Black Ghost Knife Fish

[thelegend0210]

Wondering how BGK's get along with other fish. So far I have some guppies, Zebra danio's, 3 Dwarf gourami's, a Golden Dojo loach and a Kuhli loach. Just wondering if a BGK would be ok in this community? Would I have to worry about him eating the guppies/danios?

Also, wondering what their growth rate is. Seen some at Big Al's this weekend that were about 4-5 inches. I only have a 55gal tank right now, but would like to upgrade in a couple years. I know BGK's can grow up to 20" and would need a 100gal+ tank when they're full grown. Wondering how long it takes them to grow to full size.

Any input would be welcome.

Thanks.

[Jaykit]

Basically anything that fits into their mouth will end up in their mouth. So with your guppies and danios once the BGK gets bigger you could see your numbers dwindle. It is very peaceful and keeps to its own area for the most part otherwise.

Growth rate is normal i guess. I have had a couple over the years and in my 55g, one of them grew from 3" to 7"+ in about less than a year.

Great fish and so much fun to watch them eat and swim around the tank. Highly recommend them of course with the proper tank mates.

[fairdeal]

Black ghosts are nocturnal by nature and in the wild they live on insect larvae. In an aquarium they do well on any meaty type foods like blackworms, shrimp, bloodworms, etc. and you can often get them on pellets. When 1st introduced into your tank however you have to watch them to ensure they are getting food as they tend to hide during the day and may not be very aggressive eaters initially.

As far as growth goes that is pretty much dependent on things like how often do you do water changes, water temperature, how many times a day are they fed, etc. They can grow as little as 3" a year or 6 or 7".

The other fish in the tank are more likely to be alright if the ghost is well fed (but not overfed) but as it grows larger any much smaller inhabitants are probably in danger of becoming a midnight snack.

[thelegend0210]

Thanks for the input, thinking I'll hold off for now. My GF picked the guppies and I wouldn't want them to start disappearing. lol

[timbruun]

How much do they usually go for?

[knifefishfan]

they go for about 20-30$ at about 3"

[timbruun]

That's not bad. Now where can they be found in edmonton?

[knifefishfan]

i got mine at aquarium illusions and i see them all the time at big al's. also i seem them alot at pj pets too.

[BettaFishMommy]

petsmart at whitemud and 17 street has them in on occasion. i was there a couple days ago and didn't see any though. maybe call and ask when they are getting more in?

[thelegend0210]

Big Al's has three of them now. Well, a few days ago they did. Think they were $27

[timbruun]

I picked one up from there. They are quite shy to start at least. Hopefully it gets comfortable soon.