LA
Pic
Not a very black knife fish over light blue gravel.
Origins: Like most
African fishes (except cichlids and killies), no fish farmers raise herds
of these guys. We ship them
all in from Africa – the Nile basin – at three to five inches long.
LA
Pic
African knife fish usually find some secure nook to use as their base of operations.
Nocturnal (sort of): Most
knife fishes use their weak electric currents to navigate in murky waters
and at night. Ditto these
guys. However, African black
knife fish very rapidly adjust to your daytime schedule.
If you feed them during the day, they come out during the day.
After eating, they like to return to the security of their “lair.”
They rarely cruise for the heck of it during the daylight hours.
LA
Pic
Semi-dark (watersprite covered) tanks suit African knife fish well.
Water Conditions: Although
they came from soft acid water originally, African black knives adapt to
most water conditions. Just
keep their water clean.
LA Pic
Not black over this white gravel. Don't put your knife fish over black
gravel either.
Appeal: Most aquarists
like them for their unusual shape and swimming practices.
They even swim backwards. Others
like them for their attractive black coloration. And, they cost much
less than other knife fish.
Size: In
aquariums, you rarely see specimens larger than eight inches.
They grow 50% larger in the wild where they get more room (and
food).
Jumpers: Not as bad at
jumping as the larger clown knives from S.E. Asia, you still want to keep yours covered.
A cover of floating plants helps a lot.
It discourages jumping and reduces the light.
African knife fish prefer dimmer tanks.
They cruise in the twilight times.
LA Pic
Six African knife fish share this wooden hidey-hole.
Schoolers: African black
knife fish school together. They
get along with their own species – unlike most knife fishes.
They get along fairly well with other larger fishes.
They love smaller fishes like tetras.
Keep them away from “bite-size” tank mates.
Breeding: African black
knife fishes do not breed in captivity.
LA Pic
The knife fish eats the same flakes as the goldfish. Joke's on both of
them. They're cichlid flakes.
Foods: Most knife
fishes stay on the picky eater list. African
black knife fishes eagerly eat flake foods after a week or so.
They seem to adapt quicker when kept in groups.
They eat better when they compete and interact with each other --
like middle school kids.
LA Pic
African black knife fish bleach out over white but do show up well.
Gravel Choice: Darker
gravels help keep their tank lighting subdued.
These guys usually bleach out over light colored gravels.
LA Pic
Put a few flakes in the water and all the African knife fish get into the
act.
LA Pic
African knife fish plus albino bichir and tire track eel.
Tank Mates: You can mix
them with equal-sized non-violent American cichlids.
If you mix them with territorial cichlids, expect lots of fights.
Gouramis, goldfish, and larger barbs also make good tank mates.
Plants: Add some grassy
plants such as Vallisneria or Sagittarius
to make them feel more at home. Even
plastic plants help.
LA
Knife fish love their home base. However, the fantails insist on sharing.
LA
Wood makes great caves and crannies for your knife fish.
Hiding Places: Give your
African knife fish some caves to hide in. They
prefer to stay out of the light during the day.
At the very least, toss in some pieces of PVC pipe.
They need a hideout the most when they’re small.
You can find clear plastic “ghost houses” for them or, better
yet, use a
chimney from an oil lamp.
Comments from Adrian
Philp: “African knife fish need places to hide during the day,
but you should be careful about extremely small holes because they
sometimes try to wedge themselves in where they can’t fit. Mine,
although he had plenty of hiding spots to choose from, wedged himself in a
tiny hole in an ornament and I ended up having to pull him out. He ended
up with a huge scar on his back the SECOND TIME he did it, and then I
think he figured out there were better places to hide. Your website is
awesome.”
Disease: When using any
medications, use them carefully. The
knife fishes’ sensitive skin makes them susceptible to most dye treatments.
Filtration: African
black knives like clean water. Do
not overfeed. Add
snails to clean up the excess.
LA
Here's an ossa knife fish for a little contrast.
LA
Not sure where they get that "nigri" black in their Latin
name.
LA
Just
a bit shy during the day.
LA
But hunger will often bring them out to explore.
LA
This guy came right out front.
Last Word:
If you hear strange clicking sounds coming from your aquarium at
night, relax. Your African
black knife fish is working his night shift. P.S. I’m starting to
suspect that the African knife fish are definitely not as black as the
black ghost knife fish from South America. Let’s just call them
grey African knife fish.
LA.
© 2003,
© 2004,
© 2006
LA Productions
3600
Sixth Avenue
Corner
of Sixth & Euclid Avenues
Des
Moines, IA 50313
515
283-0300
Home
Fish
Other
Stuff
