African brown knife tank

Supalah17

Candiru
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Feb 21, 2014
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Buffalo, New York
My brother is currently setting up a 120g (24”x24”x48”) tank and after seeing my BGK has really decided he wants to get a knife of his own, right now the tank is cycling with just some sand/rocks/manzanita wood in it. I gave him an FX6 to filter and soon I’m bringing him a ton of easy plants (swords, Val, crypts, mosses, Anubias) to add in some life before the fish. I’ve only ever had 1 brown knife and it was in a 55g with a feather fin cat and nothing else. So my question is stocking for the tank, he wants to have 3 brown knives and I’m giving him a feather fin cat and a green Severum. Can 3 brown knives coexist in 120 gallons? I’ve only ever seen knives kept with 1 knife per tank. Would the set up of 3 brown knives, a featherfin, a green Severum and probably some giant danios, work in this tank long term?
 

tlindsey

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Aug 6, 2011
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My brother is currently setting up a 120g (24”x24”x48”) tank and after seeing my BGK has really decided he wants to get a knife of his own, right now the tank is cycling with just some sand/rocks/manzanita wood in it. I gave him an FX6 to filter and soon I’m bringing him a ton of easy plants (swords, Val, crypts, mosses, Anubias) to add in some life before the fish. I’ve only ever had 1 brown knife and it was in a 55g with a feather fin cat and nothing else. So my question is stocking for the tank, he wants to have 3 brown knives and I’m giving him a feather fin cat and a green Severum. Can 3 brown knives coexist in 120 gallons? I’ve only ever seen knives kept with 1 knife per tank. Would the set up of 3 brown knives, a featherfin, a green Severum and probably some giant danios, work in this tank long term?


I know he keeps more than one in his aquarium Hendre Hendre
 
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blackbullhead

Dovii
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Jan 5, 2011
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Might be worth clarifying...are you talking about the African brown knife or the brown ghost knife?
 

Hendre

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Jan 14, 2016
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3 Knives may coexist well. Just make sure that they get food, in my experience they can be timid to start but they'll eat well at night and relish foods like frozen mosquito larvae and small sinking pellets. Also, they tend to get more comfortable over time, so don't be too concerned if you rarely see them for the first while.

If you need more tips feel free to ask :)
 

RocketGarStar

Jack Dempsey
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Mar 7, 2018
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3 Knives may coexist well. Just make sure that they get food, in my experience they can be timid to start but they'll eat well at night and relish foods like frozen mosquito larvae and small sinking pellets. Also, they tend to get more comfortable over time, so don't be too concerned if you rarely see them for the first while.

If you need more tips feel free to ask :)
Mine also loved frozen bloodworms and even (unsuccessfully) chased after small feeder guppies. That tank setup sounds much like my old one. Two golden severum, a featherfin, and a few brown african knifes. It worked out well.
 
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