Animal Stories - People Talking About Knifefish



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Latest Animal Stories on Knifefish (139)

osama - 2008-11-01
Can I put the african knife fish with cichlids family fish?

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Katie - 2010-03-05
I probably wouldn't. A lot of the cichlids will pick on the knife.
Robert - 2010-03-21
I would say probably not, my sister had a oscar in with her knifefish and the oscar tried to attack it. But im not quite sure other cichlid species would do this but i probably wouldn`t try it.
nate - 2010-04-21
Yes I keep mine with my oscar fish and they get along great!
Shawn K - 2010-06-17
My vote is maybe...Depends on the aggression level of your type of Cichlid, I had a Salvini and it straight up attacked and chased my knife for 2 days before I ditched the Salvini...I later found this is a more aggressive species of cichlid. If you have Kribensis or yellow labs (2 of the more agreed non-psycho cichlids) it'll probably be OK.
demetris - 2010-08-25
It's recommended not to but I have one with 2 jack dempseys, 1 albino tiger, 1 parrot blood, a bichir loach, and a striped peacock eel in a 75 gal tank and the only ones that bother each other are the dempseys and the parrot over dominance of the tank but they don't bother the knife fish.
zack - 2010-10-05
Yes I got several cichlids with my clown knife and they all get along pretty good.
Andrew - 2010-12-30
YES! I have a african knifefish with 3 african cichlids and they get along just fine. The cichlids will occasionally chase it around but most of the time they leave each other alone. And the knife even chased the cichlids around for a while too! Great and cool fish.
Kevin - 2011-11-21
I have a (fairly large)African knife fish in with about 15 peacock ciclhids..they seem to get along
Bill Lacks - 2011-11-21
I got 2 knife fish 1 jack dempsy and red devil in a 55 gallon tank they get along good so far.
jake - 2012-01-13
Cichlids are tricky fish. You never know what will happen to your fish unless its a betta or guppy or somthing like that. Also it depends on what cichlids African or American. African might tare the thing apart or they might never bother the fish at all. American cichlids get big. They would have to be around the same size as the knife fish so the oscar, jack dempsey and other American cichlids will not beat it up or eat it

Fish Dude - 2010-10-29
Hello I've got a question, I'm getting a 55 gallon tank. And I already have fish in a 30 gallon that I want to move to the bigger one. But I need to know what won't be eaten by the knife fish. I have already know for sure that my neon tetras and zebra danios would be instant food, but what about glass (ghost) catfish, a bristlenose pleco and a clown loach? And one more thing, I'm also interested in Spotted Climbing Perch (or African Bush Fish, whatever you want to call it). Can it live with the knife fish and the other fish described above? Thanks!

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justin - 2011-01-15
It will eat anything small enough to fit in its mouth... I also have clown loaches with my brown knife and they look great together!
wendi - 2011-03-28
We have this fish with Neon Tetras and he has never done anything to them.......He is gentle, sweet and AWESOME to watch! He has never attacked any of our little fish....so I think it just depends on the temperament of the fish. :)
david - 2011-06-15
I had a Leopard Bushfish with an African Brown Knifefish and the Leopard Bushfish pestered it nonstop. I eventually had to bring the Leopard Bushfish back to the lfs.
jake - 2012-01-13
if the glass catfish is bigger than the tiny ones at petsmart they will most likely do fine and your pleco will be ok. clown loach with be fine to and they get well over 5 inches the perch will be fine for a wile but it might get very big over time

carmine - 2012-01-03
I have had a clown knife fish for three years now and today found eggs in the tank. It is the only fish in the tank. Is this possible? I would think that they are infertile since there is no male fish. They are round clear balls with white membrane in them. I guess what I'm trying to ask is; they are eggs right?

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Charlie Roche - 2012-01-03
My guess based on your description is that they are eggs. However, you are right, they would be infertile. Females can lay eggs and do not need a male to do this. The eggs are just infertile. Think about chickens - they just lay eggs. With no rooster - they are just infertile eggs but the chickens will sit them anyway but no baby chick in there.
carmine - 2012-01-03
Thanks, that's what I thought.
Alex Burleson - 2012-01-04
If it is the only fish in the tank, your best bet is that they came from the Clown Knife Fish, in your aquarium. However, if you have invertebrates such as shrimp, or crabs in the aquarium you can assume the eggs are from them. Knife Fish, are not commonly bred in the home aquarium. If they are from the Knife Fish, they are therefore, sadly infertile and will not hatch.

Collin - 2009-08-17
Just a side note to what I read on the comments. I had a Clown Knife Fish that was 14 inches long and its favorite food was 2 inch gold fish. I would be careful with the choice of small tank mates.

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steve - 2011-01-24
Hi there I've just bought 2 clown knife fish about 4 inches they have cleared my tank guppies etc I've now done my research and knos a bit more about them. I've got 2 spotted puffers left in the tank with them they don't seem to bother each other do you think I should separate them? thanks steve
John - 2011-12-15
Clown knife fish will eat anything that can fit in their mouth. so anything smaller don't.. And clown knife fish is not a community fish, BUT you can put them to any fish that is bigger than them, Some people put Arowana or Oscar as a tankmate.

Saphira - 2011-11-29
I once saw a type of aquarium fish in a pet store, which I have never seen again. They looked like beautiful black feathers and they were almost vertical whilst swimming. I've tried to look them up everywhere but no luck so far. If anyone can satisfy my curiosity, I would be grateful.

samiran roy,india - 2011-11-04
I have a BGK which i bought when it was about 2 inches long.now a after a six month period it has grown to around 7 and a half inches and has consumed lots of pellet food in the process.

Chad H. - 2010-09-13
I have a 55 gallon aquarium that houses 2 Clown Loaches, 3 Tiger Barbs, 1 Pleco, 1 Khulli Loach, & 1 Blind Cave Tetra. I am fascinated by the Black Ghost Knife fish....would it be a good addition to my tank? I have 3 caves for hiding space and will add more if needed.

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jake - 2011-10-12
Be careful with the tiger barbs. I have 3 in my tank (plus other fish). I put in 2 bgkf, one of which didn't have all the white on its tail, just a white tip which the tiger barbs bit whenever it was out..... sadly it died not long after. In saying that however, the other bgkf is doing extreammally well!

Mark - 2010-11-12
Can an African brown knifefish coexist with a black ghost knifefish?

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samiran roy,india - 2011-09-02
Yes, they can can, but only if you have a large enough tank and plenty of hiding places for the two and also at the same time, be ready for squabbles because the black gf can be fiesty.
E.J. - 2011-09-08
Most definitely they can. I have Ghost Knifes, African Knifes, Clown Knifes, and another brown type of Knife with a yellow streak down its back, that I am unsure of the name, all living in the same 55 gallon tank. They seem to all get along well except for the Clowns, now that they are getting larger they have become more aggressive so I will be putting them into their own tank soon.

david - 2011-06-12
Can I keep an Apteronotus albifrons in a 55 gallon aquarium with 2x Geophagus steindachneri and 3x Metynnis argenteus?

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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-13
Nope-sorry. The Knifefish needs a minimum of 100 gallon tank on his own. They can be agressive and they do get huge and if it fits in their mouth, they will attempt to eat it.
samiran roy,india - 2011-09-02
If the BGK is about 2 inches, it can be kept, but you should have a future planning for the fish because they get to be 40 cm or more.

Andrew Prosser - 2011-07-26
I had two black ghost knife fish. For some reason they both died . I don't know why. If anybody has a clue why they died, Please let me know.
I bought another one last he doing pretty good.
What that kind of fish usually eat? The night I bought some guppies for them to eat.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-27
Any symptoms - strange behaviors - anything? How long had you had them? Check out Fish Diseases and Treatment - link should be here and see if your ghost displayed anything at all unusual as described in the symptoms. Also, check to make sure your tank and living conditions are appropriate for that size fish. They need lots of room. Animal World recommends at least a 100 gallon tank.
samiran roy,india - 2011-09-02
They relish on neon tetras.

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