Diet: Frozen, Freeze-dried Maximum size: 20" Water temperature: 72-82 degree F Swimming level: Bottom Experience level: Advanced Tank Setup: 75+ gallons, lightly planted Note: Pet availability is seasonal. State and local regulations may vary. Pricing may vary by store location. PetSmart stores cannot match the price above for this pet. Ask a store associate for details.

Overall rating:

4.8

(22 reviews) 21

21 of 22(95%)customers recommend this product.

Reviews for Black Ghost Knife

Review 1 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Finally, after months I have one!

April 15, 2013

by knifefishfan123

fromWashington

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

This is a totally awesome fish. They get along well with my catfish, glofish, tiger barbs, silver dollars, leaf fish and rubber lip plecos. I hope I get to see my knife fish grow to 20" long. He likes to hide in a tube that is in a piece of wood. I also have albino tiger barbs I’m going to give away because they nipped at one of my knife fish’s tail and it ended up dying. :( I also had a second one but that one stayed in the wood and never came out. This one I’m talking about is my third one. These are expensive but are totally worth to buy. He does not eat much but he is so adorable. These fish are the king of my 75 gal tank. I just LOVE the way there pectoral fins move along with the current. They look like they can fly!! I always imagine my knife fish full grown. When it comes to knife fish you should not pick out any random tank mate. Their bottom fins (pectoral fins) is one whole fin so they can’t swim if they have been bitten there. Gouramis are good tank mates. These knife fish should not be kept with large plecos sometimes because they can freak out and might die from fright. These are expensive but everyone HAS to get one!! :)

+4points

6of 8voted this as helpful.

Review 2 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

epic fish!

April 13, 2013

by fishluva157

frommassachussettes,ma

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

i have a bgk in a 56 gal. tank and hes sooo happy, he loves to hid in the plants a lot and gets a long well with my african ghost knife, 3 gouramis, 2 bala sharks, and rainbow shark :) i cant wait to see him get longer and get more gouramis. i recomend this fsh if you like the weird freaky looking type, like me! :)

0points

2of 4voted this as helpful.

Review 3 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

awesome, beautiful fish

March 26, 2013

by BGKlover

Top 50 contributor
Vote on helpful content and promote its author.
Top 50 contributor

fromDickson City, PA

What is your gender?F

i've had my BGK for about a month now. Im in love w the guy and his adorable little face. he is still only about 4 inches, and very friendly to his tank mates (1 small shark, 2 tetras, 2 gouramies, 1 rosy barb, 1 molly, and 1 angelicus botia). He doesn't bother anyone, and shares in hideway with the shark and botia. He comes out to entertain me every now and then! We have a 60 gal tank, so the fish dont seem to be aggressive ... but i have to admit im nervous about what will happen when he's older. I know most of the fish will grow with him and he wont be able to eat them, but the 2-3 inch fish may be in danger.....can someone who has a full grown BGK give me your opinion on what size fish they actually do eat???

+11points

14of 17voted this as helpful.

Review 4 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

One of a kind

March 24, 2013

by FishGhost

fromNYC

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?3

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Reviewer Images

this fish is one of a kind. maybe one of the most expensive but is worth is. they will really make your tank stand out. my black ghost gets a long with my 2 red tailed black sharks, 4 rainbow sharks and my bala shark. wouldnt get rid of it for nothing.

+1point

4of 7voted this as helpful.

Review 5 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Funny,energetic,fast and blind

March 18, 2013

by funnylittlefish

fromAz

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Reviewer Images

First the fish is completely blind and needs about an hour to get used to The tank. For a tube I used a piece of PVC after I washed it. Kind of expensive but well worth the price. Best fish I have ever had.

+4points

5of 6voted this as helpful.

Review 6 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

March 10, 2013

by Grish

fromSomewhere

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

Amazing pets, I only had 2 in my life, but I know they are lovley pets!

If you don't like pets that hide, they are not the right pet for you.

0points

3of 6voted this as helpful.

Review 7 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Recommend, but be very very careful of tank mates.

January 29, 2013

by FishB

fromErie, PA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

I purchased a BGK about 8 months ago. I had him since the time he was 3.5inches until the time he was nearly 10inches long. However, his downfall was actually a molly that I added to my tank. My friend did not want his molly anymore, so i agreed to take it off his hands. The molly ended up biting the ventral fins of my BGK in the right spot and he could no longer swim. Unfortunately, the BGK died. I had no idea that a tiny little 3 inch molly would be able to do so much damage to my 10 inch BGK. Therefore, be VERY careful and do research before putting them in a tank with newly introduced fish.

+5points

8of 11voted this as helpful.

Review 8 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

pretty cool

October 21, 2012

by kiddjorge1412

fromTexas,Euless

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

I always wanted one of those black ghost knives.
And finally i got one and an oscar.
They are probably one of my favorite type of fish.
Cool aren't they.

-4points

4of 12voted this as helpful.

Review 9 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

gentle, strange-looking fish

October 17, 2012

by ldeg

fromNC

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

My wife calls him skunk. But he (she?) is cute. I have a SpongeBob pineapple decor which my bettas and neon tetras stay in. They are unafraid and hang out inside with him. I was worried he would go after my little fishes but he is gentle. My larger fishes: silver dollar, kissingfishes, bala sharks, tigerbarbs, gouramis don't bother him and vice versa. What's cool also is that he eats the algae off my plastic plants. I have no idea what he eats. I feed flakes to my fishes and he doesn't join in during the feeding.

+3points

6of 9voted this as helpful.

Review 10 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Great Fish

August 28, 2012

by ferrariman

fromTucson, AZ

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Great fish I've had mine for nearly 2 months now and he is doing very well. he eats right out of my hand. his tank mates include 2 blue gouramis and a rainbow shark the only thing is he doesn't like to come out during the day very often

+3points

4of 5voted this as helpful.

Review 11 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

4 / 5 22 reviews

think is this good for you?

May 14, 2012

by fishsmart

fromeagan

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

i got this fish today and i know much about them before and after i got it. i named it midnight. BUT this fish is known for jumping out of the tank eaither get the fish and have a lid for the tank or waste your money on a dead fish found on your stand or table. but overall you should get it (also it is semi aggressive and will do very badly with platys)

+4points

10of 16voted this as helpful.

Review 12 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

3 / 5 22 reviews

March 30, 2012

by joce

fromlc, la

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?4

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

i got mine two weeks ago. was the coolest fish ever. even though the fish info says that they swim near the bottom or middle and only at night was the complete opposite for my gkf (his name is ninja!) he always swam around the filter and only during the day. i do not reccomend placing one in your tank if you have a shark. well at least not after the shark has been in the tank for half a year. ninja didn't bother the shark, my shark was just aggressive and sorta ate my gkf

-8points

4of 16voted this as helpful.

Review 13 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Coolest Freshwater fish ever!!!!

March 23, 2012

by hobbyaquarist

fromSo. IL

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

This is the coolest freshwater fish out there. I have one in my 125 gallon tank. I got him first and then I built up the rest of my tank based on fish he would get along with. He is so cool. He can swim forwards. backwards, on his side, and upside down. It is truly awesome to watch. Mine is still pretty young and small and he doesn't really come out during the day. If you get one, I would recommend having moonlighting so as to be able to watch him at night. I imagine as he gets bigger that he will be a bit braver during the day. Also, apparently you can hand feed these guys but I haven't gotten to that point yet. Overall, the coolest freshwater fish out there.

+7points

8of 9voted this as helpful.

Review 14 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Amazing Black Eel!

February 26, 2012

by Kuro

fromBay Area, CA

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

(click to see the video)

I got mine about a week ago, and he's so adorable! My nickname to him is Sir Plant, while his real name is Kuro. He was shy at first, but he happily swam to the corner behind my "Arizona Rock Slab" where there's a few plants, suitable for napping in, and squirmed between the 3 plants. He also enjoys swimming in the little cavern underneath the fake stone decor (I bought the decor from here as well, but a few weeks before). He's usually found in my oldest decor, my year old fake Colliseum (I can't spell that, but the Roman one), inside the huge cave at the top. When I feed him, I just put a small chunk of freeze-dried brine shrimp. I'm going to try handfeeding him later this week or next week, but he seems to get along well with my guppies and plecostomuses and swordtail and mollies. He will nip the guppies but that's only because they're pushing him around to get to the shrimp. Greedy lil fish, but he's one of the center-attention fish I have!

+11points

16of 21voted this as helpful.

Review 15 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Favorite fish!

February 11, 2012

by Fishfan21

fromDetroit, MI

I love my BGK.the first week I got him he came right up to my hand and eats freezedried bloodworms right out f my hand!! This is by far my favorite fish!

+3points

5of 7voted this as helpful.

Review 16 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Planning

December 23, 2011

by AshFutureVet

fromMt.Zion, IL

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

I am planning on getting one of these. He will definatly be my main center piece, his name will either be Zoro or Zaz. I do not know what other fish will go in this tank, but I know he is the one fish I want. I have heard that these fish are just like dogs, is that true? He will be the envy of all my friends!!!
Anyway, I will update on how he's doing!!!

Peace out,
Ash

-20points

4of 28voted this as helpful.

Review 17 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

Amazing, They look like they fly, cute, energetic

September 26, 2011

by Hailey1533

fromMichigan

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?3

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Reviewer Images

I got my Ghost Knife a couple days a go and I absolutley love it. He was the last in the store and hadn't been bought for over a month but I have no clue why. He's so energetic and swimmy. He doesn't like the florescent lamp though. He gets along great with my Bala Sharks they just mind there own spaces. What I absolutley love is that their like a dog. Mine loves to be petted. I'm not sure what his fav. food is yet but so far he likes. flakes and shrimp. I have two hide-outs in my tank he liked the big one at first but now he just loves the smaller one. When he swims he litterally looks like he can fly. So wiggley and energetic. He also like to swim in all directions backwards, sideways, and up/ down it's really funny. But he's not to shy either so I guess that's good. In the store I didn't even think they had one I'd never seen him. But I woud recommened this for my friends and anyone whose looking to take care of a new buddie. CAUTION Just be careful not to put one in with it's same spieces or smaller fish. They will be eaten or killed.

+20points

25of 30voted this as helpful.

Review 18 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

neat fish

April 25, 2011

by justin1795

fromiowa

What is your gender?M

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

neat fish, only comes out when lights off. will only eat frozen food

0points

4of 8voted this as helpful.

Review 19 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

BEAUTIFUL Fish, VERY Friendly!

September 16, 2010

by Sunnie765

fromMidWest

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

I have owned several Black Ghost Knives over the years, and I find them to be very pleasing to watch, fun to hand feed, and fairly easy to care for. They are sonar (blind), so remember that the "bumps" on thier heads, where thier eyes should be, are only for show. They function by sonar, which is why they are so clumsy when added to a new environment or subjected to major changes. It is also why they should never be expected to survive in the same tank as agressive cichlids! They can't see what is coming at them wanting to eat them for supper and by the time they feel a predator, it is usually too late! I had one that grew to over 14 inches and would surface to swirl around my finger whenever I put it in the tank to "play". These are absolutely the coolest fish I have ever had, and I have had everything from Neons, Sharks and African Ghost Knifes to huge saltwater fish!

Pros: friendly fun easy to care for

Cons: blind as a bat so you can't rearrange tank often.

+24points

27of 30voted this as helpful.

Review 20 for Black Ghost Knife

Overall rating

5 / 5 22 reviews

i love mine

September 13, 2010

by Rady

fromSaginaw, MI

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

i got it a few days ago and it stays at the top of the tank is that normal? he only goes to the botton when scared other than that i love it, but my jack dempseys bit the tip of his tail off he only has one white stripe

Pros: color

Cons: very shy

-17points

2of 21voted this as helpful.

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