A plea for an identity (4 pics of dubious quality)

heresyoftruth · Post by **heresyoftruth** » 02 Apr 2004, 04:54

I inherited my in laws 50 gallon tank, and I know what all the rest of the fish are but this one velvety black big eyed fish. They suspect it is a catfish of some sort, and picked it up from a free tank at our local fish store. He is about 6 inches long, and spends most of his time trying to get under everything in the tank including the other fish. I want to make a more comfortable home for him, but don't know what he is or what he needs.

I apologize for the horrible pictures, he and the pleco wouldn't cooperate very much.

(Ignore Goliath's head in the picture.)

Any help in sending me in the right direction would be very much appreciated.

Mika · Post by **Mika** » 02 Apr 2004, 05:54

Some sort of chrysicthys or synodontis sp is my guess.

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 02 Apr 2004, 14:22

I think possibly

Post by **Silurus** » 02 Apr 2004, 14:53

Or

blackmystus · Post by **blackmystus** » 02 Apr 2004, 15:11

hi, i believe it to be a brachysynodontis sp, or synodontis schall. nice fish. these fish like to hide under slate and crevices in rocks. you always see synos in LFH's without any proper colour to them and they look stressed because they have nowhere to hide. my synos like to hide under my 12" gibbiceps! Ensure a good current and plenty of spaces to hide. i ususally count the number of fish that hide away and give them at least two or three extra spaces to hide under. Dave@ BMFH, carlisle.

heresyoftruth · Post by **heresyoftruth** » 02 Apr 2004, 17:05

Thank you all. I looked at all the write ups, and am happy to say that the pics of the Synodontis schall look exactly like him. Thanks also for the advice on helping me make him happy. I am sooo happy to know what he is, and how to give him a good home!

Thanks again.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 02 Apr 2004, 20:48

be sure you have a roomy tank and sturdy tankmates....

if it is a Synodontis schall, your shy, little cat will quickly turn into a very imposing, impressive looking catfish......with the manners of Conan the Barbarian, unfortunately.

make PLENTY roomy hiding places, don't cram that tank with fragile little catfish!

heresyoftruth · Post by **heresyoftruth** » 03 Apr 2004, 03:03

His tank mates currently are two large pleco's and a jack dempsy. Do schall's do well with smaller fish? We were thinking of moving the jack out, and getting a fleet of smaller bright fish like tetra's so it would be a bunch of little fish, and the big pleco's would be reminiscent of the movie Clash of the Titan's. (Okay, way geeky, I know. . .)

Post by **Dinyar** » 03 Apr 2004, 06:07

Definitely Brachysnodontis batensoda.

Dinyar

blackmystus · Post by **blackmystus** » 03 Apr 2004, 14:55

if it is going to be the only syno in there, then it is likely that it will just hide away all day until you either feed or lights out. as for the jacks and the syno - no probs. the schall isn't at all that aggressive. the jack will be what, about an inch to two inch by now? compatable until the cichs reach adult stage and get picky for space. but then by that time they will have got used to each other. there are even synos on rift systems up here! they will adapt to a different water parameters easily and onced maintained at a stable level, will be quite happy. there is an aquatics here that has synodontis multipunctatus in a rift show tank with massive cichlids. they have since bred.
if i were you, stick to the cichlids with the catfish. have the tetras in something else or put a divide in.

anyway, good luck with the tanks,

Dave@
BMFH, Carlisle.

A plea for an identity (4 pics of dubious quality)

A plea for an identity (4 pics of dubious quality)

syno sp.

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