Need Help Upgrading My Tank For BlackGhost Knife

[shaziasadiqah]

I have two BlackGhost Knife they are about 7cm in size at the moment. I know my 20gal Tank is not the right tank for them so i've been planning to get a bigger tank, but how big should i get? is 75gal enough for them?

I know my house is small but i want to give them the proper tank.

Please help me, thank you

 

[itiwhetu]

I have kept a couple in a 250 liter tank. no problems. Someone on here is bound to tell you you need 450 liters. Keep them in a 250 l tank, if they out grow that then think about what you want to do.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Thank you very much, will soon buy one and set up the thank!

thank you

 

[Wills]

Black ghosts get upto 20 inches in size, usually at least 12 inches within a year or so. Capacity of water is not the real issue its the dimensions to make sure they have a good quality of life. A minimum rule that should be considered is that the tank should be 6x the length of the adult size and width 2x the length of the adult fish. Realistically to house them as adults humanely you are looking at a pond in the region of 8-10 feet in length and a minimum of 3 foot front to back. Ideally the same again in height.

They are just not good fish for most keepers. Have you considered other knife fish like African Browns or Glass? Much smaller size 10-12 inches and can be housed in large 6 foot tanks of around 180 gallons.

The Glass Knives are really nice as they are actually gregarious, meaning they like to be with their own kind where as the black ghosts dont like being in close proximity to each other in confined spaces.

Wills

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Black ghosts get upto 20 inches in size, usually at least 12 inches within a year or so. Capacity of water is not the real issue its the dimensions to make sure they have a good quality of life. A minimum rule that should be considered is that the tank should be 6x the length of the adult size and width 2x the length of the adult fish. Realistically to house them as adults humanely you are looking at a pond in the region of 8-10 feet in length and a minimum of 3 foot front to back. Ideally the same again in height.

They are just not good fish for most keepers. Have you considered other knife fish like African Browns or Glass? Much smaller size 10-12 inches and can be housed in large 6 foot tanks of around 180 gallons.

The Glass Knives are really nice as they are actually gregarious, meaning they like to be with their own kind where as the black ghosts dont like being in close proximity to each other in confined spaces.

Wills

But sadly the situation right now is that i already have them (2 BGKF) i know it’s my fault because i didn’t do some research. After i do some research and know that they will be a very big fish i really thought a lot to give them the proper tank. The biggest tank i can fit in my house at the moment is the 120x60x60 cm, it won’t be nice for sure for such a really small house but i don’t want them to suffer.
Any suggestion on what should i do?
Thank you very much.

 

[itiwhetu]

Very rarely do they get any where near 20 inches

 

[Colin_T]

But sadly the situation right now is that i already have them (2 BGKF) i know it’s my fault because i didn’t do some research. After i do some research and know that they will be a very big fish i really thought a lot to give them the proper tank. The biggest tank i can fit in my house at the moment is the 120x60x60 cm, it won’t be nice for sure for such a really small house but i don’t want them to suffer.
Any suggestion on what should i do?
Thank you very much.

get a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. they will be fine in that.

 

[itiwhetu]

get a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. they will be fine in that.

Thank you.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

get a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. they will be fine in that.

Thank you, will search for one ASAP!

it’s okay if i give them plants and driftwood or stones? I know mine likes to hide behind the rocks i put in my current tank.

and should i leave them alone or can i add some tank mates? If i can, any suggestion on perfect tank mates for them?

 

[itiwhetu]

Lots of plants. Mine were very happy with discus. No small fish, they hunt at night.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't have big pieces of wood or rock in the tank because the fish have trouble maneuvering around them. We had pvc pipe in the tanks for them and they would spend the day in that. You can camouflage the pvc pipe with gravel, driftwood or algae/ plants. Make sure any pipes have lots of space at each end so the fish can swim straight in.

 

[itiwhetu]

Mine hang out in a huge Java fern plant

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Don't have big pieces of wood or rock in the tank because the fish have trouble maneuvering around them. We had pvc pipe in the tanks for them and they would spend the day in that. You can camouflage the pvc pipe with gravel, driftwood or algae/ plants. Make sure any pipes have lots of space at each end so the fish can swim straight in.

are Angles okay? And how many can i keep? Is 5 too much?

Noted about the big rocks and woods.

when my bigger BGKF got a serious fin rot i put PVC pipes in the quarantine tank and yes, he do love those very much. He’s fully recovered now, even the tail is growing back.

i’m sorry i asked too many questions, i’m such a noob lol.

in my current tank i have lots of anubias and amazon words, some java fern, too. I’ll add more of those plants for the big tank.

 

[itiwhetu]

Never tried them with Angels.

 

[shaziasadiqah]

Never tried them with Angels.

Discus it is then, how many can i keep with them? 3?