too cute!

[andywoolloo]

this is too adorable!!



Jools: ModEdit: Changed to use youtube tags.

[Richard B]

That's a very bold (or relaxed) little Lucipinnis (not petricola)!

[andywoolloo]

wow, how do you do that? they look so similar? Amazing.

[Richard B]

Some individuals are a bit more difficult to identify but mostly its fairly straightforward.

Having 9 lucipinnis & 2 petricola together in my display tank (along with all my other tanganyikn synos) shows the differences & it becomes second nature. Over time there are little things that become apparent - swimming motion even .

That said Lucipinnis are far more common than petricloa. Lucipinnis are still sold as petricola in the trade & for years were known as petricola "dwarf" before being finally described scientifically in December 06.

I've kept synos for years & you get to see most things - species, variants etc. - then again i can't tell pl*cs or cories apart at all - each to their own

[jollysue]

Great video!

Thanks Richard B. They looked like S. lucipinnus to me too. I think that the lucipinnus and pets look very different actually--so far in my limited experience.

[Richard B]

Agreed jollysue, most times it is not difficult to tell petricola & lucipinnis apart, but as with lots of fish, there are variations due to location etc & occasionally you might see one that is a bit trickier to say 100% which one it is.

[jollysue]

I really have no doubt of that--ids are not a specialty of mine. I am really at a loss very often from pics--notoriously deficient. The ones in the video just look so like my little guys and not at all like my bigger guys. So far the lucipinnus also seem to have a different/more playful personality than my other Synos (multi, pets and unknown--assumed hybrid from the lps.) My lucipinnus play all the time.

[andywoolloo]

lucipinnus... very cool. Are they hard to find? I have never seen them anywhere. They are adorable.

[jollysue]

I got mine tank bred--very good quality and healthy--from aquariaman in Hawaii. I ordered them through a bid on AquaBid. I highly recommend aquariaman.

Where are you in CA, andywoolloo?

[andywoolloo]

funny u ask that, I am very close to Fresno. I'll keep that in mind re aquariaman.

[jollysue]

Yeah? In the San Juaquin Valley?

aquariaman/Darryl Tsutsui is on the top of my list as a fair and honest supplier of nice fish. Last I knew he was aquariaman@att.net

[andywoolloo]

I sent u a message.

[jollysue]

I believe Joe at http://www.californiacichlids.com/ is also working with the dwarf pets.

[pintius]

Tank bred Petricola

[jollysue]

????? is some of the post missing or something?

My C. lucipinnus are tank bred by a breeder in Hawaii. Petrocola and lucipinnus are not the same species. I do have wild caught pets.

[pintius]

The synodontis in the vid is a Petricola

[jollysue]

Really? I was pretty sure they are "dwarf petrocola" which are actually C. lucipinnus.

[pintius]

Getting conflicting info on differentiating these two species. Got to admit the evidence is pointing towards Licipinnis -

[jollysue]

I have both. They are often referred to as dwarf petrocola, but in reality they are a different species. And a darlin' little cat they are.

It took me quite some time and investigation to figure it out. I bought mine advertised as "dwarf petrocola." But eventually found out their correct ID.

[andywoolloo]

I just can't believe how cute they are! If I ever have time for another tank and can find or install extra electrical outlets they will be my next catfish.

oh and Jools, i didn't know about the youtube tabs, I will do that next time, thanks. And JS thank you for the info on the two breeders or importers.

[Richard B]

The fish in the vid at the start of this thread is lucipinnis - formerly known in catfish circles as "dwarf petricola", described by science in Dec '06 - it is still commonly sold in the trade as petricola.
Syno petricola is a larger, more scarce & expensive fish.