featherfin

[fronto]

hi,iv purchased my first ever catfish today and just wondered if any one can give me some advice on feeding and making sure he gets the best treatment possible.hes a featherfin cat about 5inch long.ive got to say hes the most most amusing fish iv ever seen.i say he but maybe its a she.wots the easiest way to identify the sex.

[Silurus]

Check in the Cat-eLog under

Synodontis eupterus

.

[Chrysichthys]

I think S. eupterus are one of the most under-rated catfish; they look great, aren't fussy eaters, and adapt so well to aquarium life. And yes, their antics are amusing.

[andywoolloo]

Yes, I agree, eupterus are great. I enjoy mine.

[Carp37]

Unlike Andy I've only got the one, but she's a real character. She caused me grief initially because it took a fortnight to get her feeding, then she virtually disappeared for months, but now she's always about as she's learned to eat cichlid pellets off the surface. Her only problem is that she's much better at swallowing food than my hoplos and Callichthys, so even if she comes on food after them she's much more efficient at eating the food, and she looks like a football most of the time as a result...

[andywoolloo]

lol ..yes they do love their food! the older mine get the more I see them. They are so very graceful even as big as they are. They look so soft I would love to feel them. Espiecially when they swim slowly upside down and their beautiful charcoal bellies are exposed.

wondered if any one can give me some advice on feeding

I feed mine once a day after lights out and fast them one day a week. I just rotate thru all the dry food and 3 xs a week they get frozen food. They love pretty much everything but their favourites are:

sinking dry food:

shrimp pellets
carnivore pellets
cichlid pellets
tetra tabimen
HBH super soft krill and spirulina
earthworm sticks

defrosted Hikari bloodoworms, shrimp, krill, spirulina shrimp, daphnia, tubifex

and recently they enjoy some zuchinni or cucumber, so I tried the sinking veggie rounds and they ate those also. altho the def preference is for meat. oh and they love mussels, steamed and then chopped up, and the real fresh shrimp from the butcher chopped. But that is pretty messy in the tank.

Also they like to camp out during the day under driftwood and in caves and pipes. and they like a lot of those, they want way more then there are of them to be in the tank.

[bob]

Howdy!
I have a featherfin also, a male. He's about ten years old and eats from my hand. He's not above giving me a nip if the food isn't there either! He is soft to the touch, and has never drawn blood (unlike the male convict I have).
If I just add floating pellets he swims upside down to eat them. I've also seen him grabbing food particles the Vieja synspilus eject from the gills. The catfish hangs around her almost like a Remora on a shark.
Bob - Philadelphia, Pa USA

[Ciana]

The Feather Fin Catfish is a fish for long time aquarists. It is a fun fish to have, but difficult to care for. It gets its name from the wonderful dorsal fin, which rays out, much like a fan. The Feather Fin Catfish can require a lot f work to maintain. Feather Fin Catfish, also known as Cat Synodontis Eupterus, Featherfin Synodontis, and Featherfin Squeaker, in general, will not like to share a tank with other fish. They have been known to be very territorial, especially when breeding. Feather Fin Catfish get large, so keep them in large tanks. Also, they like lots of rocks and caves to hide in, as well as moderate plant decoration. Feather Fin Catfish like live plants, and will not bother them. At maturity, the Feather Fin Catfish will grow to a size from five to eight inches. Also, these fish have long life spans. Young Feather Fin Catfish will have a brown marble with black stripes pattern, while adults will develop into a dull gray color with brown spots.
-------------------
Ciana


Guaranteed ROI

[sidguppy]

It is a fun fish to have, but difficult to care for.

you're pulling my leg, right??

Synodontis eupterus is in the WMD-proof catfish league! you can literally sandblast it, feed it goldyfish-food for 5 years, rent it out to a biker gang for abuse, pimp it with a turbo, pshift the gears up to 7000rpm and
it
just
won't
go
bust

OK, just wee bit exaggerating
but
geez
this is perhaps THE most easy to keep catfish after Clarias gariepinus and Pterygoplichthys pardalis.

[seds]

I saw one of them at the LFS when I was looking to increase my stock of Upside down cats. Would it bully them? The featherfin was so cute and fairly big at around 5 inches. I have a 72 gallon tank... (4 tinfoil + 3 s.nigriventris) that should be large enough... but I don't want to overstock (or hijack the thread)

If it won't get along with them, then NVM. They are really beautiful animals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Birger]

when I was looking to increase my stock of Upside down cats. Would it bully them?

To keep it simple and not hijack this thread...it would most likely bully them

[flowaz]

My (5") featherfin doesnt bother my little (1.5) S. lucipinnis at all. I mean he really didnt like them at first but never hurt them, now he pals around with them like old buddies! You could try it, just be ready to remove him.