The Black Ghost Knifefish - Ghosts Of The Departed?
Among the most stunning and odd looking fish you can keep, is the black ghost knifefish - a tropical fish originating from South America in the Amazon Basin in Peru and from Venezuela through Paraguay in the Paraná Rivers. South American natives believe that the ghosts of the departed take up residence in these fish, hence the name.
A rather shy fish, don’t be surprised if they appear to be hiding most of the time, but once they get comfortable, they are a delight to watch. And once they get used to you, they even come and nibble at your fingers - which incidentally leads me to wonder just how receptive they are of other fishes. Don’t be fooled, they have a surprisingly large mouth.
I had a pair for a while, and I would love to watch them undulate their bodies as they moved - their whole body is effectively one long fin. And what’s more, they can move forwards, backwards and even sideways.
The fish is scaleless and black all over, except for two white rings on its tail, and a white blaze on its nose, which can occasionally extend into a stripe down its back. It can grow to a maximum length of about 25 inches (60 centimeters).
It natively lives in fast moving, sandy bottom creeks in a tropical climate, and prefers water with a 6.0 - 8.0 pH, and a temperature range of 73-82 F (23-28 C). These fish are nocturnal, and have an electric organ which discharges a small electric charge that helps them in finding food. Make sure you give them enough places to hide.
Filed under: Freshwater fishes