Keeping electric fish together... from an expert on the subject

[dbcb314]

We have all seen this posted on websites... including this one:

"You cannot keep knifefish and other electrical navigating fish together. There electric signals will get crossed/jammed/whatever and they won't be able to navigate properly and find food."


This gets posted everywhere. In a quick glance of the subject, you would think that could make SOME sense. But, everyone that says offers zero proof on the subject. No scientific studies. No real good explanation.

I have the priveledge to work at a lab on campus. I take care of the fish (aka ***** work), do some easy research, and other stuff. What kind of fish? South American knifefish.

My boss is a professor and Ph.D. He has dedicated his life and work to studying South American knifefish and ESPECIALLY studies their electric signals. When I do any research for them, I record electrical signals. This is his lifes work. If ANYONE would know something about this, he would.

So, I asked him if there was any truth to it. And I will summarize what he said because I don't feel comfortable copy and pasting the whole e-mail. If people think I am making this up, tell a mod, I will forward an e-mail to them for confirmation.

- there is no much truth to it

- you have to be careful putting certain knifefish together do to aggressiveness, not electrical signals

- fish with electrical signals with similar frequencies CAN jam each others ability to electrolocate. BUT BUT BUT most species have a reflex called the "jamming avoidance response", in which the fish change their frequencies away from each other so that they don't get jammed

- all the fish we have in the lab except Sternopygus can do this****

- it is particularly robust in Eigenmannia spp because they live in groups


*** in the lab we have lots of different species. Off the top of my head we have...

- black ghost
- brown ghost
- Eigenmannia spp
- Gold line (Sternopygus macrurus)
- A. bonapartii
- P. hasemani
- R. rostratus
- elephant nose (can't think of scientific name)
- and at least 3 others I know what they look like but have no idea what they are called.


Please, let this rumor die... unless someone has something to back it up.

( what is interesting is the one fish that doesn't have this ability, sternopygus, is the fish that is most often placed with the other knifefish. could have something to do with this calm demeanor, or maybe its eod frequency is so different it doesn't matter)

 

[King-eL]

Thanks for sharing this.

I've been wondering about that too if it's really true, cause I know someone here in Canada that have two electric eel and they don't seem to jammed each other electrical frequencies. In lfs too, many BGK are kept together and doesn't seems to jammed each other electrical frequencies. I've been wanting to say this too for a long time but I have no theory to back me up.

 

[Moontanman]

I've tried to keep Elephantnose fish (from Africa) with glass knife fish (from SA) and the Elephantnose fish will not let them be and usually end up killing the glass knife fish. I was under the impression that the incompatibility was between fish from Africa and fish from South America or between fish from different areas not between fishes from the same areas.

 

[The Red Severum]

wow, i was just thinking the same thing the other day..

 

[peewee]

for sure the electric eel's frequency will jam you if you happen to put your hands in their tank. hahaha!

 

[King-eL]

for sure the electric eel's frequency will jam you if you happen to put your hands in their tank. hahaha!

No not really. I have tried that with my 16" electric eel and it only gives out shock if it's stressed or being threaten and when trying to catch a live meal.

 

[peewee]

i wouldnt take a chance...low pain tolerance here..haha!

 

[dark_knights_99]

I've put 5 bgk and an elephant nose in my tank. No electrical signal jams there.

 

[benzjamin13]

I think the problem is everyone does get there info from the internet and old books which claim that theory. There are so many different "facts" out there and it seems that one copies the other. It's hard to find a definitive answer unless you just do it. Some people will believe what they read and a lot of people will go by experience. I'll be honest to say that I thought this "crossing signal" theory to be true for a long time and I'll even go as far to say that I don't mix my Knives because I don't want to see if this is true or not, but that's me. I've seen people mix Knives without a problem. There is no definitive answer without experience.

A lot of people swear that you can't mix SA/CA with African Cichlids, but I've seen it work many times and the rebutal for seeing tanks like that is, "it won't work in the long run". Yet I have a friend who has an Oscar sitting in his tank with Electric Yellows and Frontosas for over 5 years.

 

[Finalfire9]

I never knew somebody was so stupid to think that a animal could jam another animals electrical signals Thats like saying i cant see bc your looking at me.