What gets sold as lace cats?

Post by **Silurus** » 21 Mar 2003, 03:11

My turn to ask a question...
Just wondering what other species besides S. nigrita gets sold as lace cats. I have seen a Synodontis with a rosette pattern (sort of like a jaguar's) instead of spots being sold as lace cats. The fish labeled as S. cf. macrostigma in the Aqualog Photo Atlas is very similar to what I have seen. Checking Poll's revision indicates that S. macrostigma is a close match, but Skelton's book (A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa) shows a completely different fish.
Anyone ever kept one of these rosette-patterned lace cats? Do the rosettes turn into spots as the fish grow?

Ben · Post by **Ben** » 21 Mar 2003, 03:27

My "Mystery Synodontis" was sold as Lace Catfish.

http://eheim-uk.com/planetcatfish/galle ... ry/album20

I still don't know what he is, but he's not a lace cat....

Post by **Dinyar** » 21 Mar 2003, 05:35

I've seen juvenile S. schall (actually bought it) and what I thought were possibly S. budgetti and S. haugi sold as "lace cats". "Lace cat" used to be a catch-all category for all dark, more or less monochrome Synos. Nowadays, since colorful Synos have become more fashionable, I don't see the term "lace cat" used as much. Or it could just be that Ace Aquarium, a Korean-owned store in Flushing that used to sell lots of oddball Syno bycatch as "lace cats", closed down a few years ago.

Dinyar

Zack · Post by **Zack** » 21 Mar 2003, 07:37

My eupterus was sold as lace cat.

ggdhazel · Post by **ggdhazel** » 21 Mar 2003, 09:27

Yeah I'd have to agree with S. eupterus. That's the one I see most commonly sold as a "lace cat".

oneoddfish · Post by **oneoddfish** » 21 Mar 2003, 12:15

Heok Hee,
I've kept lace with the rossette-pattern. Mine did change to spot's..I have also recieved boxes of Eupterus as lace cat's

Chrysichthys · Post by **Chrysichthys** » 26 Mar 2003, 13:55

I once had a syno (sold simply as an upside-down, but not a nigriventris) with a striking rosette pattern on a white background, like a paisley shirt. It disappeared as the fish grew darker and darker until it was chocolate brown with vague black spots.

Lace catfish refers to nigrita here. Eupterus is referred to as the feather-fin.

What they sell as Synodontis velifer here mutates into S. eupterus as it grows.

James · Post by **James** » 01 Apr 2003, 04:08

Up here they sell eupterus, greshoffi, and tourei as lace cats. Possibly more are sold as them.
Ben, I'd guess that you syno is a S rebeli.