View Full Version : Clown Knife Question........
joeytoe
09-15-2005, 4:16 PM
Im back with another question about my Clown Knife, My knife seems to like to hide all the time. Do they not really like light? All the others that Ive had over the years have swam around like everyone else.
Ive even sat like 6 ft away from the tank in the dark an he doesnt really swim around, except once an awhile up to the surface an then back down to hide.
:confused:
blacktip
09-15-2005, 4:26 PM
I know some clowns are more shy than others. What kind of fish is he housed with? Also, how long have you had him?
Springtyme
09-15-2005, 4:29 PM
I had a black ghost knife fish and all the research I did on it said that they were very sensitive to light and he hid most of the time when I had the light on. Perhaps clown knife are the same, they are the same family after all.... Not sure though. Just thought I'd offer my 2 cents :)
joeytoe
09-15-2005, 4:35 PM
I know some clowns are more shy than others. What kind of fish is he housed with? Also, how long have you had him?
Hes in a 120gal with 2 4 line cats, a marble cat, 2 firewmouths, a red terror, 7 bala sharks, an 3 plecos. Ive had him over 7 days, Ive seen him chase some of the others outve where hes hiding to.
jenBLKAROWANA
09-15-2005, 4:38 PM
Great questions blacktip...I was gonna ask the same things....I have had a couple of knife fish...they always seemed to hide behind things, and only come out to feed and gulp some air...I did have this awsome little knife fish...it was labled a "pom pom" knife...that was the coolest knife I ever had, or seen, I can't seem to find them anywhere...He was just only 5-6" and was a grayish brown color, it almost looked like an african knife, but I know it wasen't one of them...He swam all over the place, killed on of my green scats...we called him the pitbull...lol...it was a mean little sucker...He would swim right in front of the ARO's face...and some how the ARO never ate him...untill one day, he was missing....I think he taunted the ARO one to many times...lol....and became a midnight snack... :( I was very sad.....I wish I could find another one.....
Jen
mkpeters6
09-15-2005, 4:41 PM
seven days isnt that long of a time -- he could still be getting used to his new surroundings clown knifes aren't the most active fish in the world especially when the lights are on -- dont get discouraged yet - he might by shy but id give him some time
rallysman
09-15-2005, 4:42 PM
My clown knife hides a lot, only comes out to eat. It knows when the lid opens, food is probably going in:) Sometimes it will venture out but hides most of the time. I still love them, its more exciting to watch them when they do come out because you dont get to see them very often. KICK ASS FISH though!
blacktip
09-15-2005, 4:51 PM
Sounds to me like your knife will be fine. It's good to hear that he is defending his chosen spot. Over time, he may become more and more comfortable with his surroundings and if he does, you'll see him more frequently.
One more question, how big is he? I know that from my experiences with them, they became less shy as they got larger.
snogard
09-15-2005, 4:56 PM
i agree with black tip, they get less shy as they grow. i have 3 clown knives. one is 12" and always in plain view the other one is 7" who hides behind a root and the other one 12" only comes out during feeding. when they were a lot smaller (4") i go for days without seing 'em.
joeytoe
09-15-2005, 5:29 PM
Sounds to me like your knife will be fine. It's good to hear that he is defending his chosen spot. Over time, he may become more and more comfortable with his surroundings and if he does, you'll see him more frequently.
One more question, how big is he? I know that from my experiences with them, they became less shy as they got larger.
Hes a good 6"s Maybe a lil bigger, all my other ones I got when they were smaller(around 2-3"s. But when I saw the tank this guy was in I had to get him out.
Ive just been a lil off edge with this one as hes not as active as the ones I used to have, but atleast now hes eating more(unlike when I first got him). An I didnt want him to end up as wasted $$$$$$$$ that I hoped would grow into a kick@ss fish.
Thanks for all the coments .
joeytoe
09-15-2005, 7:25 PM
I figured Id toss up a pic that I took of him. Pleco is kinda in the way.
I had a black ghost knife fish and all the research I did on it said that they were very sensitive to light and he hid most of the time when I had the light on. Perhaps clown knife are the same, they are the same family after all.... Not sure though. Just thought I'd offer my 2 cents :)
No, they're not the same family. In fact, they're no more closely related to each other than a Corydoras is to an Arapaima. "True knifefish" (black ghosts, carapos, glass knives, and many others) make up the Gymnotiformes, and are only found in South America and extreme south Central America. "Featherback knifefish" are of family Notopteridae which are Osteoglossiformes, which contains arowanas (African aros and A. gigas included), the African butterfly fish, elephantnoses, the aba, and several others. The Notopterids are found in Africa and Asia, and have no "electrical" capabilities. They have similar habits, but are not closely related in the least. If you'd like, I can post a topic on knifefish phylogeny as it is quite complicated.
joeytoe
09-16-2005, 12:47 AM
No, they're not the same family. In fact, they're no more closely related to each other than a Corydoras is to an Arapaima. "True knifefish" (black ghosts, carapos, glass knives, and many others) make up the Gymnotiformes, and are only found in South America and extreme south Central America. "Featherback knifefish" are of family Notopteridae which are Osteoglossiformes, which contains arowanas (African aros and A. gigas included), the African butterfly fish, elephantnoses, the aba, and several others. The Notopterids are found in Africa and Asia, and have no "electrical" capabilities. They have similar habits, but are not closely related in the least. If you'd like, I can post a topic on knifefish phylogeny as it is quite complicated.
Id like to read that post if you decide to put it up. Could be very Informative. :clap
Great questions blacktip...I was gonna ask the same things....I have had a couple of knife fish...they always seemed to hide behind things, and only come out to feed and gulp some air...I did have this awsome little knife fish...it was labled a "pom pom" knife...that was the coolest knife I ever had, or seen, I can't seem to find them anywhere...He was just only 5-6" and was a grayish brown color, it almost looked like an african knife, but I know it wasen't one of them...He swam all over the place, killed on of my green scats...we called him the pitbull...lol...it was a mean little sucker...He would swim right in front of the ARO's face...and some how the ARO never ate him...untill one day, he was missing....I think he taunted the ARO one to many times...lol....and became a midnight snack... :( I was very sad.....I wish I could find another one.....
Jen
Papyrocranus afer. They are African knives, but are much harder to find than their close relatives Xenomystus nigri. I see them at lfs occasionally, but if you're up to paying shipping Toyin at Rehobothaquatics.com has them for great prices.
As for the clown, they all have individual personalities, and some are more shy than others. However, even the shyest of them will grow less shy over time.
joeytoe
09-16-2005, 1:01 AM
Papyrocranus afer. They are African knives, but are much harder to find than their close relatives Xenomystus nigri. I see them at lfs occasionally, but if you're up to paying shipping Toyin at Rehobothaquatics.com has them for great prices.
As for the clown, they all have individual personalities, and some are more shy than others. However, even the shyest of them will grow less shy over time.
These are what I always see listed as " African Knives".
KurseD
09-16-2005, 1:41 AM
i've had 2 clowns knife's before. both around 5in., they were very shy and only came out during feeding time. i tried different kinds of food (pellets, bloodworms, tubiflex...etc) but the only thing they consistenly ate was guppies and worms. i was in the military so i never got to keep my fish for long periods of time, i ended up giving mine away when i moved, i'm thinking about gettin another and was wonder what MFK'er feed their knives.
joeytoe
09-16-2005, 1:46 AM
i've had 2 clowns knife's before. both around 5in., they were very shy and only came out during feeding time. i tried different kinds of food (pellets, bloodworms, tubiflex...etc) but the only thing they consistenly ate was guppies and worms. i was in the military so i never got to keep my fish for long periods of time, i ended up giving mine away when i moved, i'm thinking about gettin another and was wonder what MFK'er feed their knives.
Ive been feeding my frozen Krill an Sinking carnivore Pellets, both with a home made feeding stick (so the other fish dont get the food first).
These are what I always see listed as " African Knives".
Yep, that's X. nigri. An easy way to tell the difference between X. nigri and P. afer is that P. afer has a small dorsal fin while X. nigri dosn't have a dorsal fin at all. I'll get to work on a knife phylogeny post, lol. :D
savagesam
09-21-2005, 12:35 AM
I have a 8" clown knife, who, although very eccentric in the feeding department, is actually quite a friendly fellow. He thinks he is king of the tank and swims around all day long even coming right up to the glass to touch noses with me when I come home from work. I absolutely love this fish even though I'm not sure what I'll do when he gets bigger than 2 feet long! I have a couple of black ghost knives who were rather shy, but this guy is a more curious knife.
joeytoe
09-21-2005, 1:23 AM
Mine Swims around with Impunity at night. an now eats freeze dried Krill beside my Silver Aro like there buddies. But he still hides during the day.
MFK_23
09-21-2005, 5:40 AM
:swear: When my CK was bout 8inches it always used to hide whenever the light was on. I went on a 3 week holiday nd forgot 2 turn off the lights so the lights were on all day for a 3 week period. When i got back it no longer hid, but swam around with the lights on :woot: . Maybe because i left the lights on 24-7 in got aclimitised to swimming around in lit conditions and no longer was frightened by a bright tank.. :D
joeytoe
09-21-2005, 11:28 AM
:swear: When my CK was bout 8inches it always used to hide whenever the light was on. I went on a 3 week holiday nd forgot 2 turn off the lights so the lights were on all day for a 3 week period. When i got back it no longer hid, but swam around with the lights on :woot: . Maybe because i left the lights on 24-7 in got aclimitised to swimming around in lit conditions and no longer was frightened by a bright tank.. :D
Mine comes out periodically during the day Mostly for food an trips up to the surface.