From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Black Ghost Knifefish
Apteronotus albifrons
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7.5
- Min. tank size
- 570 L
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years
- Diet
- carnivore
- Care level
- difficult
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Apteronotus albifrons |
| Family: | Apteronotidae |
| Origin: | South America (Amazon basin) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | difficult |
| Diet: | carnivore |
| Max Size: | 50.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | No cultivated strains, and no colour forms — this is a wild-type fish and its appearance is not something breeding has improved on. The velvet black body with two white rings on the tail and a white blaze on the snout is the species. Variation between individuals is minor. Most fish in the trade are wild-caught or produced on commercial farms in South America and Southeast Asia. Several related knifefish are sold alongside it and are different animals with different requirements. The brown ghost knifefish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) is smaller and more aggressive with its own kind. The clown knifefish (Chitala ornata) is not closely related, reaches over a metre, and is a serious predator unsuitable for almost any home aquarium. The African knifefish, glass knifefish and banded knifefish are all separate species again. If a shop offers you a "knifefish", establish which one before buying — the sizes range from 20 cm to well over a metre, and the black ghost sits in the middle of that at 50 cm. |
| Lifespan: | 10-15 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:High
- Min Tank:570 L
- Substrate:Soft sand; caves/tubes and subdued lighting for hiding
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:High (clean, stable water; gentle flow)
Black Ghost Knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons) is a species of fish in the family Apteronotidae. It is native to South America (Amazon basin). The black ghost knifefish navigates and hunts with electricity. An electric organ in the tail generates a field, and electroreceptor organs distributed over the body read the distortions in it. That gives the fish two senses at once — active electrolocation, sensing its own field, and passive electrolocation, detecting fields produced by other animals. Together they let it navigate in complete darkness and find prey it cannot see. It swims by sending waves along a single long anal fin, which lets it move forwards, backwards and sideways, hover in place, and swim upside down. Nothing else in a home aquarium moves like it. It is nocturnal, velvet black with two white rings on the tail, and ranges from Venezuela to the Paraguay–Paraná system including the Amazon. Adults reach 45 to 50 cm. That is the fact most buyers are not told.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- bottom
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- No
Species similar to Black Ghost Knifefish
Matched on family, then category, then water type