Black Ghost Knifefish

Distribution:
   The Black Ghost Knifefish was described by Linnaeus in 1766. Black Ghosts are found in South America throughout much of the Amazon River and its tributaries. It is nocturnal and preys on insect larvae.

Status:
   The species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The black body of the Black Ghost Knifefish is flat and elongated. It has a continuous fin along the underside formed by a joining of the caudal and anal fin and moves with an undulating motion. Although they appear clumsy, they have a built in ‘radar’ system that uses low voltage electricity to help them navigate. This and their undulating lower fin allow them to gracefully move forwards and backwards through the aquarium.

Size - Weight:
  The maximum size for this fish is around 20 inches (50 cm).

Care and feeding:
   The Black Ghost Knifefish are carnivores. In the wild they are nocturnal, when the sun sets and throughout the night they feed on insect larvae. In the aquarium this is a fish hat prefers fresh or fresh frozen foods such as bloodworms, brine shrimp or blackworms.
   A full sized Black Ghost Knifefish is a big animal which requires a big home. You will need to eventually provide a tank containing 100 gallons or more if you plan on keeping one of these beauties into adulthood. Providing many hiding places with plants, smooth rocks or aquarium safe wood in a necessity. They are nocturnal and will spend most of the daylight hours hiding in a safe and secure location. Once acclimated to their new home, they should come out of hiding at feeding time. Some have even been taught to feed from their keeper’s hand.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
  This species of knifefish spends most of its time near the bottom.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   Temp: 73 - 82° F (23 - 28° C)
   Hardness: 5 - 19 dGH
   pH 6.0 to 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Black Ghosts can become aggressive with members of their own species and members of other, similar species. Other than that, they are usually quite timid. They do have a large mouth so small fish or invertebrates kept in the same tank may eventually become a meal for a hungry Black Ghost.

Sexual Differences:
   Sexual differences are unknown.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   This species is being bred commercially in Indonesia but the method used is unknown. There are hobbyists that claim to have successfully bred the Black Ghost Knifefish in an aquarium but they seem reluctant to share the details. There is some information on this subject, scattered reports, but there is nothing yet documented from reputable sources so it will not be reproduced here. One thing for certain is that if you want to give it a try, you’ll need a big aquarium, probably containing 100 gallons or more.

Buy Black Ghost Knifefish From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
  Now that they are being bred in captivity, the Black Ghost Knifefish are available all year long.
Large specimens may command a high price, mainly due to the higher costs of shipping them. Smaller specimens are quite affordable.

Author: Ken Childs