Double checking LFS advice

newtosnails

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Jun 13, 2006
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Okay, I took my first trip to our local store to see what I thought. First and foremost I should say that I thought it was a very good sign to see signs up all over the fish area saying "if you've had your tank less than 6-8 weeks, please talk to us before adding fish". I thought that was a pretty darn good sign that they were trying to be responsible about selling the fish, and making sure they go to good homes - they actually care about the fish not just money.

So here's the advice I need to double check. I asked him about the black ghost knifefish, and asked what tank size he recommended. I was kind of testing him, because I'd already done my research on the net. He told me that yes, they do grow to be about 20 inches in length but they are not that size when you get them. He said it would take up to 5 years before he actually got that big, so to start that a 55gal tank would be fine for him. He did emphasize "start", so he was acknowledging that we would have to upgrade down the road. As long as this advice is right, I would love to go with the black ghost knifefish instead of the elephant nose knifefish that I was going to settle for. So what do you think?

The guy I talked to there told me outright he was not the freshwater expert, that he was the saltwater guy. So he said for more questions, or help finding the elephant nose knifefish, that I should come back and talk to Steve as he is the freshwater guy. So at elast he was honest with me.

One more thing. They were having sales on tanks, and I found a real nice 55gal with the tank, stand, canopy, hood, and 1 light all for $240. Is this a good deal?

Thanks everyone!
 
newtosnails said:
Okay, I took my first trip to our local store to see what I thought. First and foremost I should say that I thought it was a very good sign to see signs up all over the fish area saying "if you've had your tank less than 6-8 weeks, please talk to us before adding fish". I thought that was a pretty darn good sign that they were trying to be responsible about selling the fish, and making sure they go to good homes - they actually care about the fish not just money.

So here's the advice I need to double check. I asked him about the black ghost knifefish, and asked what tank size he recommended. I was kind of testing him, because I'd already done my research on the net. He told me that yes, they do grow to be about 20 inches in length but they are not that size when you get them. He said it would take up to 5 years before he actually got that big, so to start that a 55gal tank would be fine for him. He did emphasize "start", so he was acknowledging that we would have to upgrade down the road. As long as this advice is right, I would love to go with the black ghost knifefish instead of the elephant nose knifefish that I was going to settle for. So what do you think?

The guy I talked to there told me outright he was not the freshwater expert, that he was the saltwater guy. So he said for more questions, or help finding the elephant nose knifefish, that I should come back and talk to Steve as he is the freshwater guy. So at elast he was honest with me.

One more thing. They were having sales on tanks, and I found a real nice 55gal with the tank, stand, canopy, hood, and 1 light all for $240. Is this a good deal?

Thanks everyone!
congrats on finding a good LFS!:clap: and I think that 55g is a good deal.
 
You found yourself an awesome LFS there. The knife fish advice is true, but I would prefer you start him in a large enough tank, a lot can happen in 5 years and you may not be able to upgrade when the time comes.
 
The price is not bad. If you have the patience/time, craig's list or shopping yard sales might get you there for $150. I've heard that Wal Mart sometimes has the best rock bottom price on a 55 gal, but I can't vouch for quality.

Sounds like you may have some very responsible store personnel. I lean towards a 72" x 18" footprint to start the BGK, and even then plan on an upgrade. You will need that even for the elephant nose.
 
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Glad to hear I found a good one! We kinda know these people from a while back, and we thought they were responsible owners/sellers but I wasn't totally sure becasue I didn't know too much about fish back then.

They have some excellent deals right now on all different sizes of tanks, so what would you recommend for the black ghost knifefish? Dh said he will spend however much I want to, but I don't want to go overboard here.

And how much total can I expect to invest in the filter / heater / accessories?
 
newtosnails said:
Glad to hear I found a good one! We kinda know these people from a while back, and we thought they were responsible owners/sellers but I wasn't totally sure becasue I didn't know too much about fish back then.

They have some excellent deals right now on all different sizes of tanks, so what would you recommend for the black ghost knifefish? Dh said he will spend however much I want to, but I don't want to go overboard here.

And how much total can I expect to invest in the filter / heater / accessories?
well, I would get at least a 75g, and the total could be anywhere from a little over $200, to almost $1,000. it all depends on what you buy.
 
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