White-headed knifefish - Apteronotus albifrons

The magnificent white-fronted knifefish Apteronotus albifrons is also called manatee knifefish, American knife fish or black ghost and belongs to the family of knife eels. It originates mainly from the Orinoco Basin, i.e. from Colombia and Venezuela, but is also found in Peru. This very large growing rather nocturnal ornamental fish is particularly interesting because it constantly sends light electrical signals with which it tracks down its prey.

The knifefish from South America grows to a length of well over 30 cm (individual reports speak of 50 cm total length) and therefore needs a correspondingly large and deep aquarium of at least 180 cm length and 70 cm depth for a single animal and 250 cm length for a small group. The Black Ghost is midnight black with only two light beige to white bands on the thinly tapering caudal peduncle and caudal fin and a narrow white stripe on the head, the namesake white forehead. Males have a longer snout than females.

The body shape of the knifefish is very unusual, namely knife-shaped, and the arrangement of the fins allows the whiteface knifefish to swim in a very flexible, elegant manner. Ventral fins and dorsal fins are sought in vain, but the anal fin is greatly enlarged and extends forward to the head. Their undulating movement makes American knifefish exceptionally agile: the fish can swim forward, backward, upside down and downside down, on their backs and on their bellies, making them unusually agile, skillful hunters.

As juveniles, American Whiteface Knifefish are still rather gregarious, but as they age, this knifefish becomes more and more of a loner. The behavior among themselves is quite rough. The hierarchy is fought out with impressive elegant and powerful gestures, by wide open mouths and pushing and tugging. Injuries are very rare. A single attitude is already possible also with young animals starting from 15 cm. To other aquarium inhabitants the Black Ghost Knifefish behaves relatively peacefully, whereby too small aquarium fishes are regarded just like shrimps, snails or dwarf crayfishes as food. It mixes well with other large, peaceful fish such as loricariids or even large tetras or barbs .

In the aquarium Apteronotus albifrons need a good structure, many hiding places and a floating plant cover, which dampens the light somewhat. The aquarium may like to be densely planted, which encourages the knifefish to show off their spectacular swimming maneuvers. White-fronted knifefish tolerate soft to hard water of 0-20 °GH and a neutral pH of about 7-7.5 and water temperatures of 22-28 °C.

Breeding is difficult in the aquarium. Whiteface knifefish are cave spawners and defend their fry vehemently. Breeding succeeds mainly in breeding ponds, not much is known about aquarium breeding.

The American Whiteface Knifefish is a skilled hunter that will not stop at smaller forage fish such as guppies or feeder shrimp . It prefers large live foods, but can also be acclimated to frozen foods and freeze-dried foods. Knifefish recognize their keeper and become quite trusting and can even be accustomed to hand feeding.

Our food recommendation: NatureHolic Cichfeed is a great staple food for all carnivorous cichlids in the aquarium, perfectly meeting their dietary requirements. The tasty pearls are also very well eaten by larger cichlids. Thanks to their soft texture, NatureHolic Cichfeed food pearls are gentle on the mouth and can be eaten very well by the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for the planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.