So a friend gave me a 55 gal planted tank when he moved recently, complete with fish. I've mostly owned various cichlids up til now with some other ventures into less aggressive species. This tank came with 3 angel fish which I promptly donated to my LFS (lol not a huge fan of angels, they actually came from the store I gave them to, a very reputable place) and one BGK, around 5 inches, which I am quite intrigued by. So this wasn't a tank my friend paid a huge amount of attention to, but the knife has already begun hand-feeding on blood worms. Very hungry fish here. My question is pretty simple: How fast will the little fella/girl grow and how long will the 55 gallon be suitable? I'll shoot my friend a text to see how long he's had the knife already, I know the tank was around 8 years old. I have to assume the fish was a fairly recent addition since apparently they grow much larger than this. Anyhow, any suggestions are appreciated.
Inherited a BGK, first one I've owned.
- Thread starter Matt Fishlover
- Start date
People seem to have very varied growth rates with these guys, mine have always grown fast I have a guy now thats 10" and nearly 6 months old was about 3" when I got him. I found if you get them to eat beef heart, shrimp, super worms and pellets its what really gets them growing. I only use blood worms as a treat now. I guess what im saying how long it can stay in the tank is a big variable.
If you feed it right it will hit a foot in a year or so. Mine grew from 2"-10" in 11 months but started growing really fast after I began to feed it Pellets. The 55 should be fine. As long as you have a cave for him you will hardly notice he is there until feeding time or after lights out. A cave is a must for BGK. congrats you new fish
BGKs are usually slow growers, but it does vary from fish to fish. They probably average about 1/2" a month. They aren't too picky when it comes to food, but prefer bloodworms and shrimp. Pellets, flakes, and freeze-dried are also taken. A 55g will last for a good while, however, I do think that a 75g is better suited as a minimum footprint for these fish as the extra depth will be appreciated. They average 14"-16" in captivity.
ok question. i recently picked up a BGK from my LFS. he's about 3" now and so far i've only fed him forzen bloodworms and the ocasional freeze-dried shrimp. so 3 quick questions
1. i'd love to get him on pellets but do you think he's still to small?
2. where do you get beef heart? im sure my senegal bichir would like that as well?
3. what pellets are good for the BGK?
1. i'd love to get him on pellets but do you think he's still to small?
2. where do you get beef heart? im sure my senegal bichir would like that as well?
3. what pellets are good for the BGK?