Do black ghost knives eat snails?

[Andyroo]

Yes, yes they do.... little SOBs.
I've been one-one moving/salvaging the big ramshorn & juv mystery snails from the little window greenwater tank to the grow-out 55 in preparation to try some of Fishdance (et al)'s cardinal tetra breeding tricks. And....

now there's a big pile of shiny empty shells stashed behind the filter intake. It's like an octopus' midden, Smaug's hoard.
Pretty impressive, actually; I might try 'em on MTS next

 

[fishdance]

If you want to breed the Black Ghost Knife,
Make sure you have both sexes, fatten them up on earthworm or high protein food (like snails, frozen mussel meat, prawns, etc although it's hard to beat live worms).

4 Litre ice cream container of 15 - 20mm rough sharp gravel In a bare bottom tank.

Remove ice cream container each week to a hatching tank, replacing it with a new ice cream container on rotation. Not all will have eggs, you are just making sure to catch when they spawn.

That's pretty much it. They would be already spawning and foraging eggs in your tank otherwise. I have 7 fish - 2 males, 5 females in a 800 litre tank.

Previously I was shifting brood fish to a different tank containing substrate each week (3 tanks needed) which works but this does the same thing with less effort.

This video is in Indonesian but easy to understand.

 

[fishdance]

I don't remember what I told you about breeding cardinal tetras but mixing a little earthy soil into rainwater helps. Having murky water and low water level reduces predation. Can use couch grass clumps for spawning media if you don't have Java moss.

 

[Andyroo]

Re ghost breeding: I bought three without major intention of breeding, but this sounds straightforward - will keep you posted. My three are only 4~5" and growing fast.
A gallon of course gravel - fascinating. Do they dig them in or dig a redd, or do they just scatter? It would be interesting to see a pair of 30cm fish spawning in a bucket 25cm across. Watching the video a little later; I expect my questions will be answered there

Re. card breeding: this is about what my notes (from your & others' notes) said & I'll giving it a go over Xmas. I'm pretty sure they're breeding now with every water-change, but nothing persisting with the extra fish, depth & snails.
i've no moss but lots of pre-sunken & prepared bamboo leaves that I was going to cover the bottom with.