P. afer info?

[Experiment397]

Anyone have experience with P. afer? I love the way they look and have heard they are more diurnal than other knives so I've been considering getting one for my tank. Not sure how it would go with my setup though. I've done some searches on here and am not finding a lot of recent information about them and very little about how they behave with other fish. For anyone who's kept them how do they do with tankmates? My Royal doesn't seem to bother anybody even though he is wayyy bigger than any other fish in the tank and is super shy and reclusive. Might be trading him in if that doesn't change. I've read that afer can be a little nippy but wanted to hear some firsthand accounts from anyone who's kept them. Thanks!

 

[krichardson]

I have one that I bought a few years ago as a six incher that is now over fifteen inches.It was very shy and mostly nocturnal at first but over the years and as it grew it became more active during the day.It now peacefully patrols the tank all throughout the day and eats sinking pellets as well as seafood.

 

[Experiment397]

I have one that I bought a few years ago as a six incher that is now over fifteen inches.It was very shy and mostly nocturnal at first but over the years and as it grew it became more active during the day.It now peacefully patrols the tank all throughout the day and eats sinking pellets as well as seafood.

That sounds exactly like what I've been looking for. I love my royal but it seems like a shame to have such a large and pretty fish that is so reclusive

 

[krichardson]

That sounds exactly like what I've been looking for. I love my royal but it seems like a shame to have such a large and pretty fish that is so reclusive

I think the key is to offer very little hiding objects while it is growing as it stayed inside of a skull ornament most of the time while it was small and it came out to hunt at night.I would notice other fish had tears and chunks torn out of them in the mornings.Also,partly due to my schedule I rarely fed it at night which also might have helped get it accustomed to being out during the day.

 

[Hendre]

Said to be slow growing and can be temperamental. The thing is moxt knives will hide if they can and temperament varies, I have 2 nigri. One almost always is out on the very left side (no cover) while the other hides most of the day unless I'm feeding. It's hit and miss. Feeding in the day, and using black sand, black back and lots of planting with wood has helped I think, compared to my barely covered bright gravel starting tank

They get big too, I wouldn't think 18" is impossible in tanks. Unfortunately the much more small tank appropriate P. Congoensis is rarely if ever traded and is hard to keep according to what I've seen