BGK and Food

Question
I recently got a Black Ghost Knife fish to add to my 33 gallon tank, he is only about 2 inches right now when he gets bigger I'm moving him into my 55 gallon. Will he eat the tropical fish flakes or will he only go for blood worms?



Also, I recently got TetraMin Large Tropical Flakes (Clear Water Forumla) But I notice when I feed my fish now. That uneaten flakes are sticking to my filter they have a white sort of thread around them and a little bit of flake in the middle. Do you have any idea how I can stop that from happening? It has never happened before and it's really runining my tanks appearance.

Answer
Hi Karen
I'm not sure if he'll go for the tropical flakes.  He'd do better with a meatier diet.  Frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, frozen beef heart(be sure to thaw all frozen food first in a small bowl of tank water though), meal worms, cut up pieces of shrimp, cut up squid, cut up fish fillets etc.  It's also a good idea to vary his diet up(really a good idea for all fish) so he gets different vitamins from the different foods.

As for the fish flakes, not sure exactly why that's happening.  My guess since it's a clear water formula, it has something to do with it staying together instead of breaking apart.  That's probably why you're seeing it on the filter intake.  The only thing I could suggest would be to cut back on the amount you're feeding.  Feed a small amount, if the fish eat it quickly, feed another small amount, keep doing that for a few minutes(3-4 minutes to get an idea of how much food they'll eat) and any food that is left over, immediately net out.

Hope that helps and good luck with your new fish!

Christy