Ongoing Synodontis Thread

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Hey guys and gals...jus wanted to start a thread to keep track of my purchases and identification of the various Syno's ive been finding and buying. Hoping to get a few of you guys in here and involved (dont be scared to post some pics or any relevant information/links) and hopefully grow this into something nice to reflect on my progress as a fishkeeper and also try to get some information out onto the web for others to see and appreciate. This is a great site for info and ive definitely used this site,to i.d. fish and also to learn info on keeping those fish, waaay before i actually registered and was always curious as to why there wasnt very many synodontis related stories and pictures. We have a great opportunity as fishkeepers to contribute to our collective knowledge of these species we keep and we should definitely exploit that opportunity and share our stories about breeding, caring, and observing the great personalities that some of these fish display while in our tanks. Join me as we dig a bit deeper into the fun and exciting rollercoaster ride it is to keep these amazing species.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

So...allow me to introduce myself..my name is Justin. Im a fish nerd, or fishaholic as my friends have called me. I am currently just getting back into the hobby after having to sell off my fish and tanks while i was moving and downsizing space. I was well into my 3rd year of fishkeeping when i was forced to vacate the residence i was in and absolutely fell in love with the Synodontis catfish i was able to see and own from my LFS here in Canada. I had two groups (6+ each) synodontis multipunctatus, and synodontis petricola, as well as two synodontis angelicus (never had issues with aggression) as well as a few "multipunctatus" that were in fsct hybrids. I was immediately infatuated with the whole "cuckoo" breeding behaviours that i read about and was determined to see it in my own tanks. Needless to say, i was unable to witness it my first time in the hobby because i had juvenile fish and they were not able to live their days out in my tanks. This time around i am in a more stable stage of my life (crazy how much things change in five years..myself included) and am yet again determined to see these beautiful multis breed inside my tanks.

i am also keeping several "true petricola" as well...more pics and more everything to come

[Birger]

you have some Synodontis grandiops there....I am in my 50th year of fish keeping.

[jodilynn]

Hi! Unfortunately I lost all my "My Cats" info because I did not update it (my grandmother became ill and passed away and I basically lost all my records here on PC )
My list is as follows:
S eupterus
S Hybrid No. 1
S decorus
S pleurops
S alberti
S brichardi
S schoutedeni
S ocellifer
S notatus
S nigriventris

[Viktor Jarikov]

I used to keep about 15 different syno species and some of them in multiple specimen, e.g., viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30939&hilit=120+gal ...

Nowadays I got 3 eupterus, 2 hybrid #1, and 3 decorus, all adults, 5-10 years old: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/foru ... al.682549/

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Thanks for the replies already. And also...thanks for the correction @Birger. I was jus about to say that i am definitely here to learn as much as i can and welcome corrections lol. I am jus celebrating my birthday and will work on getting some pictures tomorrow of everyone. I hope to get some more I.D.'ing from everyone. Im in no way pretending or trying to sound like an expert...jus another Catfish guy lol.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

I am half expecting my "multi's" to be all grandiops. From what i've learned from the site, im expecting one hybrid as well..and what ive been told farm wete raised grandiops. I am really interested in seeing what the "true petricola" end up being as well lol.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

I used to keep about 15 different syno species and some of them in multiple specimen, e.g., viewtopic.php? f=2&t=30939&hilit=120+gal ...

Nowadays I got 3 eupterus, 2 hybrid #1, and 3 decorus, all adults, 5-10 years old: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/foru ... al.682549/

Wow. Lol i thought i was catfish crazy haha. I actually read that thread already. Ive browsed quite a bit of info on this site and wherever else i can. Truly monster fish in the video i jus watched of yours

[Mrsomethingfishy]

you have some Synodontis grandiops there....I am in my 50th year of fish keeping.

I appreciate and value your confirmation. Ive ready quite a few of fine bits of information you have posted and appreciate your response. Please check back as i get some more pictures posted, as well as fill my house with more fish!! Haha. I am actually making space in the house for another tank as i have been talking to a lady who wants to get rid of some adult "multi" and i dont want to mix species if im trying to breed. I am happy with any catfish as long as i know their parents. Thanks again.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

To try to keep it neat...heres another picture of the same syno as the first pictures. This one i had bought with another "multi", as they were sold to that person. I can try to get some more pictures so that we can see it close up..but has been identified as a grandiops.

I will try to get pics of the other one from this purchase..so maybe i can seperate them into "purchases" unitl i find another way to keep them semi-organized lol i bought the "pair" for $50 cdn and got two nice chunks of driftwood for another $20. I feel as tho i got a good deal on that as theyre about 2.5 year old...from original purchase i mean. They were probably 1" or so when bought...now theyre a solid 3"

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Hey guys and gals..and future readers lol. Been busy with work...but went to the LFS after stopping at bank today. (Yaaay payday...im already broke) I went to grab a heater for a new quarantine\fry\time-out set-up ive desperately needed. I grabbed a Fluval Flex 15 gallon for the simple ease of set up and not having to piece anything together. Ive also seen these converted into small saltwater set-up, so i figured it'd be good in the long run. As stated before, jus getting back into the hobby, so im getting essentials first...then upgrading over time. Anyways, came across these little dudes.

I was interested to see what the experts\everyone thinks of their true species as ive seen many mislabelled fish at this particular location. Labelled as "synodontis decorus" I also grabbed some ghost shrimp to throw into the tank for a quick clean up and\or snack for my fish. Lol. Found this HUGE one in the bag and had to snal a pic for you all to see

Definitely the biggest ive seen!! (haha thats what she said....but not to me sadly)

[Viktor Jarikov]

Looks like a hybrid of type #5 to my eye.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

I was thinking the same actually...i definitely dont agree that theyre legit. This store actually has some tiny "petricola" that look more like hybrids as well. And this is where my girlfriend picked up a "synodontis piedratus"....which isnt even a real name lol.

[bekateen]

That's there tragedy of synos. More than loricariids, corys and most other catfish we keep in tanks, there are so many hybrids out there. Ugh!

Cheers, Eric

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Oh i know. I have had bad luck in the past(and hopefully not the present) with that as well. All too many times the LFS has fish mislabeled and give out false info as far as care and max size are concerned.
P.s......Guys, i did a thing today...

Group of 8 mature "Synodontis Multipunctatus". I am going to be making some moves and getting these bad boys put into their new home. I will also make sure i get them into a small photo tank on their way in. Hoping that theyre all "as advertised" and pure specimens. I am shocked at their size, easily 4 to 4.5 inch

[Mrsomethingfishy]

I had some issues with the whole pictures while transferring them into the tank. Felt like i was causing stress and the picture i got wasnt good at all

[ad88]

I currently have only a juvenile Angelicus

[Mrsomethingfishy]

I currently have only a juvenile Angelicus

Beautiful fish. Thanks for popping in and dropping some pics.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Tried to get a few pics of the "petricola" i got a few weeks back. These guys are in my newly established QT tank...even tho i am sure theyre fine. I had to make some moves i usually wouldnt...i was forced to introduce the group of 8 "multi's" straight into my tank. i was not comfortable sticking so many large fish into a small aquarium (15 gallon fluval flex). I am comfortable that they were in a nice environment and were taken care of in their past home. I am also willing to take the measures needed in case this backfires on me. Ive been monitoring water parameters...all of which are good at the moment. Im keeping a close eye on ammonia levels especially.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Tried to crop the pics to get a better look.

[Jools]

Great to see an S. angelicus again, I love that species.

Jools

[ad88]

Great to see an S. angelicus again, I love that species.

Jools

I found it here in Oklahoma in a small local fish store. They usually have adults that people have traded in, but I luckily got this one at around 2 inches the photo is when I first got it it's around 4 inches now. I paid $100 for it which I assumed was a good price.

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Ive had them in the past and i was amazed at how majestic and beautiful they were in the tank. Reminded me of the whale sharks in the ocean

[ad88]

Ive had them in the past and i was amazed at how majestic and beautiful they were in the tank. Reminded me of the whale sharks in the ocean

Mine for the first time swam to the top of the tank to get pellets when I came to feed! It normally just swims over the gravel where I am feeding so it surprised me to see him doing that for the first time.He or she is also very pretty almost velvety looking.

[Jools]

Fish prices are a funny thing. In the late 1980s, I first saw this fish at £200 or, then, US$400 - in today's money that's going to be north of $400 not including the above-inflation rise in transport costs. I've seen them cheapest maybe 10-15 years ago, at about $40. They're cheaper here in the UK as they tend to be imported a shorter distance. In your LFS in Oklahoma, they've surely travelled further and possibly passed through a couple more layers of commercial transactions/margin.

All that said, in your shoes, I'd pay $100 bucks for it!

Jools

[Mrsomethingfishy]

Couple pics of a few synos in the tank. Theres 3 different purchases in these two pics.

This first one is of a juvenile i got labelled as multipunctatus. I am thinking it may be a grandiops tho. Still beautiful fish.

this second one is actually two pick ups. The one on the right, with lighter coloration is one that @birger has said is a grandiops. The one on the left, darker and larger one...he's from my recent pick up. I bought 8X "multipunctatus" from a local hobbyist that was downsizing. They all look alike and are definitely starting to get comfortable in the new set-up and in my house. So hard to get decent pics of these guys unless im able to sneak up on the tank lol

[TalenT]

I have three S.nigriventris in a 50 liter tank. The tank is doing very well, heavily planted. Plants are growing like crazy. Lots of hardscape/hiding places. Weekly 50% water changes, good filtration. Plenty of variation in food. I've been/worked in the hobby for close to 40 years.

The three S.nigriventris share the tank with 2 Corydoras habrosus, 3 Ancistrus claro and 3 amano shrimp.

The Synodontis cats have been very secretive, I rarely see them even at feeding. Once a week I might catch a glimpse of one of them, if I'm lucky.
Just a few minutes ago, I took a look at the tank and I see one of the Synodontis among the plants. Upon looking closer I see that ALL the soft fin tissue is missing.
Anal and pelvic fins - COMPLETELY gone!
Pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins - only, and i mean ONLY the hard (leading) rays remain!
What in the world?

I took a flashlight and started looking for the other two Synodontis nigriventris. I find one hiding under a piece of driftwood, perfectly fine.
The other one I can barely see, but it seems to also have a damaged caudal fin.
The only time I've ever seen anything like this has been Ancistrus that had been sharing tank with Mbuna Malawi cichlids and gotten stripped of all their fins.

This is my first time keeping this species and from what I've read they are not aggressive towards each other. What is this then? Any ideas?
The Corydoras, Ancistrus and shrimp are doing perfectly fine and as I said it is a very well-maintained tank.

[Viktor Jarikov]

The only thing I can think of is the syno-on-syno aggression, perhaps the two males are damaged and the female is fine, albeit it'd be the first time I hear of it among the nigriventris, or alternatively a fin rot.

[TalenT]

It is 3AM here, so I will look further into this and take action tomorrow.
I have the option to move fish to a much larger tank (240 liter). Any suggestions on which of the trio I should move? All of them, some of them, only the most badly damaged?
The 240 liter tank is a peaceful community tank with tetras, Loricariids and Doradids.

[TalenT]

Update:
First thing today I started preparing for moving the Synos. As I caught them I placed them one by one in a clear container to be able to document the fin damage. It was very hard to get any good photos at all because the catfish constant swimming.

Here is the largest individual let's call this one "01". Even this one has some damage, particularly on the pelvic fins. It also shows a distinct, pointy genital papilla (marked with green).