TankmateChecker

Can platies live with black ghost knives?

Verdict

No

No. Platies and black ghost knives should not share a tank. An adult black ghost knife eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches platies do.

Platy

Platy70–80°F · pH 7–8.2

Black ghost knife

Black ghost knife73–82°F · pH 6–8

What to watch

Deal breakerAn adult black ghost knife eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches platies do.
Watch outBlack ghost knives grow to 15 inches and need 125 gallons, far more than a tank set up for platies.

What works

Both are fine at 73–80°F.
pH 7–8 suits both.
They use different parts of the tank: platies the mid, black ghost knives the bottom.

Water side by side

The green band is the temperature range both can live in.

The green band is the pH both tolerate.

Size to scale

Adult length in an aquarium. A fish can swallow anything that fits in its mouth, roughly a third to half its own length for predators.

Care at a glance

	Platy	Black ghost knife
Temperature	70–80 °F	73–82 °F
pH	7–8.2	6–8
Adult size	2.5 in	15.0 in
Minimum tank	10 gal	125 gal
Temperament	Peaceful	Semi-aggressive
Swims at	Middle	Bottom
Group	Groups of 3+	One per tank
Diet	Omnivore	Carnivore

Better tank mates for platies

All platy tank mates

Better tank mates for black ghost knives

All black ghost knife tank mates

Questions

Can platies live with black ghost knives?

No. Platies and black ghost knives should not share a tank. An adult black ghost knife eats fish that fit in its mouth, and at 2.5 inches platies do.

What temperature suits both platies and black ghost knives?

73–80 °F. Platies need 70–80 °F, black ghost knives need 73–82 °F.

What size tank do platies and black ghost knives need together?

At least 125 gal, set by the black ghost knife. Add space for each extra fish.