Clownknife feeding  - 01/24/06
I have a 6" Clownknife a 3" Oscar and a 9" Arowana and they all get along fine but i find it difficult to fee the knife be cause the Oscar hogs all the food. What can I do?
Mark
<Fill the Oscar up with pellets, trying to feed it about the same area/time daily... then feed the Knife. Bob Fenner>

Black Ghost knife fish ate my betta?  11/22/05
Hi,
<Howdy>
I wonder if you can help?
<Perhaps>
I purchased a Black Ghost knife fish after being very intrigued in him at my local store( and only after being assured by my local fish store that they are a community fish and quite harmless).
<...?>
I also brought a few Cardinal tetras at the same time.
<As food items?>
All was well for about 5hrs until I noticed that one of my tetras was dead and had its tail missing.. the next day my Fighter fish was dead and had his fins totally stripped as well as another Tetra. I've checked my water and everything seems in order so I don't believe that bad water quality was to blame for this, I was wondering if my Ghost Knife could have done this?
Cheers,
Steve.
<Yes... Bob Fenner> 

Training a black ghost knife fish  9/22/05
Dear Mr.  Fenner,
I have a black ghost knife fish that I have had for a month.  He is now  
about 7" long and very healthy.  He eats flakes in the morning and at  night,
occasionally I give him some freeze-dried Tubifex worms.  What I  would like to
know is how you teach them to eat out of your hand. He seems to be  a smart one
he figured out the flakes were edible on his own.  If you know  how to do this
I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for your  help,
MDM
<Try feeding small amounts of meatier foods, more frequently, particularly just with some light on outside the tank (not in... too bright). Takes time, patience. Bob Fenner>

Clown Knife, Cory Cat - 08/16/2005
Greetings Bob,
<Hi, Richard; Sabrina here, this morning!>
This morning I noticed my clown knife had something in it's mouth and it turned out to be a Cory cat.  
<Yikes!>
I knew that the clown knife ate live fish but I didn't think it would until it was much bigger.   My knife is about 6-7 inches long right now.  
<That's plenty big for any knife to start eating small fish....  These are very efficient predators.>
The Cory seems to be stuck in his mouth.  
<Not good....  Chances are, he spread his dorsal and pectoral fins to prevent being eaten.  I suppose it worked, sort of....>
It has been in his mouth now for a few hours.  Is this normal?
<No, and yes.  It's a normal reaction for the Cory to prevent himself being eaten, and it's normal for a clown knife to try to eat smaller fishes....  If the Cory is dead, and the knife is in obvious, extreme distress, I would try removing the Cory's pectoral fins with thin, VERY sharp scissors, then pull it out - GENTLY - or have a vet do so, if you've got a vet who would.  If the Cory is alive, let 'em have some time to work this out.  Watch the knife very closely for a while.  This may work out fine on its own.>
This is the first time I have seen my knife eat live food.  Please advise.
<Err, this is probably obvious, but whatever the outcome of this instance, remove all smallish catfish from the knife's tank, or you'll be sure to see this happen again!>
Warm Regards,  Richard D. Warren
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Clown Knife, Cory Cat - II - 08/16/2005
Sabrina,
<Hi, Rich>
Thank you for your help.  
<Any time.>
Unfortunately my knife didn't make it.  
<I am so sorry to hear this....  So sorry for your loss; they are such beautiful, interesting fish!>
I appreciate all your help though.
<I wish I could have been of more help.  Perhaps in the future, you might look to Xenomystus nigri instead of the clown....  Though it might still have the same issue with small Corys and otos, it would stay small enough to be safe with larger Corys and other catfishes.>
Rich Warren
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina

Clown knife problem 7/5/05
Dear Bob,
           I hate to  bother you with this, however you seem like one of the
only people that might be  able to help me.  I have a clown knife,
approximately 7 inches long.   He was accidentally overfed and became grotesquely
bloated.  I haven't fed  him now in a month, yet the bloating has not gone down.  I
spoke to the  owner of a local fish store who advised me to add salt to the
water.  I  have been doing this but it doesn't seem to help.  I have never seen
this  before and I am having a difficult time finding anyone who can help.  
<Mmmm, what sort of salt? I would try a level teaspoon of Epsom (Magnesium sulfate) per ten gallons of water>
    Have you ever seen or heard of this before?   If so, what should I do?  
If not, can you refer me to someone?  Thanks  again for your time.
Warmest Regards,
Janet Sanders
<Some sort of gut blockage... what were you feeding? Hopefully not goldfish... Bob Fenner>

Just general random questions about Knifefish... heh
Hey there! First off, I'd like to say that I'm completely Wowed by
your extensive and totally awesome information and help on all sorts
of fish and such. It's been a great help to me, and quite interesting
to read (heh, I'm a bit dorky =P)
<You're in good company here>
I've had fish for all my life really, and I'm always trying new stuff,
so naturally, when I spotted an odd looking fish, I snatched him up
right away. Probably not the most brilliant of moves, but the
shopkeeper assured me that he was what I could handle properly. (we've
known each other for some time...) He sold him as a "Chocolate Ghost
Knifefish". Upon proper research.... I couldn't find a single thing on
them, really. ^^"
I can't quite determine the species of fish he is (or she really, I
haven't found many websites that are too helpful with sexing
Knifefish.), but he LOOKS like a Black ghost knife... but with a
longer face, brown-ish, and a yellow stripe and a white dot for a
tail. He doesn't match up with Brown Knifefish either, he just...isn't.
Are there such things as Chocolate Ghost Knives, or is he just a
special brown?
<Mmm, there are a few species of apteronotids this could be. Most often sold is Sternarchella schotti: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=48027&genusname=Sternarchella&speciesname=schotti>
It's been a good couple months since we got him, and he seems very
healthy and quite lively and happy. We've been feeding him frozen
blood worms, but I've recently wanted to change it up a bit, too. I
heard full grown brine shrimp aren't particularly nutritious
though...can we feed just hatched, or is that too small/meager to last
them?
<The latter>
I heard frozen krill was a good choice; compared to blood worms, where
does that stand?
<A mix of worms, insect larvae, crustaceans... live, or frozen/defrosted will do>
When there's a downpour around our area, we often can find earthworms
and such wriggling about, and our old fish gobble those up.
However, we've been concerned that they may either lack nutrition, or
possibly still have chemicals from landscaping/lawnwork, is that a
concern?
<Yes>
We often eat shrimp and seafood at my house, and though I know fresh
shrimp are quite delicious and probably great for them, are the ones
at supermarkets and such fresh enough?
<Yes>
You know, the ones laid out on
ice, that are already dead?
<These are fine>
Or will only the live ones, until the hour
before you eat, okay?
<Will learn to take bits of these>
Can they OVEReat?
<Can, but not common>
He seems to bloat really easily while he's eating,
and because I'm concerned with him overeating, I normally give the
rest to our other fish. However, the few times he does get to try and
eat a lot, he seems to stop himself. Do they always stop themselves
before they explode =P, or should I be careful with feedings?
<One should always be careful here>
Since he's been with the same tank for a while now, but I suppose I
should check in while I have the chance, right? He's about 7+ inches,
in a 46gallon tank. A blue gourami, a gold gourami, a red-tailed shark,
a pleco, and 2 angelfish. The fish are all about 4-5 inches in length.
He's not terrorized by any of them, never seen a mark on any of them,
asides from the gouramis always having spats between themselves. Any
problems with these?
<Should be fine>
The tank is well planted, with aged driftwood, a ton of leafy plants,
an excellent&powerful filter, more plants, and err...more plants. =)
No little tunnels for the Knifefish like I've read about having, but
he seems to like the plants enough anyways. Should we find a suitable
tunnel, anyways?
<Mmm, not necessarily... I like transparent... glass "chimneys" or plastic... for viewing... but the plants are fine>
Wow. Typing wayyyy too much now, sorry! ^^" For now, my mind has run
out of pathetically inane questions to pester you with, so until
later....
Thank you for all your help!
<Thank you for writing, sharing. Bob Fenner>

Black Ghost Knife Won't Eat
I bought a black ghost knife  week back and gave it a small place to hide. Since then it has been hiding inside and very few times, twice in fact, it came out in the night. Apart from this it does not eat anything. I feed it in the night to discover that the food is still floating in the morning. Will it take time to get set in the tank or is it sick? There were small molly fry in it which  I bred and it has not touched them. Is there anything wrong with it ? Is it a strong or a delicate fish? I do water changes once a week. pls advice
<Your black ghost knife fish is indeed a nocturnal fish. Try small live invertebrates live worms or shrimp. After awhile you may get him to try frozen foods and then maybe pellet foods. If you can get him over to prepared foods then keeping him will become much easier. If you can't then live and or frozen foods may make him difficult to keep.-Chuck>

Feeding a Clown Knife
Hello guy's I just have a little question to ask.
I have a clown knife. it's probably six or seven
months old (guessing). He has been eating Rosie's and
small gold fish on a regular basis. He can eat about
two dozen in a couple of days. My question is this,
would it hurt him to eat earthworms? He's only had
two, but he loves them. Gobbled one up before it hit
the bottom of the tank. Just wanting to know so that I
don't hurt him.
>> No, earthworms are fine, he will likely eat some frozen foods also, try him on frozen Krill, smelts or Mysis! Good Luck, Oliver

Skinny elephant nose
I hope you can help me, I bought a elephant nose 3 wks ago. and he was doing fine, but lately he is not eating. I feed him blood worms at night, so that my Angel fish can't see it, but the cat fish go at it and my CAE, so leaves nothing for the elephant fish.
<Sounds like it is mixed in with incompatible tankmates>
I have tried many ways of trying to feed him, I have placed it in the ghost tube, which he doesn't go in it any ways, which I don't know how to coax him in there. I have tried with a turkey baster and he would swim away, he has eaten a little bit, but not enough he is starting to look skinny, I hope you can help me before he dies.
<I would move this fish to more suitable quarters. Now. Bob Fenner>
Thanks, Shelley

African Knifefish - 11/03/2004
I recently bought a brown knife fish.
<Xenomystus nigri....  Usually called the African knife, sometimes sold as the brown knife.  Is this your fellah?  http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Xenomystus&speciesname=nigri  There *is* a fish more similar to the black ghost knife referred to as the brown ghost, but I've only seen this fish once or twice offered for sale.>
(It's been about 10 years since my last aquatic impulse buy. I was due.)
<Tsk tsk....  ;) >
I put him in a 55 gallon  aquarium containing 5 hatchets, 7 harlequin rasboras, 5 zebra danios,
<All of these may one day be food....>
1 sunset gourami, and 3 Cory cats. He doesn't seem to be bothering any of them. He's  only about 4" long now. Brown knifes don't get as big as clowns, do they?
<Hoo, goodness, no!  The clown gets over four feet long!  The African knife is, perhaps, the *only* regularly available knife suitable for your tank, topping out at about 12", and often a bit smaller than this.>
Will  my tank be big enough if I don't add any more fish?
<I believe so.>
When he gets bigger, will my  other fish be in danger?
<Plausibly.  I would try very hard not to be too attached to your smaller fishes, right now....>
Since I don't get to see much of him, how do I know if  he's getting enough to eat?
<Feed after lights-out on the tank.  Leave a small light on in the room the tank is in; just enough for you to see by.  After waiting an hour or so, sneak in with some stinky yummy treats (I've seen these relish frozen bloodworms like nothing before!) and wait until he finds it.  You can use a cone-type worm feeder.  If this doesn't get him biting, you might try live ghost shrimp or live blackworms; the former is the "healthier", "safer" choice.>
How do you feed live earthworms to them?
<After lights-out, try holding the worm by hand so that some/most of it is in the water near the knife.  Wait.  See if he bites.  Don't fear, eventually this fish will be easier to feed, and will recognize you as the bringer of treats.>
I know from past experience (with fire belly newts) that they try to burrow into the gravel before they get eaten. How do I keep the worm where the knife will find it?
<Again, try by hand, or perhaps you could use a dish of some sort to place the worm in?>
I really appreciate any advice you can give me.
JoLynn
<Good luck with this new knife....  One of my favorite oddities, by far!  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Feeding a Black Ghost
Hello,
<Hi back! MikeD here>
    I am a very new aquarium owner.<Welcome to the wonderful world of fish addiction, er, keeping.**grin**>  I am obviously still learning about everything.<50 years later, me too. The learning never stops>  I just found your site yesterday and I'm loving it!!  But I do have a question regarding a black ghost knife that I bought about 3 days ago.  I currently have a 60 gal. tank with 2 parrot fish, 2 black skirted tetras <In the future tetras and often barbs, do better in schools of 5-6 rather than in pairs> 2 catfish, 2 angel, 2 gourami, and now I just added the BGK.  Is this too crowded??<Not necessarily. My biggest concern is did you give you tank enough time to cycle, and/or that you added all, or most of your fish at one time.>  I am feeding pellets and flakes to the other fish, and got some frozen bloodworms and shrimp pellets for the BGK.<This may work, but some ghosties can be a little demanding on food choices, especially when they are first obtained>  I feed them around noon everyday.  I understand the BGK is shy<Not shy, nocturnal, which are two separate things entirely>, but he will not come out of his hiding spot when I feed the tank.  My other fish not only eat all the flakes and pellets, they also eat the bloodworms and pellets.  I'm afraid they are not leaving anything for the BGK.  Do I need to change my feeding time or habits??<Yes, the Black Ghosts are nocturnal nighttime animals that often are very reluctant to come out into the open during the day. Usually, this will gradually wear off in time, but early on the best thing to do is feed it separate, just after turning off the lights at night. You might also want to keep check and make sure that it's eating what you are offering for food.  The bloodworms will almost certainly be eaten, while the pellets are a big if for now, possibly forever.  They also relish raw shrimp (either cut up pieces of human food shrimp or the small live ghost shrimp sold as feeders in many shops) live or sometimes freeze dried Tubifex worms, daphnia, etc.. Their absolute favorite food is live earth worms like you'd use for fishing!  Some will gradually start consuming "normal" aquarium fare while most others are always somewhat demanding and require special foods>   Thank you for your help and information!!<You're welcome and I hope this helps...the Ghosts are one of my all time favorite freshwater fish species>
Mike

Black Ghost Knife Help
Hi there from another fishaholic!<Hi Jennifer, MikeD here> Sorry to bother you with petty questions that really don't apply to any of your other visitors, but I *really* need some help regarding my black ghost knife.<One of my all time favorite FW fish> Although I generally research fish species very thoroughly before purchasing them, I only did a little such research before buying a black ghost knife. It was really pretty much an impulse buy, though I was at least somewhat familiar with the species.<They're pretty tough if handled right>
At any rate, the manager of my LFS promised me that if I purchased one, he would do just fine in a twenty-gallon, provided he had plenty of coverage and was kept completely by himself. She did say that it was pushing the limits to keep him in a 20-gallon, but that he'd do okay, even as an adult. (He's 7 inches now.)<I'm not sure why they told you to keep it alone, as they do well with many other species if the tank is arranged correctly. As to the adult part, my largest grew to about 15" if that tells you anything>
Now, I'm starting to have second thoughts on that. I assume he's okay for *now* in the 20-gallon, but will he really be okay when he grows up? I have an extra 35-gallon that I haven't stocked yet but it's very well planted and decorated, as I tend to pride myself on that. The problem is, it's very hard, brackish water, and it would be a huge inconvenience to redesign and refill the whole thing. Besides, I was really looking forward to the archers and sailfin mollies I was going to keep... But, if I need to, I'm willing to change conditions if that's what it takes to save my ghost knife. (I simply can't afford another large aquarium for him.)<OK. While he WILL eventually outgrow the 20 (20L or 20H?), they are fairly slow growers so you've got at least a couple of years before it should become a concern.>
Wow, you're very patient if you're still reading this.<Still here **grin**> I guess, to get to my point, can my ghost knife stay in that 20-gallon as an adult, or even now? Or will I have to completely revamp the 35-gallon for him? Would a 35-gallon even be enough? Should I just swallow my pride and give that poor fish to somebody that can take better care of him? Just how fast will he grow, anyway? Maybe slow enough that he could stay in the 20-gallon until I could afford a new tank?<I guess I should have waited until I got here to answer, eh? **grin**>
Also, the LFS lady told me that black ghost knives can be held and are even intelligent enough to recognize their handlers... is this true? Sounds a little odd...<It depends on what she means by held. If you cup your fingers in the water, they will indeed swim into your hand if you train them.  I don't know what you're currently feeding it, but they also appreciate meaty foods, with their favorite being earthworms. They'll also appreciate ghost shrimp and even a piece of raw shrimp like you'd have for dinner, unbattered, of course.  These are small cousins of the electric eel, and I'm assuming you know that they navigate by true electronic sonar. Because of this, never add another S. American Knifefish or African Mormyrids, such as "baby whales" or "elephantnoses"...they cross each others electric signals and a true war will result>
Thank you SOOOOO much for your help!
<You're very welcome>

Black Ghost Knife Feeding
Hello fine fishy folks, GREAT website.  I have spent hours and hours here for the past couple of
years and learned more than I ever thought possible.  Thanks for the effort
you all put forth. I have a simple (probably paranoid) question for you.
I have had a Black Ghost Knife (Apteronotus albifrons) for the past 2 years
and he is a big boy!  Looks great and is my favorite fish.  He is health,
velvety black with brilliant white markings on the tail (starting to fade on
the head - from age?).  He is currently sharing a tank with 3 clown loaches,
1 fire eel, and 2 black kuhli loaches.
My question is, what I feed the tank is Tetra flakes and shrimp pellets in
the morning, and frozen cube (thawed of course) enriched mysis and frozen
blood worms in the evening.  Since the BGK is approximately 14 inches long,
is this fare big enough for him to get enough to eat?  Should I try
switching to larger shrimp/worms, etc.?
Any input/opinions you care to share would be much appreciated.  I am
probably just being paranoid, but can't stand the thought of him being
hungry all the time and risk slowly starving him.
Thank you and keep up the good work! Tom
<<Dear Tom; What a great job of fishkeeping you are doing there! Your ghost is large enough to warrant more food, yes. Keep in mind this usually means more water changes :P You can try a few new things: Earthworms are a great source of protein, bought from your local fish 'n tackle bait store, or you can grow your own http://www.thekrib.com/Food/, live ghost shrimp from your LFS, chopped seafood from your local grocery: buy frozen shrimp, etc, and chop into bite sized pieces for him. It's also a good idea to soak your sinking shrimp pellets in some liquid fish vitamins, like Selcon or VitaChem (also sold at pet stores) so he is getting a decent staple. Have fun! -Gwen>>

Black ghost Knifefish 
hi, I need some advice concerning my ghost Knifefish, I've got a 5ftx3ftx2ft tank(400 litres) I have 1 rather large goby an Arowana 2 angels and 1 Geophagus brasiliensis a few kuhli loaches and a bristle nosed plec, ll of
which seem to get on fine. last week I fell in love with a ghost Knifefish but since he's been in the tank I've hardly seen him, or seen him eat anything. the goby that I've got is very greedy and I'm worried if the Knifefish getting any food, what should I do???? any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks Julie
< Your knife fish is nocturnal and will only come out a night. If you put on a red light bulb at night you will see him out an about. To make sure he is eating I would turn out the lights and then feed the tank. They can be very picky and sometimes only eat live food. I would place some live black worms in the tank after I turn out he light at least once a week. If you ever got an elephant nose then I would recommend the same thing. -Chuck> 

Clown Knifefish, Tiger shovelnose feeding, Toadfishes
Dear Bob and Associates,
I am a relatively experienced freshwater aquarist, but I have a little problem that I have never been able to find a solution to. I have a juvenile clown knife (Chitala chitala, 6") and a juvenile tiger shovelnose (Pseudoplatysoma fasciatum), and I am stumped as to what to feed them besides live foods (ghost shrimp and mollies/platies - never "rosy reds" or goldfish). I understand the enormous size these fish will attain, and I do not want to feed them unhealthy live fish (i.e. - goldfish) as they grow. Do any of you have experience with these fish? Since they're nocturnal, I assume that it would be best to try whatever non-live foods you suggest after lights-out in the aquarium.
<I would feed these guys glass worms, blood worms, plankton, mysis, etc. Live ghost shrimp on occasion. Pelleted foods if they will eat it. If you are going to continue with the mollies and platies you should gut load them with the above foods.>
I also have developed a huge fascination with toadfishes. I am particularly interested in the three-spine toadfish (Batrachomoeus trispinosis, commonly sold as "freshwater lionfish", though I know it's heavy-brackish to marine). Do you know of any web sites with comprehensive and DETAILED information on these fish (or toadfish in general...I have looked on fishbase.org, posted in the WetWeb forums, etc. and had no luck)? I would like to set up a "community of toadfish" fish-only marine tank, but I don't want to go into it blind.
<Unfortunately I do not have much information on these fish, I would start with a search on google.com. Have you checked http://reefcentral.com/
There is also some information at the link below
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/batrachoididae.htm
Best Regards, Gage>
Any info you could give (whenever it is convenient for you...no rush) would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day! Thanks, Matt Parkison

Black Ghost Knife Feeding
Have you ever known a Black Ghost Knife to eat flake food because odd as it sounds mine just did... usually feed him on freeze dried Tubifex worms and brine shrimp and was shock not only to see him come out in the light and feed but to snag some flake away from my gourami's and clown loach.
<Have seen these intelligent fish eat most everything... do need meaty foods to sustain themselves though. Bob Fenner>