FishProfiles.com Message Forums

hi everyone well im just getting back into keeping fish its been about 5 years since i had a tank set up i just got a new tank about a month ago its a 55 gallon and i got it with fish already stocked in my tank i have a black ghost knifefish i dont know alot about them i have been looking i know what is on the profile on this site and i have seen a bit about them while looking on the net. i was wondering if anyone on this site has one or has had one or just know a bit about this fish. im not sure how old it is its about 6 inches long as far as i know the person that had it before me had it for 5 years but other then that i dont know. does anyone know the age of this fish by the size or any info would be great thank for any help you can give (and if there is a better place to post about this fish let me know but i thought general would be the best spot lol) thanks again

I've never had one but supposably they love hanging out in clear tubes.

-Vincent

i have currently, 8-9 one them now, and over the past 10 years, close to 30-40 of them.

what is it that you want to know exactly?

well what i was wondering was any info that you know about this fish i dont know alot about it just what is on this site so if you know any info on this fish that maybe is not on this site just stuff you noticed that would be great. i cant find to much info on this fish. i was also wondering if anyone knew the age of this fish maybe by the size of it or somthing. he is about 6 inches long. any info you have on this fish would be great. im just trying to find stuff out so that i can take care of him and give him a good life thanks for any help you can give me.

Hi Purple, I have two in my 6ft tank.

They are the most interesting fish to watch however they are nocturnal so you may not see much of it during lights on. They prefer to hide in caves, around driftwood, etc and like a tank that provides a lot of shelter either with planting or rocks, driftwood.

They tend to be more of a bottom dweller but mine do come to the surface for food. They will eat any foods put into the tank.

I feed mine flake, granules, algae wafers, zucchini, lettuce, bloodworms and they have even managed a cricket if my ABF isn't quick enough. They can also be hand fed.

What other fish do you have in the tank with it?

Not sure how old yours would be? I've one of mine almost 1 year and it has probably doubled its size.

Hope this helps you out a little, they really are amazing fish, enjoy!

Cheers - Crusha

---

Those who say they cant, Never will !!!

The Black Ghost Knife Fish, Apteronotus albifrons, is an eccentric and unusual fish that attracts a lot of keepers because of this, However, be advised that you're taking on a fish that will reach 22 inches in length when fully grown! Consequently, it will need LARGE quarters as the years roll by. Best start preparing for this NOW while the fish is still at a relatively manageable size, because preparing a large aquarium in a hurry for a fish that has outgrown its existing quarters is never a good idea.

The other feature of this fish you should be aware of is that it generates an electric field for navigation purposes. Therefore, it should NOT be kept in an aquarium that is close to electrical devices that output high tensile electric fields or strong magnetic fields of their own - keep the fish safely distant from such hardware as PC monitors, PCs themselves, Hi-Fi loudspeakers (these are particularly stress inducing upon electric fishes) and any device that draws a large current, ESPECIALLY if that device involves induction coils, big transformers and the like. Even a mobile phone left too close to the aquarium may prove to be stressful to a fish of this nature, especially the newer generation of multi-featured camera/WAP phones with gizmos a-plenty packed into a small space. Other devices to keep well away from the fish include printers and scanners - ESPECIALLY high-performance laser printers, as these have big motors and other interesting components that generate robust electrical and magnetic fields that will stress the fish.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

i have never had a problem with my black ghost and electricity,they do seem to gather at the power heads of my tank, like stated they are very blind so a clear tube is good for both of you, as it gives the fish protection and you can see it, but white plumming tubes are good to, just just can't really see the fish as much.

aafter awhile they should become "tame" for a lack of words and go to the top and eat if there is alot of comptetion. Mines eat pretty much everything, like frozen bloodworms and tetramin color bits.

I wouldn't keep with with smaller animals, like tetras and small barbs. I have heard of accounts where the BGK hasa eatten the eyes out of neons and others. Their mouth does extend quite abit, and when they fight, you will see them extend their mouths very wide, and try and nip at eachother.

they will get very big as you probably know, my largest was about 20 inches and over 9 years old. I have noticed that they are alittle more sensitive to water changes than other fishes. mostly water temp and shock. pretty much like most fishes. i lost a few BGK do to other people changing my water and doing it the wrong way but anyway they can be quite nice fishes and hopefully yours can live a long and happy life.

they do seem to gather at the power heads of my tank

Powerheads don't generate strong magnetic or electric fields, but they DO generate a field that the Black Ghost Knife Fish will pick up on and investigate ...

Yours were probably wondering what kind of strange animal they'd alighted upon


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

is that good or bad?

i know they sometimes fight over who gets that spot.

may be they are finding that field close to that generated by a black ghost of opposite sex

just kidding......

well thank you all for your info i dont seem to find alot about them on the net all the info i find is the same but you guys have given me some new info thank you very much. my fish seems to be an odd ball mine is out during the day just for a swim it seems like lol i have a "cave" for him it is 2 peices of wood made into a cave and i have the opening at the front of the tank so that i can see him. all the other fish go into the cave and it dont seem to bother him at all except at feeding time thats when he does not like the other fish in his cave but the other fish seem to know that and stay away lol. mine is about 5 or 6 inches right now as far as i know the guy that had the tank before me had the fish for like 5 years but i dont know for sure. the other fish i have in the tank are barbs that are 5 years old they are big so i dont have to worry about them i hope i have some angel fish, some loche and some african rainbow fish (thats what i was told they are called they are some kind of minnow) but thats what is in the tank with my BGK. my fish will eat anything and he seems happy right now i do want to get a bigger tank at some point in the next while so hopefully i can get that done before he gets too big. thank you again for the info and if you think of anything else feel free to let me know thanks

Tangential diversion for a moment away from your Black Ghost Knife Fish ...

You say you have something called an 'African Rainbow Fish' in there with the Knife Fishes ... this wouldn't be the vastly underrated and rare Neolebias ansorgei by any chance?

Here are some photos courtesy of some links Bruce Moomaw provided in the Tetra Talk forum ...

Photo 1 (Male)

Photo 2 (Female)

Photo 3 (Another male)

Photo 4 (Not sure if this is a subadult male in transitional colour but looks as if it could be)

If this IS your fish, it's actually a Characoid fish. And a VERY nice one to have in your collection too. If you have these, then I envy you BIG time!

Oh, a good place to visit is this website maintained by Sean Evans, a keeper of oddballs and tankbusters who is well known here in the UK thanks to the Practical Fishkeeping article on his collection of fishes ... he doesn't have a Black Ghost Knife Fish profile on there, but as he's used to keeping monster fishes (including a 22 inch Leiarus pictus catfish that takes food from his hand, and a 22 inch Clown Knife Fish) his advice is pretty sagely.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

well that is not my fish but they are nice looking fish and now would like to have some lol umm im not sure what type of fish it is now thats what the guy who gave me the tank was told they are i will try to find out what they really are and i will let you know and thanks for the link im going to check it out for sure i like to know about fish that i have and people that are really good with fish are the best people to get advice and info from thanks again and hopefully i will have an idea soon of what my fish are lol i will keep you posted

If you can photograph these 'African Rainbows' and post links here, I'll have another stab at identifying them ...

Another quick thought - does your fish look like this fish]http://aquaworld.netfirms.com/Other/Bedotia_geayi.htm[/link] by any chance? That's the Madagascar Rainbow Fish, and we have a profile for it [link=here. It was originally included with the other Rainbowfishes in the Family Atherinidae, until the taxonomists got to work revising the entire group, and parked it in its own family, the Bedotidae. Quite a rarity this one, if you have it you're lucky!



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

again thats not my fish but i would really like to know what it is lol i dont really have any way to take a pic and post it at this time but i am looking on the net and trying to find this fish lol what it looks like is a regular minnow that you would get to go fishing thats the body type and mouth and stuff they are about 2 1/2 inches long right now. they have 3 colours in them silver pink and blue. the silver and pink kinda run together like a silvery pink and the blue are lines some broken some not. that is about it if you have any idea from that bad discription please let me know lol thank for your help and i hope we can find my fish it should be a game name that fish lol ttyl

well i think i might have found my fish woooooooooooohoooooo drumb roll please brbrbrrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbr Kyathit Danio or Orange-Finned Zebra Danio that would be it mine look more pink to me then red but that is my fish not as exciting as the ones Calilasseia was thinking but i still love them lol thanks for all your help /:'

Funny how something that's not African or a Rainbowfish would end up being called an African Rainbowfish by a store. I know they make up some crazy names, but that's really a stretch.

There should be a law that mandates all fish sold in stores be labled by their scientific names. Or even the genus at the very least...

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

In quite a few places I visit here in the UK, this already happens Natalie, you'll be glad to know. I've certainly NEVER seen Rift Lake Cichlids sold as anything other than, for example, Labidochromis caeruleus or Melanochromis chipokae, with the exception of Frontosas (which are pretty unmistakable anyway), and certainly unusual fishes that aren't 'bread and butter' trade species are usually labelled by scientific name.

Basically you KNOW you're in England when you see a tankful of Dwarf Puffers actually labelled as Carinotetraodon travanicorus ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002