I have had my 5 Syno. Petricola for 6 months now and they are around 2". Thing is I never see them except fleeting glimpses at feeding time. In fact I have no idea if all 5 are still alive. I have made the tank a Petricola heaven with loads of slate and a network of cylindrical caves. The front of ...

I thought so as well, I haven't kept Synos for long so just wondered, I fully expected them to take some fry I just wondered if they had any defence mechanisms except for speed to keep angry cichlids at bay.

Maybe she has just passed away in the rocks.

thanks for the reply

My female Ocellatus has completely vanished, she was protecting fry and now only a few fry and the male Ocellatus remain.There is absolutely no sign of her and she would never abandon her brood. My 5 Petricola are only 1.5" so are obviously not big enough to cause any real damage but could they have ...

Thanks Barbie, I didn't realise it was that slow, explains the high adult prices though.

No worries, I also keep Altolamprologus Calvus cichlids and they take an age to put on any real growth as well so I am used to it.

Sorry to jump in but how slow is slow! I have 5 Petricola at 1", how long does it take for them to reach 4" which I believe is adult size.

Great pictures!

My 5 are only 1" and have been in the tank around a week, I have only just started to see them out and about at feeding times. No idea how long they will take to become adults but if they end up looking as nice as those I will be more than happy.

Thanks

I thought about increasing the number to five, how much did you pay, mine were £10 each.

Hi, I have just added 3 Synodontis Petricola to my 180 litre Tanganyikan set up also containg 4 Ocellatus a couple of Calvus and a few Cyprichromis Leptosoma. They are only an inch long and have vanished into the Labyrinth of caves, being new to keeping Petricola I have a few questions Is 3 enough ...