Quick question to you Knife experts

[Miguel]

Got myself a foot long Royal. The thing is it spends the whole day in hiding ( which is normal behaviour ) and only steps forward when it is dark.

I allready turned the tank lights off, so they will have only daylight. It is housed with my black aros.

My question is, considering its already considerable size, would it be unduly stressed if I remove the items behind which it hides, thereby "forcing " it to be out in the open?

 

[ceeej31]

i'm no expert but, i think it would stress it out

 

[RichyBGK]

no, don't force it out by removing things as the idea is to make it feel comfortable.
If it were me i'd have the normal lights for a few hours but have a seperate starter with a blue moon tube in for before/after the white lights. It may come out more under the blue The less stress the better.

 

[barrakooda]

I have had my clown knife for a bit over a year now. I bought it when it was only 2-3inches and now its over 9 inches. The thing does hide at the back of the tank everytime i look at the tank... but sometimes i do catch it swimming in the morning as I head out to work at 6:40am. However, the fish is very active and swimming all over the tank when its feeding time!

 

[moonchild1970]

I have a BGK like that. What I did was to totally leave him alone for like 2 mos(unless I was dropping food into his hiding spot which quickly tames them) then wean him onto some see thru 2 liter pop bottles or upside down glass bowls.

Or you can use this clear section off of a siphon like I did, for them to hide in:

So he can hide all he wants but is still visible!

They also sell those clear see thru ghosts tube things especially made for knife fish, at pet stores.

Just remember these guys always need hiding spots. The more comfortable they are they more confident and that's when they come out more to explore.

Mine is doing so more and more now. But it tooks months...

 

[Miguel]

I understand. My hope was - and I compare the Royal to a like sized CK I have in another tank, which is not shy - that due to its size ( 1 foot ) the "timidity" issue was no longer an issue and that it would force him out more often ( I hardly see it and, in the night, it is as if it senses I am spying - it disappears in a flash when I peek )...what a shame,

 

[rallysman]

Once it gets some more size on it you'll see it more often. They just take a long time to settle in.

 

[dmed]

I'm not familiar with the royal knife, but most knife fish are practically blind, so it's not just the light it's hiding from. It sends out electrical signals that tell it when it's enclosed in something. That's why they will "hide" in a clear tube or soda bottle. They feel more secure when surrounded. I don't like to use the clear hideout, though, because knife fish are scaleless and need some protection from the light, especially if you use halides or high-Kelvin lighting.

They do prefer the dark, but they will very quickly get acclimated to red lighting. For about $20 at Petsmart, you can get a red LED light and transformer. Leave the red light on all night and you can start watching your knife as you train it to come out more.

You don't have to leave all the hiding places, but definitely leave one or two. You can construct them creatively so that you can still see the fish and feed it there. Using the red light, you can start directing food toward it so that it associates you with food. Then, gradually make your feeding times earlier in the evening or later in the morning when the natural light in the room is better. If you find that it loves a particular food, you can start feeding that during daylight hours and hope that your knife finds it irresistable enough to venture out for a minute or two. You can make the food more attractive by soaking it in Seachem's garlic guard first if you like. That will help train the fish that the garlic odor means come to dinner!

I don't know about the activity level of your other fish. My knife is in with a school of fish and always comes out when they're eating because it recognizes the commotion as a sign that food is in the tank. If your other fish are active during the day, it may be helpful, unless they are very aggressive. My black ghost knife comes out intermittently at all hours of the day even when the tank lights are on. Of course, if you have just added it to the tank, it might take a while to get comfortable. I would just take it slowly and try not to stress the fish. The red light will alllow you to get to know it better on its own terms while it's adjusting to you and your home.

Hope all that helps, and good luck with your knife!

 

[K626]

Well, it doesn't sound like you've had this guy for long. Let him get adjusted to you and his surroundings for a few months. Give it plenty of hiding spots, so it feels it always has an escape. The more hiding spots, the more comfy they are. As for everyone saying they're blind, I'm not so sure of that. Every ck I've ever owned has followed me around the room, gotten excited (or spooked) when I walk up to the tank. I'm not saying their eyesight it great, but not blind by any means.

 

[dbcb314]

The way I see it is...

If you care about YOU first...... get rid of the hiding stuff and force it to come out. I really doubt it will stress it out til the point of death... it will get used to it. Many people on this site do this with their fish (aka no decorations) and they all look healthy and fine.

If you care about the FISH first, then let it do what it does.


This is a judgement call on ur part IMO. I don't think either is bad or good. All what you are comfortable with.