Knifefishes feeding time

[Barry Tetra]

All my knifefish love algae wafer especially clown knifefish to the point where they dont eat anything except algae wafer and algae...

 

[Barry Tetra]

@Colin_T @PheonixKingZ Is there anyway to change their habit of eating plants? You can see clown knifefish took all of it... They live in the pleco tank since they were fries, I dont know if they got their habit from that... I cant even put live plants in the tank.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

So they will literally just munch through all of your plants?

 

[Barry Tetra]

So they will literally just munch through all of your plants?

Yes, exactly. They will munch like a clown knifefish in the video.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, exactly. They will munch like a clown knifefish in the video.

Interesting. I know for a fact that some fish (Goldfish) need plants in their daily diet. @Colin_T could probably help you more here than I could.

 

[Barry Tetra]

Interesting. I know for a fact that some fish (Goldfish) need plants in their daily diet. @Colin_T could probably help you more here than I could.

More pictures big and little guy at feeding time!

 

[Barry Tetra]

@JuiceBox52 @Retired Viking @Byron Here is what I talk about in another post about knifefishes eating algae, do they need protein and stuff from live food?

 

[Byron]

@JuiceBox52 @Retired Viking @Byron Here is what I talk about in another post about knifefishes eating algae, do they need protein and stuff from live food?

The knifefish in the video in post #1 is not eating algae. It is feeding from a prepared disk/wafer which is green. I cannot be certain of the brand, buit if this is for example a Omega One Veggie Round, the ingredients include algae, kelp, whole fish, whole shrimp. Most any carnivorous or omnivorous fish will readily go after this; my cories and loaches love them, and they are not vegetarian.

I doubt that a knifefish will eat actual algae. It may graze biofilms on which algae grows, but it is more likely looking for the microscopic critters in the biofilm. This explains the diet of a Black Ghost Knifefish:

Naturally a micropredator, eating insect larvae, zooplankton and small fishes. Will sift through the sand substrate when hunting food. In the aquarium, they will appreciate frozen or live bloodworms, small feeder fish, tubifex worms, brine shrimp, ghost shrimp, etc. Can usually be weaned onto prepared foods. Small earthworms are relished and particularly good for getting new fish settled and eating. Nocturnal feeders, they should be fed at night. Once settled, they will often feed during the day, even from the aquarist's hand.