black ghost knife as a centerpiece fish

[syddakyd]

never had one but have been reading up on them. im re-doing my 125g stock and giving my cichlids away.

i read they do well with african brown knives (since south american and old world knives aren't even remotely related...and south americans are more related to catfish)

anyways...couple of questions..


i know they will eat neons and other very small fish, but what about if i keep it with things like tiger barbs. are they going to be ok with it?

also, how easy is it to adapt it to eating live food.


also, how often will i see this thing. my girl had bought me a brown ghost knife once that did absolutely nothing. it ended up dissapearing when i thought what has that thing been up to one day. lol

 

[Gho3t]

I have a black Ghost Knife and by far my fav fish in my tank. During the day it mostly hides under driftwood but only come out during feeding. When I had more plant life it would come out a bit during day time as long as it was able to hide quickly. I would make sure you have plenty of hiding spaces up front so the BGK will feel better about coming out for you to see.

My BFK only comes out mostly at night where its all over the place. They are fun fish to watch. Right now I only have 1 but looking to add two more.

Hope this helps Cheers!!!

 

[benzjamin13]

I've actually had a 7" BGK with Serpae Tetras, Black Neon Tetras, and Pristella Tetras for awhile. They can be predatory, but as long as you feed them, they don't seem to hunt. Worms and insect larvae are usually on their menu.

Fish like Tiger Barbs would probably be safe with a BGK for awhile as well, however, they are notoriously known for fin nipping. I wouldn't trust Tiger Barbs with the fin movement of a BGK.

Feeding live food would be no problems, but what kind of live food are we talking about? It's always best to give any fish a variety of foods. It's not good if the fish is stuck on live. If there's a situation where live food is not much of an option one day, you can always go with some sort of prepared food without having to worry about the fish starving. Frozen Bloodworms would be my choice.

And lastly, BGKs are nocturnal. So seeing them out and about might be a bit scarce. However, with a little training, they do come out for feeding and can even be handfed. Some people have their BGK swimming all over regards of day or night, but mine will just hide with the lights on. It will come out during feeding time during the day as long as the tank light is off.

 

[knifegill]

Agree, avoid the fin-nippers. You can reduce decor and lean a big, long piece of slate against the front of the tank to keep him in view. They say these fish are mostly blind, so it shouldn't add stress to his life to be hiding against the front pane. I haven't kept them myself, so I'm saying this based on the conjecture I've been taught. I have seen these fish looking quite comfortable in such arrangements, though.

 

[dark_knights_99]

why don't you try mollies instead?