Luring out Gymnotus Javari?

[TurkeySoup]

I have a G. Javari in my 55 gal which is extremely shy and always hiding. Now, this wasn't an issue up until recently since I knew where it was hiding. This meant I was able to spot feed it to ensure it wasn't having trouble competing for food. But recently I had to move the pipes it was hiding in to quarantine a driftwood catfish, and in the process the Knifefish moved to somewhere else in the tank. Anyone have any ideas on how to locate/lure out the knife without completely tearing apart the tank? (bonus pic of the knifefish on underwater camera included, as in the 6+ months of owning it I have YET to see it in open water)

 

[Conchonius]

Red lights and strong-smelling food at night is the best I can think of. It should come out if it scents something like bloodworms in the dark.

 

[amazontank]

Red led is what I do with my plecos. Hygger has those leds for reasonable!
Hopefully the catfish isn't chasing the knifes tail at night.

 

[M075]

Ive heard they dont like metal objects in the water, u could try using a spoon to Maybe get it to react.

 

[TurkeySoup]

I have a G. Javari in my 55 gal which is extremely shy and always hiding. Now, this wasn't an issue up until recently since I knew where it was hiding. This meant I was able to spot feed it to ensure it wasn't having trouble competing for food. But recently I had to move the pipes it was hiding in to quarantine a driftwood catfish, and in the process the Knifefish moved to somewhere else in the tank. Anyone have any ideas on how to locate/lure out the knife without completely tearing apart the tank? (bonus pic of the knifefish on underwater camera included, as in the 6+ months of owning it I have YET to see it in open water)

View attachment 1574945

Thanks for all the suggestions! I tried using one of my red LEDs along with a pile of bloodworms at the bottom, but after about two hours of sitting and waiting I unfortunately didn't see anything come and take them. I think I'll try giving it another go later this week, and hopefully we'll see some results then

 

[TurkeySoup]

Red led is what I do with my plecos. Hygger has those leds for reasonable!
Hopefully the catfish isn't chasing the knifes tail at night.

When you use the red LEDs on your fish, do you get similar activity to when the lights are completely off? I know that my driftwood cats immediately go off to hide when there is anything other than complete darkness, so I'm curious if you have different results with similar fish.

 

[M075]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I tried using one of my red LEDs along with a pile of bloodworms at the bottom, but after about two hours of sitting and waiting I unfortunately didn't see anything come and take them. I think I'll try giving it another go later this week, and hopefully we'll see some results then

U could try adding a bunch of live shrimp, its mostly what they eat in the wild and might trigger its hunting instincts

 

[M075]

When you use the red LEDs on your fish, do you get similar activity to when the lights are completely off? I know that my driftwood cats immediately go off to hide when there is anything other than complete darkness, so I'm curious if you have different results with similar fish.

My knife doesnt really care anymore about the lights as long as there is food and nobody to attack him.

Red lights really help for most fish but they might need to get used to it a little bit, u could try leaving it on lowest setting for the night so they fish might get used to it being on first.

I use a cheap led strip for my red light and it works great, u dont want it to be too bright anyways