Black Ghost Knife Fish And Lightning

[inspiriedangel]

hi, i have a 18 inch black ghost knife fish in a 45 gallon tank, yes a little small but his previous owner (got the tank and fish cause the original owner was moving and wanted them to go to a good home) has had him in there for two years now and he's done just fine.

he hides in a 7" pvc pipe, he normally swims in the middle of the tube or toward the top, but i came home today and he's lying on the bottom on his side (still alive). He gets up and swims and then lays back down. and this may just be my imagination, but there is a huge lightning storm going on outside, right above my house, could this have any effect on him since he does use electricity to sense things, could he be sensing the lightning?? or is my fish dying??

and i tested the water and all the levels are fine... the temperature is the same as always, i haven't used any chemicals in there, he's been eating... is this normal behavior??


p.s. i'm new to this sight and i don't know how to tell if my topic posted, it doesn't come up in the list when i look, so if i don't reply its just cause i don't know what i'm doing

 

[WILDER]

How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Does he look bloated or thin.
Does he look darker in colour or pale.
What does it look like when the goes to the toilet.
Is he acting listless and lethagic.

 

[inspiriedangel]

How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Does he look bloated or thin.
Does he look darker in colour or pale.
What does it look like when the goes to the toilet.
Is he acting listless and lethagic.

ok, in my tank i have the 18" black ghost knife, (and my small fish 3" or less) 1 pearl gorami, 2 ghost catfish, 1 zebra corey catfish, 1 redtailed shark, 1 clown loach, 1 puffer fish, 1 khuli loach, and 3 dwarf gorami's

PH 6.4, amonia .25, nitrite 0, nitrate 40

he looks fine, same as always, still swimming, this morning he's fine, swimming as normal, no color change or bloating... its just the first time i've ever seen him lay on the bottom of his tube. but i seriously think it had to do with the lightning, cause he wasn't like that before the storm and he is fine after, its just during all the lighning flashes he was freaking out...

 

[minxfishy]

You already know Im sure, but that tank is way to small for him.

You need to get the ammonia down too, they are sensitive fish and dont tolerate any ammonia or nitrIte.

Glad to hear he's feeling ok again now though.

 

[inspiriedangel]

You already know Im sure, but that tank is way to small for him.

You need to get the ammonia down too, they are sensitive fish and dont tolerate any ammonia or nitrIte.

Glad to hear he's feeling ok again now though.

when i got the tank all the levels were actually higher, the owner said it was normal, so i guess the fish were used to that, but i've been bringing the levels down slowly.

and yes i know its too small but i don't want to get rid of him and no way i'm buying a larger tank, i just got this one. The owner before me had him in there with two huge 5 inch silver dollars, a huge 6 inch leopard bush fish, the 4" gorami that i still have, the two ghost catfish, 5 corey catfish, and one khuli loach....

but does the lightning theory make sence to anyone else? or do you think its just my imagination??

 

[minxfishy]

Cant say My ghost has ever been bothered by lightening storms, not that we get many, you probably have way more ferocious ones than we get here.

 

[WILDER]

Need to get that ammonia reading down to 0, Thats probably why he's off colour.

How long has the tank been set up.
Your tanks overstocked.
Clown loaches need large tanks of 90 gallons. Plus they shouldn't be kept in less than a group of 3.

 

[Amunet]

You NEED to rehome the ghost knife and that clown loach.
That tank is unsuitable for them... no ifs and or buts about it.
After rehoming and making sure water stats are fine ( ZERO ammonia and nitrite), get 3-4 more khuli loaches. They should be kept in groups. Same with the cory. Get a few more of the same kind.

Would you keep a dog locked up in a small kennel all it's life? No? Then why keep a big fish like that in a tank that is WAY too small.
It is unfair to those fish to keep them in that tank.

 

[inspiriedangel]

half the fish have been in there for about two years now, the other half i've had for about a month. and the clown loach is only 2 inches long, when he gets bigger i'll get him out of there.
and i thought the rule of fish in a tank was one inch per gallon?? correct me if i'm wrong.
and where can i put the bkg? i don't think a pet store has a big enough tank for him... post it on craig's list???

and i just had two fish die, don't know what was wrong with them, my red tailed shark had white stuff on his side, it looked like he cut himself on something but instead of blood there was white fuzzy stuff... he was swimming up near the top, in one spot, and when i came home from work he was dead. The other little fish i'm not sure, it was half eaten when i found it. don't know when it died.

 

[Amunet]

Just b/c they've been in there that long doesn't make it right.
I'm sure a dog would be fine in a little kennel for 2 years as well... doesn't mean it's right to keep it in it though.
The BGK needs to be in at the very least, a 75gal long tank. If you can't provide that for it, then sell it to a LFS or as you said, post it up on craigslist or ebay. I know if the LFS we go to had a big BGK like that, that was healthy, they'd probably sell it for a pretty penny.
Or you could always try to find a cheap big tank on craigslist. I'm sure if you live in one of the more populated areas of california, there will be more than plenty of great deals.

The inch per gallon rule is just more of an extremely general suggestion givin to newbies of the hobby so they don't overstock their tanks to begin with and get overwhelmed. And the inch per gallon rule really only applies towards smaller fish anyway. No one in their right mind would suggest putting a 10inch long fish in to a 10gallon tank..... ya know?
Just trust what myself, Wilder, Minx, and pretty much everyone else would tell you... the tank is too small for the BGK.

As for the fish that died... if it had a cut that had fuzzy stuff on it, could've gotten a fungal infection.. also wouldn't doubt if it got a bacterial infection as well.
The other fish.. *shrugs* We've had that happen a few times. Find a half eaten fish.. no idea when it died. Poor things.

What are the water stats on the tank now? If ammonia or nitrites are above 0.25, you're gonna have to do enough water changes throughout the day to keep it under 0.25.

 

[dragonknife]

Wow 18" Black Ghost Knife is the best!
Any photos of this guy! Would you consider selling him for a breeding project i have going for some big money

 

[dragonknife]

I am ready with big money to buy this black ghost knife i have a 240 all set up amazon river style.
keep in touch any pics?