Black Ghost Knife, An Informitive Review.

Ghost_knife

Ghost_knife

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Nov 17, 2005
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Black Ghost Knife Apteronotus albifrons
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Belongs to the family of knife fish.

This fish is charictorized by being Jet black with white stripe in the middle of it's head and a white coloration at the very tip of it's tail. Also, another charictorization of this fish is a long Wave like fin on the bottom of the fish as it swims in the water.

This fish can grow to 3 feet in length. the Ghost knife can stand A PH range of 6.0 to 8.0 but prefers 7.0-7.5. They like the temperature between 73ºF to 82ºF (23-28°C) but mine seem to like 75~78 degrees a tank Well over 100G is required to keep one specimen with no more then 2 per tank. Any more then 2 and it messes with the Electrical Radar of this fish. This fish is mostly blind and will spend alot of time in a cave or a tube commonly called a Ghost Tube. it's a clear plastic tube that makes the fish feel safe. There is no way to reliably tell what sex a ghost knife is but I was told that if the eyes on the fish were smaller then a pinhead then it's a female...larger it's a male. Breeding ghost knives is extreemly difficult in the home aquaria because of the massive amount of tank space and requirements.

This fish can be kept with larger peaceful fish such as gourami, rainbows, Discus, and many other large fish. Fin nipping species like barbs and others should be avoided. Ghost knives love current as they come from the fast moving sections of the paraguay river. so a powerhead would be a plus for this fish.

if you have any questions about Ghost knives Feel free to PM me. I have several and Owned many.
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this was one of my fav knives...he passed on earlier this year
 
yeah, I agree. that's being a bit of a hippocrite, NS.
 
we can compare notes--lol.

• Common Name: Black Ghost Knife
• Latin: Apteronotus albifrons
• Size (fishbase.org): Typical Standard Length 19.6”(male)
• Origin: Found in the Amazon Basin. Rio Orinco, Negro. Found in fast moving, shallow waters; as well as slow moving, deep environs.

The sleek black body, highlighted with a white striped head and white ringed tail, slicing through the water catches every hobbyists eye. The undulating ribbon fin below, extending the length of its body, attracts attention while propelling the Black Ghost Knife at incredible speeds through the tank. When moving from location to location the Black Ghost Knife streaks through the aquarium, in a nearly perfect horizontal position. It is as quick to show its’ intent when hunting. Moving in a dorsal up position either frontward or backward. You’ll know when the BGK has found its prey. The BGK often exhibits a backward movement and then a thrust of its head quickly forward to capture its prey.

The BGK is a “slightly electric” fish. Giving off, at most, 3 milivolts of charge. The electrical sensory system is required for navigation and hunting since the fish is nearly blind. When in seach of food the BGK will move forward in a head down posture, or swim backward in a reverse motion in a head up posture. This enables the active sensory area located dorsally to cover as much area as possible. With over 1400 sensors distributed across the body the BGK is able to discern the slightest changes in the electrical field surrounding him. As opposed to the short bursts emitted by an Elephant Nose the BGK emits electrical waves. Providing a more constant awareness of its surroundings.

While nearly blind the BGK is acutely aware of light and is considered to be photo sensitive. This is extremely important to consider when planning the décor of the “large tank” required for this fish. Plants, floating plants, driftwood and large, dark, rock caves should be considered essential for its wellbeing. The clear tube utilized by many hobbyists to afford an enclosed, “secure”, space for the BGK fails to address the discomfort created by light. Consideration of the fish, not viewing pleasure, should be paramount when designing the tanks interior. Dim lighting conditions (ambient room light, low watt night lights, low watt colored lights) will provide ample (and optimal) viewing times.

Sexing indications are a slight difference in male/female electrical wave frequency. And, an approximate 2” difference in size at maturity. Do not expect to breed this fish at home.

Substrate should be sandy to small aggregate. The BGK seems to inhale its’ food, sucking its’meal into the large jaw and then chewing.

The BGK should be kept as a single specimen, without any other “electric” fish in the tank.

The BGK is said to be a carnivore. Personal observation is that the BGK gladly accepts (and requires) zuchinni, and other vegetable matter in addition to the mandatory diet of black worms, daphnia, shrimp, krill, beef and small feeder fish. It appears the he Black Ghost Knife enjoys snacking (possibly only chewing) on some varieties of thick leaved plants as well.

Due to the overall length achieved this fish should be kept in no tank smaller than 6’. Ideally the tank will be rather large(300+ gallons) in size to afford the species appropriate room to get out and “stroll around the grounds”.

Because of the long anal fin this fish should not be kept with aggressive fin nippers. The BGK is a surprisingly timid, gentle fish. Because it is a carnivore you should be carefull when selecting small species to co-populate the same tank. I have been lucky wwith some—unlucky with others. It is comfortable with most mid to large sized cichlids with a passive nature (eg, angel fish, severums, discus, some geophagines).

This fish can be easily (sometimes not so easily) trained to eat directly from your hand.

This fish, while sensitive to water conditions (frequent, large volume changes required), seems to evidence little problem with disease and parasite problems. Natural ranges of water show a ph range of 6.4-7.8. The fish will, however, acclimate to slightly higher ph conditions. Low to mid kh and gh do seem to be more appropriate for the BGK.

Special consideration must be given when medicating since this is a scaleless species.

Not a beginner or casual hobbyist's fish.
 
that was taken when I was setting up their other home, they left it alone because of his size.
 
great review, NorthStar and Sully! I've always wanted a BGK, but after reading that, I might just go with a glass knife that are so much smaller. I'm not much of a monster-fish-keeper, so less than 1 foot max size is plenty big for me!
 
thanks for the review. i thought those looked like tiger barbs. anyways, i was always interested in the BGK, but if it needs at least 100G's, then i guess these fish aren't for me.
 
the knife is no longer in there with them, It was only very temporary with me monitoring the tank very closely.
 
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