if it were possible to have him by himself for a time he would be soooo different..this is my 3rd ghost.. and i found out that they do not come out or thrive and eat much when they have other fish around..and i lost both of them because they slowly starve themselves....This one is alone in his own tank{except for a couple of baby africanS} he is always out, and always eating..so i think they do much better in species tank..he is the healthiest one we ever had, and growing good too.. all because he is king in the tank.