ghost shrimp

I'm thinking about getting a black ghost knife fish. I have a 10 gallon tank which is already stocked, but I can get rid of the fish that I already have and get a black ghost knife fish that's a few inches long. The people at my local pet stores say the fish wouldn't get too big and would grow according to the size of the aquarium based on its ability to swim around. I can get a bigger tank if I need to, but nobody says I should. What should I do for the black ghost knife fish when I put him in my aquarium? Also, will StressZyme hurt a black ghost knife fish?

Shawnie

ghost shrimp that is false info about fish growing to the size of the tank...do not trust that store a bit...fish grow and so do their internal organs, to the size they are suppose to be..and if no room to do so, will die....ghost knife fish need at least a 50 gal and can get up to 20" ...a 10 gal would be too inhumane for him...heres a good link for you to read on them http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile66.html

Amanda

PLEASE don't listen to that store! It would be inhumane to keep a BGK in a 10 gal. tank. I have a 55 gal., and I won't even keep one in that size. They do best in very large aquaria.

ghost shrimp

Like I said, I can upgrade to a larger tank, but a 55 gal. seems huge. A pet store near me, Ed's Pet World, (no, it wasn't them that told me about fish growing to the size of the tank), has Black Ghost Knife fish, and they're only about 3 inches long. What if I started it in my 10 gal, then got a bigger tank?

agabr123

no, honestly it's harmful to your fish and not to mention a waste of a LOT of money. that BGK is going to get around 20 inches long, it will NOT fit into a 55 gallon tank, and if you buy one it's going to outgrow it and you're going to have to get a brand new larger set up.

also, those fish grow at a rate of anywhere from 1-2 inches each month, you could keep it in a 10 gallon for a week and then upgrade to a 100+ gallon tank, but thats it.

object_ofdesire

That store may be fine, but that employee there was vastly mis-informed. So many people see a kewl fish and impulse buy. Rule #1 of good fish husbandry is always research your fish. This will save you alot of time and money in the future. BGK fish do NOT tolerate being moved around alot. They stress and die rapidly from such things.
IF you get say a 60 US gallon now, not only can you get that BGK fish, but many other oddball critters to live with him in the future. They need a heavily planted tank with caves and PVC tubes to hide in. Feed them beef heart<sparingly>, bloodworms, shrimps and blackworms at night. They can only be kept as one knifefish per tank.

ghost shrimp

ok.

fishpie

Start with tropical community the work ur way up to semi aggressive then chiclids are a nice addition.

scooby5575

I have bkg who is roughly about 8 inches long ( I have only had him about 5 months) and he was only about 3 -4 inches when bought, he is currently in a 55g community tank which is fine for now but he will have to put in a larger tank on his own probably within 6 months at the rate he is growing (he has some girth too) these are great looking fish but need lots of space get a bigger tank first

Fish_wise_man

Seriously, the pet store is lying to you! They just say that so then they could make money and you would have to buy their fishes and then that is how they make money.. Pet Cetera told me once when I was there in Canada, that I could put 100 goldfishes into a fish bowl and that was a true lie. So don't trust everybody.

Ghost knife fishes need a lot of room. About 40 gallons and up. I would say that 40 gallons is good for when they are small, but when they get bigger you will need to put them into a bigger tank. Trust me, you will regret putting your Black Ghost Knife fish in your 10 gallon. Fishes MIGHT take longer to grow if they are in smaller tanks, but that just depends on the fish. Angelfishes grow fast especially if there are a lot of plants and food for them to eat.

Ghost Knives are also fast growers as so I have heard and they will need bigger tanks.