My Black Ghost Fish

[gosu-pk]

I just got him about 5 hours ago, and I want to know why is he always laying on the ground sideways? I thought he was dead at first, but when I moved him with a net, he started swimming again, I thought it was very strange.

Please help and tell me why he is doing this. Thank you!

 

[catxx]

how did you introduce him to the tank? if you did it too quick it could be shock from the new water.

what are your water stats? ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH
and what size is the tank?

 

[Scatta]

I may be wrong, but I think that this is simply a natural "resting" behaviour for Black Ghost Knife fish.

 

[voo]

i've never seen mine resting like this. Fish are usually laying on their side when dying for some reason. It might be in shock from the difference in water, or just stress from being moved to a new tank.

You tank doesnt have salt or any medication in it does it?

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres, how many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.
Can the fish get of the substrate ok and keep his balance in the water.
What do you feed the fish?

 

[andywg]

This is perfectly natural for a BGK. We have two that do the same all the time

They rest on the side, sometimes in the open and often appear almost dead.

Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with your fish at all!

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

Just to add one more consideration......

Does your Black Knife Fish have a good place to hide within your tank? Every time I see one at an LFS, they always have those clear tubes for the fish because they like to hide in order to feel safe.

I bring this up because of an article in a magazine I read recently. It was in one of those 'ask the experts' section and it was dealing primarily with a saltwater fish (cant remember exactly which species). The 'reader' had asked the expert why his fish was laying flat against the floor of the tank. The reader stated that he had it in a Q-tank without any decorations or rocks so that he (or she) could keep a better eye on how the fish was doing. The expert stated that when some fish do not have a place to hide, they will often 'lay down' in order to feel secure.

I am not 100% positive that this can translate over into the freshwater side of things, but I figured it was worth a shot just in case the solution is as easy as creating some hiding spots in your tank. I really like those clear plastic pipes because they it feels safe and you can still see it when ever you want.

 

[gosu-pk]

Thank you for all the help! Iam new here as you can obviously see!

I use a 30 gallon tank with a 10 gallon filter ( i'm going to change it to a 30 gallon filter when Iam able to afford for it - I'm still in high school )
lots and lots of pebbles, 3x anarcharis, 1 black panda fish, 1 algae eater, 1 neon tetra, 1 black ghost knife fish, 1 rainbow gourami, a few pregnant silver guppies I netted a few weeks ago ( one of them just had babies ), 2 golden inca snails, 4x african frogs, and 3x silver gouramis I think

and for some reason I use a reptile tank lid. Possible because I can't afford a hood with light at the moment!

I guess I can buy one when I start my job at a petshop this tuesday!

 

[WILDER]

Overstocked for a 30gal plus with that fish load you need an excellent filter.
Do you have water stats.
Black ghost knife fish need large tanks maybe i would think of rehoming him, good luck.

 

[jayjay]

BGK's are slow growers could live in that tank for a while, before needing to be rehomed, depending on current size.

They would also eat the neon, guppies and some of the others.

No it's not overstocked, except the filter needs upgrading.