S. lucipinnis with small tetras?

[fireweed]

I somehow ended up with two small lucipinnis in my 75g schooling tetra tank. I purchased them as babies 3-4 months ago and planned to move them into their own tank once set up.

They are now about 2.5", and pretty happy in this tank. Feeding on pellets, algae disks frozen brine and flakes.

Will they begin eating the neons and ember tetras at some point? I had completely assumed they would but so far they show no interest, even in the dark, nothing missing. I'd love to leave them in if feasible. I had a few neons die and they were not even scavenged.
They sure look like they will eat little fish!

Thanks!

[catfishchaos]

They definitely will once large enough, sounds like you'll have to move them.

If you want a larger non predatory cat look into plecos or members of the cory family like

Megalechis thoracata

[Birger]

Actually I would say they will not chase and eat them.

For awhile I was letting mbuna females drop their young directly into a raising tank that had adult S.lucipinnis in it, the catfish did not touch the new young so I would doubt they will eat your tetras.

That is my experience but I would do it again, not so sure I would do that with my true petricola though.

Birger

[Richard B]

In my experience Lucipinnis are not piscivourous at all. Small tetras have been fine & even baby guppys as far as I can tell as there're so many of them!

This is more of a grazer than an opportunistic predator

[Richard B]

PS - my comments do refer solely to Lucipinnis as other members of this genus will actively eat small fish - granulosus being a prime example

[pleconut]

I have heard that fish raised with other fish tend not to eat tankmates, I raised two synodontis eupterus from two inch youngsters they caused more trouble for their tankmates at this size, nipping the other fish. This behaviour stopped. At 6 inches when i realised they actually weren't synodontis nigriventris, i removed them to another tank, when at 8/9 inches i wouldn't trust them to go in with any small tetras.

[Birger]

Synodontis as a genus tend to be mostly grazers with the occasional lake species being more predatory...that said they are also opportunistic and as most any fish if you put it in front of the fish and it will fit in its mouth, they could very well eat it.

[Syno1984]

You'll be fine, I have kept lucipinnis in fry tanks at time when I've had extras that didn't have a permanent home at the time and never have an issue with them eating the small fry. They don't act like some of the larger and more predatory synos.