The amazing knife fish, Apteronotus albifrons, or black ghost, is one of the most mysterious and exotic inhabitants of the aquarium space.
External features of the knife fish
Apteronotus comes from the upper reaches of the great Amazon River, belongs to the Apteronton family. Only one of its appearance boggles the imagination: the deep black fish lacks the usual fins, and the body shape resembles an eel or moray eel. The swinging lower fin accelerates its movement up to 10 cm per second and gives it unique maneuverability.
South American Indians, meeting large individuals of the "black ghost" in the rivers, took them for the embodiment of the souls of their ancestors who died in battle - the appearance of this anthracite-black fish was so impressive. By the way, even her color is unusual: during the mating period, the black ghost can no longer be called such, because then his body acquires a red-lilac hue, and the fins become olive.
It is believed that knives can grow up to half a meter in length, but home aquarists say that this is a very rare case. On average, the size of these fish is from 7 to 20 centimeters. They are also related to eel by the presence of an electric sensor, which allows detecting the location of prey in the dark by the reaction of space to the electric field of the fish.
The "character" of the apteronotus
Justifying its western name "black ghost", fish can be quite fierce predators if not allowed to eat in time. Experts do not recommend settling smaller fish together with "knives", otherwise, in a fit of hunting excitement, they can kill their little fellows.
It is believed that the knife fish has its own character, many even call it sociable, because it is she who will first swim to the wall of the mini-reservoir to greet the owner. These fish are endowed with a fantastic ability to swim with the same effort, not only head or tail forward, but also vertically down or up, which has made them famous in history as magical creatures.
Keeping in the aquarium
Keeping a "black ghost" in an aquarium is not difficult: it does not require special conditions, except for places where you can hide. In addition, it is better to buy a large aquarium for this fish, because they are very fond of chases and a sporty lifestyle, this requires a lot of space. If the fish has grown more than 15 cm, you will have to install a cover on the aquarium: the knife fish can jump out of the water and fall to the floor. If you have settled two Apteronotus in the same tank, provide both with places for ambush, otherwise they will begin to divide the territory and may seriously fight.
