Reece S asked:
hello
i recently bought a BNF to add to my aquaium. iv been trying to get it to eat since i got it. i read that the like to eat blood worm so i went out and bought them. when ever i put them in the tank the BNF just carries on with what it is doing and the other fish in the tank end up eatting them. it is starting to become a worry as it is not eatting. i have a clear tube which Knife fish are ment to go into through the day but mine doesnt seem to. i would be alot easier to feed if i went in the tube. i havent seen it eat and i would realy like to know how to get it to.
any help would be great XD
erm i have……
a swordtail
plec
2 mollies
a blue lobster (it doesnt bother the bkf)
2 platys
gouramis
barb
and 2 dinnos
a weird tank setup but they all get along 
Content
Try feeding at night with the lights off.
Keep in mind this fish can get a few feet long and require at least a 75 gallon tank.
(’\(o.o)/’)
BGK usually will come around for some frozen bloodworm, but if they still wont bite try some ghost shrimp.
i agree all knifes get huge and a 75 is the minimun for any one kind. some need 200+
what other fish are in the tank?
well aside from all of those fish eventually becoming food, it just sounds like too busy a tank, make sure there’s plenty of plants, rocks, driftwood for the BGK to get away behind.
if he still doesn’t eat try the ghost shrimp, that almost alwas works.
a red mylar covering superglued to a clear tube can offer them both protection from the outside world, and from the light. (red is ther first light to disspate into water so a red filter will mimimalize the abount of light getting in while allowing you to still see the fish.) or you could paint the top /or back of the tube, but you’d have to find an aquairum safe paint,
:-/
i don’t really know of any…
i guess opaque black mylar if you could find it.
or you could diy one from ’smoked’ acrylic, and aquarium sealant. a fun little project.
Ghost knife fish are nocturnal. Are you feeding him at bedtime and turning off the lights so he knows it safe to come out to eat?
That’s how I got mine to eat. Eventually, as he settles into your tank, he’ll be more willing to come out during the day, and will come running when he sees you approach the tank in hopes of some more yummy frozen blood worms!
I currently have a clown knifefish. At first he’d only eat inside his log. (I don’t think the clear plastic tubes are healthy for them, as the goal isn’t just to make them feel hidden, but to help protect them from the light.) After about a week, he’d come out at bedtime feeding to eat. Now, a few months later, he’s doubled his size from an original 3 inches to 6 and comes out anytime he sees me around. He’s quite the begger!