# Black ghost knife help.



## craig305 (Jul 27, 2011)

HEY, I bought a new BGK. my first. he is about 3.5 inches i would guess. hides in a castle which is great for it. althought he is nocturnal i have tried to drop bloodworms in his castle and in front with no results,(during the day and will turn off the lights for him) i have yet to see him eat. 4 guppys are swimming in the tank and nothing ( maybe to small to eat them?). anyone have any tips or suggestions? P.S. only has been 2.5 days since i got him.

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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Need some more information.

What is your tank size?
Water Parameters, PH? Ammonia? Nitrite? Nitrate?

It could just be that it's not night time. My fish know when it's nighttime regardless of the lighting. They come out at around 7 even with all the lights on, and will stay hidden during the day with or without lights. Try feeding him just before bed. The sudden switch from light to dark can actually cause stress to fish also.


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## craig305 (Jul 27, 2011)

Honestly I couldnt tell you the PH, NITRATE OR NITRITE, it is a farly new tank been up since friday. so I would assume my nitrate and nitrites are going through the motions. But, i had the water tested that day at a store and was told it was fine. I should step it up and do it myself taking on a BGK i know. I have a 55 gallon, the 4 foot long kind. Tank mates, 5 gouramis, 2 baby bala sharks, 1 red belly pacu. I also have 4 guppys hoping he would eat them


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

ugh.. hate to say this but your fish are going to start killing each other sooner or later.. if they dont die from being cramped first, or ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Bala sharks and the pacu get very large, will need a tank much bigger to have them. Your BGK alone needs a bigger tank. 

If I'm reading what you said correctly, you had the tank set up on Friday, and also had the water tested on friday? All that will show is your tap water. Also "fine" is not an acceptable statement you need specific numbers. Certain fish will not survive in low PH, others in High PH. Water hardness has a big impact on suitable fish. Also some people dont realize that the only acceptable number for Ammonia and Nitrites is 0. 0.3 or even 0.1 is not fine. The fact that a store would even allow you to buy these fish most likely means they dont care and/or dont know anything about fish and is not a good place to shop at.

I'm almost scared to ask what kind of gourami's they allowed you to buy. I would highly recommend you take all your fish back to the store and see if you can get a refund and take your money elsewhere.

I'm not meaning to yell at you but I really get angry when stores dont even make any attempt to make sure the fish are a good fit for the customer.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

you deserve a thanked post because it is very true


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Pacu & bala sharks are NOT good tankmates for a BGK. BGK are pretty nice fish, they only eat fish that are small enough to fit in their mouth and that is usually when they are much larger. They are a small growing fish, but in adulthood would need a very large tank, I am talking 90g plus, as they can reach 20"! They also are scaleless and extremely sensitive to varying water parameters and are easily killed by ammonia and nitrite spikes, and they can not handle things like copper and other meds and metals in water. 
Bala sharks get HUGE!!! A 100+ gallon tank is needed for just one. Pacu, my dad had one for years in his 110 gallon tank, they are mean and will happily throw any tankmate out of the tank if it feels the need to do so...found our large oscar crispy on the hallway floor after the Pacu tossed him out of the tank. 
A BGK can get along with a gourami, if its the right species. And with gourami, some can be really nasty to any tankmate. 
A tank only set up on Friday has yet to cycle. Cycling can take a varied amount of time, normally around a few weeks. And for a tank set up just Friday to have this many fish in it so soon, it wont be pretty. The raising ammonia for the bio load in this un-cycled tank is going to spike high and kill most if not all the fish in the tank in any given amount of time. 
My advice is to re-consider your stock, the only fish that I see acceptable for your tank size is the gourami, but surely not that many of them, the rest should be returned. After returning them, you need to cycle your tank. 
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-38617/
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/basic-guide-freshwater-fish-stocking-38626/
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/
These topics here on TFK should help explain to you the details needed to understand the aquarium for water quality, cycling, and stocking. For any fish species you have or plan to have, you can find information on them in the Tropical Fish Profiles tab at the top left of any TFK page.


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## craig305 (Jul 27, 2011)

I understand. The PACU was an impulse buy. i had the water tested on a monday. of course only 3 days later. I can assure you i will buy test strips tomorrow. The gouramis are well 1 blue , 1 pearl, 2 honey., 1 opaline. I suppose i was eager to fill with fish. I wanted cichlids but their temeperment was to aggressive. I chose the gouramis only because hate to admit it, was a cheap buy in case of any problems. after the 3.5 days i got the bgk. I did do some research on the subjects but honestly was way to eager. Although I have 4 diff tanks at the moment and that is the only 1 setup. So i am able to alternate the fish as they grow.


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## craig305 (Jul 27, 2011)

Is there any way that if i test daily i can help control the situation slightly?


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Black Ghost Knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) Profile
Bala Shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus) Profile
Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) Profile
Red Belly Pacu


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

craig305 said:


> Is there any way that if i test daily i can help control the situation slightly?


Water changes, water changes, water changes!!!


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## craig305 (Jul 27, 2011)

thank you everyone for the info. and replies.


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

The feeding issue with the BGK are mostly likely connected to his tankmates stressing him out and the poor water quality/stress of the cycling process.


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## ladayen (Jun 21, 2011)

Get the liquid test kit. API master kit is a popular one. Strips are difficult to read and are often just flat out wrong.

Unless your other tanks are much bigger then your 55 they're not going to be much help. Doing frequent water changes might keep the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates in check but they wont help with the lack of space and the resulting aggression and frustration this will cause the fish. Those gouramis will get ripped to shreds soon enough. Without the others in the tank they would be a good fit I believe however.


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

ladayen said:


> ugh.. hate to say this but your fish are going to start killing each other sooner or later.. if they dont die from being cramped first, or ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Bala sharks and the pacu get very large, will need a tank much bigger to have them. Your BGK alone needs a bigger tank.
> 
> If I'm reading what you said correctly, you had the tank set up on Friday, and also had the water tested on friday? All that will show is your tap water. Also "fine" is not an acceptable statement you need specific numbers. Certain fish will not survive in low PH, others in High PH. Water hardness has a big impact on suitable fish. Also some people dont realize that the only acceptable number for Ammonia and Nitrites is 0. 0.3 or even 0.1 is not fine. The fact that a store would even allow you to buy these fish most likely means they dont care and/or dont know anything about fish and is not a good place to shop at.
> 
> ...





ladayen said:


> The fact that a store would even allow you to buy these fish most likely means they dont care and/or dont know anything about fish and is not a good place to shop at.


So true, if only most places weren't like this. I've only had one person ask me about where I was putting a fish and what else was in the tank, although she was wrong about what she told me it's the closest one of them came to being caring/knowledgable.

But to the OP, never rely on anything a pet store employee tells you and ask here first. And always research something before buying, it could end up costing you money and somethings life.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

very true


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## martian123 (May 21, 2011)

rehome the pacu


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