New Black Ghost Knife

[Malefic23]

Ok folks, I've decided to try something different in my tank. Day before yesterday I picked up a healthy looking ghost knife, about 4 inches or so long. He's been introduced into an established tank (5 years running) at 76 degrees, good south american parameters for soft water, all cycled in etc etc. It's medium well planted, sand and round gravel substrate, little driftwood, and a ghost tube to hide in. I chose the largest BGK in the tank, with the most activity and agression. He was tail nipping and chasing the other two out of his tube at the store.

His tank mates are guppy/endler hybrids (my long running experiement) blood red snails, and a few tadpoles. I'm feeding the tank flake, algae wafer, shrimp pellets, fresh zuchini slices, and frozen blood worm cubes.

It's a 30 gallon tank, but it's just his grow out. Did I miss anything? I'd like to make him comfortable and healthy. There's no floating plants to shade the whole tank, but loads of places he can hide at the bottom to get out of the light. He's got a large variety of foods to choose from, and all the hybrid fry he can hunt. Never kept a BGK before, and I've read up on it, but I wanna touch base with the sucessfull keepers. Tips and tricks, especially with introducing a new one, and getting him to eat.

 

[WinnipegDragon]

Umm... I could be wrong here but aren't your Guppies and Endlers going to be dinner?

 

[cmartin]

Congrats ! BGK are wonderful.

I am a 'new' owner of a BGK as well. "Shadow" took up residence in one of my tank decorations as soon as I introduced him to the tank - last Wed.

He is about 3 inches long now, but he could grow to be about 20 - in the right conditions and the right foods.

He is getting a little more settled now and will come out of his 'cave' once the main tank lights are off. Using just the light from the TV I can see him patrol the tank. I am feeding him frozen blood worm now and will be picking up some frozen krill later this week.

Right now he plays 'peek-a-boo' with my tetras when they get a little too close to his cave. As long as he is well feed things should be OK, but I am currently looking for another (reasonably priced) tank to move all of my smaller fish into. BGK are a predator - if hungry they will eat.

I plan to build a 'cave' into one end of the tank. Still working out the plans so that it will lend itself to being cleaned out once in a while, be a comfortable place for Shadow (size/length/etc.), and something that looks like it belongs in a tank. My 72 Gal tank will become the BGK tank. He may have some future tank mates - time will tell.

Best advice I have been given so far - don't love him to death. They are timid and like to hid. Just introducing a new fish to the tank, an owner wants to be sure that the fish is well and adjusting to their new surroundings. That is really hard to do if you don't see the fish except in the shadows of a darkened tank for the first few days. Give him time and you will see him once the lights go out. I am finding that turning the lights off and feeding him at the same time each day, he is learning - hopefully - someday - with lots of patience - I can train him to eat from my hands.

I am sure that there are loads of much more experienced owners out there - but I thought you might like to know that there are other new BGK owners out here as well.

Best of luck - they are facinating fish.

 

[Malefic23]

Umm... I could be wrong here but aren't your Guppies and Endlers going to be dinner?

That's the idea, yah. While he's growing out in the 30, he can help himself to anything that fits in his mouth. I don't buy feeders, I breed my own strain. This is the same take I used to grow out a 3 inch silver arrowana. Don't worry, my fish are prolific. He can't possibly out eat their breeding habits.

And they are endler/guppy hybrids. I ran together the two strains five years ago, and I've been weeding the culls out ever since. At this point, I have golden big females, males that range from fantail to endler coloration, and are temp hardy down to 50 degrees. Let's hear it for experiements in selective breeding!

 

[WinnipegDragon]

I see, I assumed you wanted the Gupplers to survive

 

[Malefic23]

He must have gotten comfortable in the tank at last. Today he's got a big belly, and about 1/3 of the fry are missing. Glad to see he's acclimated! Now I'm concerned if a BGK will eat himself to death like a goldfish...
And don't worry about the gupplers (I like that...gupplers) when the bgk gets big enough to take an adult, he'll be in a bigger tank.

 

[joander123]

those fish may not end up being food, your BGK is still small, and even as he grows he may adapt to having them around. How big are they? I keep my BGK in a tank with 15 serpae tetras and none of them are any bigger than two inches. He hasnt eaten any or even shown any agression towards any. Black Ghost Knifefish are known to show agression to their own kind, thats why it is not reccomended to keep more than 1 in a tank unless it is very large. They all have different temperments, and i wouldnt be surprised to see the BGK you saw as the tank bully turn out to be a docile fish. I also chose the biggest meanest one i could find, and he ended up being a very shy(at least at first he was shy) docile fish. I have had him about half a year now, and he hasnt grown so much, hes about 6.5-7 inches right now (bought him at 6") and is now a lot less shy. He has really come out of his shell, and if my favorite fish. He lets me pet him and hand feed him as well, which i think is a cool trait for a fish. Anyways, im done rambling.. thats just my two cents...... BGK are really cool fish and i hope you will be happy with yours.


(sorry about refering to my fish as a "he" i have no idea as to the sex of it, just habbit.)

-Jay

 

[Malefic23]

Thanks for the BGK tales, I appreciate them. He's too little to take on an adult guppler yet, he's just nibbled on the fry a bit. The fry have java moss and other hiding places, so he can't just wipe them out. I wanted the biggest fattest meanest BGK I could find, because this is the second one I've tried. The first could'nt adjust and starved to death over a week's time. Just would not take food at all, no matter what I offered. So after he died, I checked my tank, read up yet more, and found I had'nt done anything wrong. This one's doing fine, eating well, and seems happy. He's shy though, but I'm confident I can get him to hand feed once he's totally settled. It's the hand feeding, petting and personality that attracted me to these fish.

 

[FishyMatty]

I didn't read what every one said but heres what you need to know.
That fish can grow 18", He will eat your guppies also you should have slightly warmer water.
I had a 5" BGK that spent most of the day in his cave, I decided to add a school of black neons, 18 then the next day 16 by the time the week was out I had 6 left. Sorry.

 

[crazylady6900]

BGK

I have had a BGK for a year now and yes his tank is too small but he will be going to a bigger one and he is only 4" long right now. He is by far my favorite fish in my tank right now. He's ate out of my hand from day one and the store I bought him from said he would only eat brine shrimp. Well let's see, he eats everything I feed him.I can pinch some flakes in my fingers and he will come right out and eat em. I've never had fish come up missing ever. The only fish he is mean to is my blue lobster and the lobster wont go near him and now they are so used to each other while my lobster waits to catch a passing fish in his cave the BGK sits upside down right above him and puts him in check when he goes for any of them. So b/c of my BGK my tank all gets along. He comes out whenever lights are on or off, and no one bugs him ever. My tank temp is always at around 84 degrees and I feed all tank inhabitants 1 time in the evenings everynight. I really hate to part with him but I just might have to if I dont get a new tank in time.