# Black Ghost Knifefish Dying?



## Fishrule912

Hi, I have two black ghost knife fish in a 55 gallon tank (yes, I know--my family and I are thinking of rehoming them) and one of them, the smaller one, has developed a white film/markings on his side and body. His fins are tattered, but all of the other fish in the tank are fine. He looks like he is getting worse, and my stepfather (who thinks this is due to ammonia since the tank is stocked with relatively large fish such as bala sharks) is worried about losing one of his favorite fish. The black ghost knife had somehow ending up in the tubing of the wet/dry filter a few weeks before, and he had been steadily worsening since. I have no idea what this is or what to do.

Pictures (sorry for poor quality):


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## marinedepot10

First, do a large water change (50-75%) and make sure that the water is dechlorinated and at the same temperature. Then, raise the temperature 2 degrees F per day until it's about 80-82 degrees F. (Higher temperatures kill off ich and boost fish's immune system. I keep all my tropical tanks at 79 degrees F.) Then, add salt and/or medication. Usually, 1 tblsp of NON-iodized salt is recommended per 5 gallons. Medication usually have instructions.

But PAY ATTENTION! BGK's are considered SCALELESS FISH, and as such are especially sensitive to changes in the water. Use HALF the recommended medication or LESS. Otherwise, you could just as easily kill your BGK.

I would just recommend keeping the water extremely clean, keeping the fish well fed, and maybe throwing in a bit of salt. You may use aquarium salt, pickling salt or rock salt. Be sure you dissolve the salt well and keep water well aerated. Your options of antibiotics would be kanamycin, Maracyn Plus or Jungle Fungus Clear.


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## coralbandit

The two of them will not coexist in such a small tank.The issue with the smaller is probly 100% stress related.I certainly would not throw meds at an undiagnosed issue.The only thing I agree with in marinedepot post is water change.Change water 50% at least 2-3 times weekly as most skin issues (beside ich)will be resolved with higher water quality.Salt is (despite most thinking so)NOT a real answer to many problems(besides osmoregulation{breathing & fluid exchange}) so I would not use any UNLESS you can find a link that recommends it.


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## marinedepot10

coralbandit said:


> The two of them will not coexist in such a small tank.The issue with the smaller is probly 100% stress related.I certainly would not throw meds at an undiagnosed issue.The only thing I agree with in marinedepot post is water change.Change water 50% at least 2-3 times weekly as most skin issues (beside ich)will be resolved with higher water quality.Salt is (despite most thinking so)NOT a real answer to many problems(besides osmoregulation{breathing & fluid exchange}) so I would not use any UNLESS you can find a link that recommends it.



I am just suggesting. Its not hard and fast that whatever I suggest needs to be followed exactly. This is a place for discussion and I have just kept my point. Also I have mentioned the precautions and recommendations. 
Final decision is always upon the other side to see to that what suits them best.


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## tike

BGK's are territorial with each other and this is why your small one looks beat on. A lot of times in a LFS you will see a bunch in a tank together, at high densities you can keep them but only for short periods of time. I think this is how most hobbyist end up in your situation. Separate as soon as possible or else the small one is doomed.


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## susankat

BGK's also can't tolerate salt. I have kept them before but only one to a 75 gal tank. When kept more than one together in a smaller tank the electrical impulses interfere with each other. The have very poor eyesight and find food by smell and using the impulses to detect objects and food.


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## sivakv

I had a similar problem but mine recovered, do not know the size of your fishes, you will certainly need a much larger tank, i used to find them little cramped for space even in my 6ft tank.

My BGKs, one was 16in and the other is around 14in. Both came in at around 3in or so. When small, they were housed in a 200L, and subsequently i moved them to 640L tank. Since most of my fishes are big in 640L, i have to change 20% alternate day to pickup the droppings etc and runs 2 large eheim filters. 

I lost the bigger one just a month back, due to unknown reason, the bigger one especially is very cool and both are very smart, knows me and are hand fed. Yet to recover from losing him 

About an year back, the bigger one had a similar problem, what i found was, they tend to "wrestle" and the bigger one was crashing into the root-like driftwood that was causing lots of abrasions, visible just like in your photo. Their normal fights/wrestles, at times used to be very aggressive and i used to push them to their respective homes, had not gone to the extent of damaging each other by biting etc.
He took more than 3 months or so to recover, but i persisted with a very close monitoring of water(smell etc, other tests like ammonia etc were fine). Used to add aquarium salt, much diluted, 7 spoons for the 640L(actually about 500L as i do not fill to brim), 2-3 days and leave it, and let it slowly dilute over next few days. Repeat if required, unfortunately i have not kept a log of what i did. 
The wounds healed. Salt also kills other parasites/organisms that are not good for them. During peak of his sickness his intake was 20% of normal and finally he fully recovered. Unfortunately not much guidance i could get from the forums i posted.
Another tip i could give, i had a filter that had UV in it, once in a while, i used to switch on the UV for about 8 hrs or so, repeat till i feel comfortable, and i have seen remarkable improvements in case the fishes were flashing or found something unusual on their body(like small specks do not think it is white spot but looked like one). Perhaps that is also another solution you could try.
My BGK also used to reduce intake if the filters are due for cleaning, an early warning mechanism, that will send me into a cleaning frenzy of both filters.
Just thought of sharing my experience, i am not sure whether my measures got him right or it was normal process, but he was fine.
Trust it helps, it is a great fish !!


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## Goby

These fish aren’t hard to keep but the rules for keeping them are strict. They’re scaleless, which makes them 1.) parasite magnets and 2.) prone to death when treated for parasites. Stress = parasites. These fish will not tolerate a stressful environment. This isn’t a fish where one can experiment with stressful scenarios and “see how it goes”. A commitment must be made on day one, to cater to the unique needs of this species. 

Keep only one to a tank…there is no exception to that rule 99.9% of the time. No ammonia, no nitrites, and low nitrates…there are no exceptions to that rule whatsoever. There are other water conditions worth mentioning like soft and acidic water, but those rules are flexible and worthy of debate. Do not crowd legally blind electrically charged fish…ever. It’s cruel. Ghost Knives are meat eaters. Their nutritional needs necessitate eating unprocessed meat, every single day. That’s as simple as digging up a worm. They like it dark. When light is bright, they need a place to sleep. I used PVC. It’s easy on their skin and reduces exposure to parasitic substrate. I’ll stop there. 

I can’t tell for certain what the white stuff is on your Knife but I’m guessing it’s a combination of one or more things like Ich, Oodinium, dead tissue, and areas of excessive slime alternating with areas of depleted slime...wounds. I can assure you your fish is sick though, uncomfortable, and likely dying. If it seems as though I’m being unsympathetic, I apologize. I’ve made my own poor choices when it comes to fish husbandry. There’s even a street in Fish Heaven named after me. So I’m not judging you, I’m just painting you a realistic picture.

I’d like to advise you but the situation is multifaceted and I don’t know enough about your aquarium or your Knife. I will say that if you want to try to save him, you must remove him from that environment and get him into a hospital tank…like yesterday. If the move doesn’t kill him, establish diagnosis and implement a treatment course. That may include a combination of ½ strength medication, water changes, heat, UV etc. Ask others…I’m not sure what medicinal courses I’d take as it’s been a while since I’ve treated a FW scaleless fish. Any med will likely be toxic but with scaleless fish, you take the approach of benefit versus risk. 

That said, if I were you my focus would be more on protecting my healthy fish and less on saving the sick one. But either way, the Knife needs to come out. And do consider UV in your display as well.


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