aggressive....

Beth

[ChilDawg]

That, and pet shops always overstock. Temporary holding conditions can be overstocked, since they will not be long-term and the nitrate levels and such will not cause permanent damage.

[Haggisman]

My ghost knife is almost 12" and he's in a 80gal tank with some other fish.I think I will have to rehome him as he's still growing.I dont think a 50gal tank would hold even one for long, they grow super fast.

Anyone in the UK(Scotland preferrably)who can house him can have him for free if they can pick him up!!!

Check out this pic of me hand feeding him
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid39/pcf15c1b9533680297b951488241b6d18/fd0a7f90.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid39/p84255d204ddeb3650c5c6839f2d7f718/fd0a7f19.jpg

[Roland]

Sorry, just to clear things up - 1) thats imperial gallons Im talking about which means its more than 50Us Gallons and 2) they're going into a larger, 100 Imperial gallon tank when the mature, which is enough for four fish of their size. They should only grow to 12-16" in the aquarium, my question was whether the electrical impulses emitted by these fish will interfere with each other. Cheers

[Lila]

:eek: I never realized that ghost knives got that large. They are so cool. I also like the clown knife. I have seen one that is at least a foot long at my lfs.

Good luck with them Roland.

[Rare Cichlids]

They should reach 24" in an aquarium. But they won't if their conditions aren't suitable.

[Haggisman]

If what they say about the electrical currnts then I would say maybe only 2 in a 100gal.

[ChilDawg]

Okay, I used to have the conversion for Imperial gallons, but, unless they are in a ration of 1.35/USG, I don't see two in a 100 UKG tank being an option, and, even then, I wouldn't try it with something that small.

[bizzy928]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
Sorry, but AC limits these to solitary confinement in a 90g. I would think at least 10 times what you have in order to possibly keep four.

Actually 8 times.

[ChilDawg]

Understood that you think that my math was wrong, but I did so intentionally. I figure that a fish which possesses an electrical field and should be kept solitarily in a 90g and up tank would need a little extra territory if kept with their own kind. Thus, while your 8 times (actually, 7.2 if going by 90g/BGK as a strict rule) would be mathematically correct, I do not believe it to be practically correct. I also believe that 500 gallons might be a little on the low side, so that's why I gave it as a minimum.

[azriel]

i could be misinformed but i have been under the impression that all knifefish with the exception of i believe the african brown (or something like that, i forget exactly) get to a size OVER three feet... i believe that the information i have been given says that the black ghost and clown knifes both should reach a size of around four to five feet. almost no one has the capacity to properly house these fish and my personal opinion is that they shouldnt be kept if you dont have the proper capacity for them. putting a fish in tank that is too small will slow there growth to an unnatural rate adn cause lifelong problems. just my opinion though.

[ChilDawg]

Azriel, I agree with you on the max. length of clown knives, but I think that BGKs only grow to be two feet, and that is the maximum. I think that the confusion stems from the multiple classifications of knifefish, so that ones like the clown will grow to no end, and GKs will not. I could be wrong, but that is what I have read.

[ChilDawg]

Upon further review, the African is the only Notopterid to maintain a small size--one that is even smaller than that of the BGK.

BGKs are members of the family Apteronotidae, but that doesn't guarantee small size either, as the white knifefish needs something on the order of 280 gallons at a mimimum.

AC has BGKs getting to be 20" long, and I think that would be appropriate for a 90g because their sinewy movements would allow them to turn around much more easily than something 20" long and fat like a small Dovii.

[Roland]

Chill dawg - Just recieve a reply on my B.G.K.F question from 'ask the experts', which is a service provided by practical fishkeeping magazine, arguably the best fishkeeping magazine in the UK.

They seem to think that 4 in an 100g tank is fine, provided thats your limit, and that their is plenty plant cover and retreats.

While I realise that B.G.K.F grow to the lengths mentioned in the post in the wild, they wont grow to that in the aquarium. This begs the question does it affect this fishes quality of life if they do not reach their maximum potential? On this subject, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but all I would say is that you can keep a clown loach for instance in a relitavly large tank and it may not even reach half its 12" potential. Ive very seldom seen 'fully grown' versions of this fish in the hobby.

I would never attempt to keep a fish in conditions that I thought were not ample for their requirements. And I doubt a tank as collosal as a 500g tank is needed for four of these beauties.

Thanks

[ChilDawg]

Okay, then, if "Practical Fishkeeping" says that, I would have to humbly agree.

[Roland]

sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

[ChilDawg]

I would say that that's good to know, but I would be accused of being sarcastic again.

I honestly do humbly allow "Practical Fishkeeping" to take precedence over myself on this issue, and I did then. Your misinterpretation is understandable, but your subsequent insult is not really understandable, as you did not know if I was intending to be sarcastic or not.

Had that been my intention, I probably would have used one of the "emoticons" in order to illustrate that feeling, because I understand that people can't really tell that I'm being sarcastic without seeing my face or a reasonable approximation thereof.

[OrionGirl]

I'm going to hope that any further definitions of sarcasm are provided with references.

--I have seen no less than three of the clown knifefish that were an easy 3 foot in length. They were in a 120, a 150 and a small pond. Can't speak to the other species, as I have not seen any of them as adults.

[Roland]

Im sorry. My mistake, I take it back. Sometimes its difficult to interpret the 'tone' of something written in black and white.

i suppose the whole concept of keeping a large fish in 'largeish' aquaria is a matter of opinion, and thanks for the feedback.

ANYWAY, back to the subject of B.G.K.F. Do you not think they are one of the most captivating fish to watch? My juvenile now feeds right out of my hands, and boy is his/her mouth big! Great fish.

Once again, 'oops' for my misinterpretation.

Andy

[ChilDawg]

I have not seen them in person, but I think that, yes, they would be fun to watch, and I would love to get one in the not-too-distant future! :)

If yours is already hand-feeding, then it would make your fish even more intriguing! :)

[ChilDawg]

BTW, Andy, apology accepted, and please accept mine for the terseness of my reply then. I look forward to working with you on these forums in the future!