Synodontis Catfish: A Primer

**Commodore 64** · 07-20-2008, 07:55 PM

Thanks for the write-ups. DO you have any extra advice/info for Synodontis aterrimus?

**Dave66** · 07-21-2008, 05:41 AM

What do you wish to know, Commodore64?

**Commodore 64** · 07-22-2008, 02:30 PM

Well, I'm not sure really. You may remember the Synodontis catfish that my wife brought home about a month ago with horrific fin rot. They have recovered nicely and are are growing like weeds. All of their fins have grown back.

Having asked her to bring home a couple cories, I wasn't quite prepared for Upside-Down catfish, which I understand can get pretty large. Now I have two of them in a 55g.

One of them eats like a pig. It gets so bloated that its pectoral fins can't touch the substrate...and I don't think it is constipation...because it seems to unbloat by morning, every day. I think it just eats a metric ton of food. We call it "fatty". They both hide a lot, and spend most of their time upside-down.

I've been trying for the past few days to get a couple good pics of them, but I just can't get the camera to focus on them, when they are hiding under my driftwood or rock cave.

**Dragon77** · 07-23-2008, 10:46 PM

Hello all!

I've bee trying to identify the specific (or near to it) species of Syno that I just lost due to the negligence and incompetence of a Pet Sitter I hired (also lost was my 33" Tire Track Eel, and my prized T.Natans "Rubber Eel"!!!)

He was a fairly solid deep "leaf" green syno, similar to a Euruptus, but much fatter his "spots" were much more subtle, and his main horizontal whiskers were VERY thick - but he was about the same size 6"+/-.

He's the only one of his kind that I've ever found in my LFSs and I've had him almost 10yrs.

He was definitely not a Nigrita.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

--- Adam

**Dragon77** · 07-24-2008, 03:03 AM

Seems to be the Synodontis hollyi

From pics at http://acsi.acnatsci.org/base/taxonomic_species.html#S

Also similar is the Synodontis violaceus

Does anyone know if/where either of these can be purchased??? Or if there is another one similar to them?

Thanks!!!

**Dave66** · 07-24-2008, 04:24 AM

What's the dorsal fin look like, dragon? Eupterus can grow to be leafy green like that, but the dorsal is diagnostic.
I know hollyi and vemiculata, the correct species name for your other fish, haven't, so you're out of luck there. It's quite possible that the fish you saw was a contaminant in a shipment of Synodontis cats. It happens. It could also have been a man-made hybrid, an unfortunate occurrence.

Dave

**Dragon77** · 07-24-2008, 04:29 AM

Dorsal fin was pretty much the same - what distinguished it from the Euruptus' was the coloring and the very thick horizontal whiskers. It was also bulkier.

**Red** · 07-24-2008, 04:33 AM

dave what should be my main diet for my syn. petricola

**Dave66** · 07-24-2008, 05:10 AM

Originally Posted by The Red Severum

dave what should be my main diet for my syn. petricola

They will eat whatever you give them, Red, as they discriminate on foods not a bit, though of course you will have your eye toward nutrition. You can use a good sinking catfish pellet, like Hikari's, for the staple, but a lot of their diet should be frozen worms and crustaceans, like blood and Tubifex worms, and Mysis shrimp. Get the frozen Mysis that are the freshwater species so your catfish won't have to void the salt. They'll even eat freeze dried food if you soak them before feeding so they'll sink. I soak mine in Kent Zoe, personally.
You can use a vegetative pellet several times a week as they do like plant debris.
So prepared foods sinking catfish pellets & a vegetative pellet, and a few frozen foods and your set. About three or four times a day, little meals. They'll have no trouble wiping out the food in under 30 seconds, believe me.

Dave

**Sounguru** · 07-24-2008, 05:24 AM

Aww crap more I have to read and that is gonna make me want more fish which means I have to go find more fish tanks....

Dave stop it already would ya.... ;-)