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my glass knifefish will not leave the back corner of the tank. He hides behind a piece of driftwood and a plastic plant. i have dimmed the light in the aquarium and have no clue what to do next to get him to come out more. i cant even really see him, hes always hiding. Is there a way to get them to come out more into the open water or at least hide where i can see him more. ive tried adding more cover for him in the front of the tank but he wont even give them a chance.

Didn't you just get it? It could be a little stressed. Given more time, your Glass Knifefish should become more active.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

yea, i got him friday...i guess he just needs alor of time to adjust

I know that black ghost knifes like to have a hiding spot to feel more comfortable maybe glass knives are the same way. Just a thought.

i've had my black ghost knife for a couple weeks now - he never comes out unless it's completely dark in the room... the only way i see him is if i turn off the lights, wait 5 min, then turn them back on and watch him hurry across the tank back to his cave. i'm sure glass knifes aren't much different

Except that Glass Knives are different; they're Sternopygids, not Apteronotids. They are quite different fish from Black Ghosts, so it's not a completely good idea to compare. It's like applying laws of Cories to Plecs.

Last edited by Shinigami at 25-Oct-2004 19:33

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

yes tey will hide tey r noctural they use electric currents to find food after a fare bit of time they will come out but they hide most of the time frozen bloodworms n daphiina how ever u spell it will coax him out myn wood eat from my hand n they prefer larger tanks
great fish

did it take one of your fingers off when you were feeding it?

when i said 'i'm sure glass knifes aren't much different' i was referring to the hiding behaviour alone. i've had both black ghost knife fish (Apteronotus albifrons) and clown knife fish (Notopterus chitala) - two different species of knife fish - which both showed the behaviour of hiding during the day and 'hunting' at night. that's why i say that glass knife are probably similar - in behaviour

I did some research on the glass knife fish to help you out a bit. This is a compilation of what I found


They prefer to be kept in groups of about 3 or so. They live for about 10 years. They like to have plenty of plants and hiding spaces. They are nocturnal. They are a peaceful fish, and can be kept with basically anything that will not fit into its mouth. They are very sensitive to changing water conditions. When doing water changes, it is best to replace the removed tank water with aged water. A varied diet is best; some live foods, but also frozen. Sometimes they can be acclimated to take some flake foods.

IME, Glass Knifefish are not only more willing to come into the light than BGKs, but actually a fish that can be classified as diurnal. Though sources say it is nocturnal, I always see these fish active in the daytime, only retreating into hiding places if they are scared or being chased, not because of the lights coming on.

Clown Knives are hardly related. That's like a cory to a loach comparison.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

shinigami - we get the point: cories aren't the same as plecos OR loaches. i was giving the comparison of the hiding behaviour in clown knifes and black knifes as a suggestion to johnnylaw as a reason why his glass knife may be in hiding - a couple other people here have agreed that it may be hiding because it feels more secure and that behaviour may change when the knife gets used to his surroundings.

Last edited by bayara at 26-Oct-2004 16:14

thank you all for the comments and suggestions, i am going to give him awhile longer, ill see how it plays out, only time can tell