BGK always hiding

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bigvisk

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Nov 20, 2006
78
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36
albany, ny
Hello, i have a BGK in a 55g right now, hes about 5", hes with a 6" ornate and 6" sengal. no one seems to bother anyone. no torn fins or anything of the like. my knife is always hiding. i am in the process of making moonlights, i used a cold cathode that was in my computer, but 1 just isnt enough so i am ordering another one, but i would like him to come out and play in the light.

ive read of peoples bgk eating from their hands etc. any idea what it is, is he just stressed from the two bichirs? i could move him to a 30g temporarily, its finishing up a fishless cycle atm, but id rather not.

i know they are shy fish, but everything i read shows people have gotten great reactions from them, ive had him about a month, he had ich for a bit after i got him in the Q tank, but all is well now, thanks for the help.

-bigvisk
 
he had ich, so i treated him for 12 days, hes been in the 55g at least 10 days, it could be readjusting i suppose :). just wondering, i promised my gf we would teach him to eat out of our hands, but i think i may have bitten off more than i can chew. she loves it that our mbuna eat out of her hand, and is one of the reasons my aquarium #s keep going up :). and as i would like to get a large 180g this summer, it is of the utmost importance that she falls in love with this future monster (whom the 180 will be a partial home for :naughty: )
 
during the day right? mine always gides too... unless you put some food in! good i dea on the moonlight, i have that on my tank and with the early sunset times now, i adjust the timers so that the tank light goes off 30 minutes after sundown and my BGK comes out and does his thing. if you keep the tank light off you'll see him more. just the nature of the beast. as for hand feeding, just keep putting your hand in with a treat. eventually he'll eat from it. i do this on occasion, but by no means is he trained to do it yet.

i wouldnt worry about the bichirs. i have mine with them too and there are no problems, its just a shy nocturnal fish
 
Mine shared a tank with a 16" Pearl Aro and although they never had a go at each other taking out all it's hiding holes was not a good idea. So i did this. See pic.

Some people use the glass from a hurricane lamp as the BGK's electric field tells the fish that it's a great place to hide but not that it's transparent :)

Eating out of your hand???? good luck :)

BlackKinfe_TyreTrackEeel_RTBlackShark.JPG

BlackKnifeGhost.JPG

BKG-in-lamp-glass.jpg
 
Well, BGK are nocturnal so mostly he does his business at night. Try using red lights, it won't bother him.
 
thanks for all the info, well see how the blue light works, can always switch to red as well. guess we'll just let him be :).
 
I have 2 BGK in seperate tanks, and both spend daylight usually in the hiding, though 1 is a little less shy about the light, but usually only when it gets close to feeding time. I like caves that can sit flush against the glass, as they hide in there thinking they are safe and can't be seen. Or Lee's sells clear plastic tubes that are called "glass house" in various sizes. Or take a piece of PVC pipe, cut it in half, and stick it in against the glass. As for feeeding from your hand, best of luck, I have gotten most of my other tropical community, even cichlids to eat from my hand, but no luck with either of my ghost knife, and although I keep hearding about it. Have never seen it. BTW I have had 1 of my knifes for a about a year currently around 10" , and the other one for about 6months currently about 13"
 
if provided with lots of foilage (plants) it will start to adapt much better and eventually come out for longer periods of time.b:FIREdevil
 
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