Black Ghost Knife

Black Ghost Knifefish

Apteronotus albifrons

The Black Ghost Knifefish is a unique aquarium fish that swims using one large connected undulating fin, that flows through the water in a similar fashion to the edge of a sting ray’s disc, this method of swimming creates very interesting movement patterns from your ghost knives, making them an even more unique aquatic curiosity that will fascinate friends and family.

Locale: Much of South America, mostly the Paraná and Paraguay Rivers - often found in and around sand bed debris such as leaf litter, driftwood and stacked piles of rock.

Fun fact: Black Ghost Knives emit a very slight electrical pulse, used to scour their surroundings as a sort of sixth sense, as Black Ghost Knives are known to have very poor eyesight, being mostly nocturnal hunters.

Care:

Care difficulty - Intermediate, can be picked on by aggressive or nippy fish, get very large

Temperament - peaceful, however will prey on small fish

Adult size - 45-50cm

Diet - Omnivorous; natural predators that will scour the sand bed for sleeping or injured prey at night, getting a small portion of vegetable content in their diet through the vegetable content diet within their prey. Best fed sinking pellets or wafers as a staple of their diet, with protein dietary additives once or twice a fortnight.

Habitat - Soft sandy substrate is ideal, driftwood and rock stacked in a manner that allows for natural hides, as Black Ghost Knives like to retire into hides during the day and come out more at dark.

Optimal Water Parameters:

Temperature: 25-29°c

pH: 6.4-7.2

GH: 5-12

KH: 2-4

Fish size, sex, exact colour and patterning may vary from photo.