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Here's the "middle" individual (by size). Let's call this one "02". It has severe fin damage in all fins but I'd say that it looks worse in the photos because the motion blur cause parts of the fins to "disappear" on photo. Especially the caudal fin. The pelvic fins are almost completely gone.

So we come to the smallest individual, let's call this one "03". This is the one I saw hiding in the plants last night. Almost all soft fin tissue is gone. Again, the photos are very blurry because of the constant swimming. Most of the caudal fin is gone, and although this is very serious damage,it is not as bad irl as it looks in the blurry pics. And the poor little fella can still swim amazingly well.

I've had these three Synodontis nigriventris together in this tank for about one year. They have always been secretive and seldom seen, apart from feeding time. They have not shown any signs of discomfort/illness the times I've seen them and this fin damage thing must have happened within the last weeks I would say.

So what happened? My guess is that the aggression level between them was manageable as long as they and the Corydoras habrosus were the only fish in the tank.
I added 3 Ancistrus claro in September 2019 (two males and one female), and my guess is that it triggered a heightened level of aggression between the synos, perhaps because of competition for hiding places/territory.
Well, that is my guess anyway.
I moved 01 and 02 to the 240 liter tank mentioned earlier. 03 gets to stay and hopefully recuperate. Since I moved the fish earlier today I've kept an eye on them, and 01 & 02 are doing well in the larger tank, exploring their new environment. 03 has found a hiding spot under a piece of driftwood and seems to be doing well.

I am also thinking its "syno on syno" crime lol. They might have sensed breeding of your ancistrus or who knows. I was watching my tanks last night and witnessed a few of mine chasing each other around the tank. Theyre usually not THAT rough with each other...but anything is possible with them lol hope you a speedy recovery for your fish

So ive been watching my tanks and have definitely noticed some strange behaviours. I keep catching two of my newest group of "multis" doing a dance i could only describe as courting or mating. The one...the bigger of the two, will swim around being followed by the other...who will "bite" at the vent area of the larger one. A few times ive seen this reversed, ending in the "male" curving his body around the "female". He kinda shudders for a second and then they take off. Its been going on for days now...and jus the other night i found a cichlid holding eggs. I wasnt able to see the spawning...but i do know my male has been lit up lile a Christmas tree in breeding color. Hoping that this adult group is in fact at reproductive age and that theyre in fact pairing off. I have noticed some hostility between some of the "males" of that group as well.

Most definitely this sounds like a breeding behavior. In my tiny experience, the "shuddering" display is an unmistakable "I am ready to mate" signal.

I keep trying to get some pictures of them...but still kinda skittish around my place. I figure they will take a while to actually get used to the new tank and household. I am a heavy footed walker...and i have two mastiffs that weigh about 100-120 lbs each. But to see them start this behavior less then a month after me buying them is very encouraging for me.

For cross-referencing a related / similar thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=48881&p=322785#p322785

Going to be deep cleaning the tanks tonight. I will have some pics of my newest, but most mature group of "multi's". I have to catch one of them to put him into a hospital tank, as he/she has been on the recieving end of some aggression the last week or two. Looking foward to getting some pics to figure out if theyre indeed multipunctatus or not. Definitely seeing a bunch of what i can only describe as breeding behaviours. Hoping to see some fry sometime in 2020 lol

Hello everyone, hope you guys are safe and healthy during this crazy time we are going thru. I have been deemed "essential worker", and our shop has almost halfed our regular output. I am apprentice autobody and collision damage repairer in Canada...but i am in a truck shop. I fix fleet vehicles for commercial company's. With the increase in need of trucks to keep supply lines open, we are insanely busy. This is one of the reasons i havent been on to update. Anyways.....hope you all are doing well and keeping healthy. On with the fish updates..

Got a 75 gallon tank a week or two ago, and decided to upgrade my display tank. I grabbed a few pics of the "multi's" i have in there, but im in the middle of switching tanks...so the water is gross looking as ive stirred up all the "crap" that was in there. I plan on giving you guys another look at my petricola group as well...cuz theyre definitely getting bigger.

They look nice, quite young (?) . Good luck with the breeding project. Interesting also to hear about your wider circumstances, crazy times indeed.


Jools

Your petricola are of course lucipinnis. I used piles of river rock which they enjoyed swimming in and out of. The more cover they have the braver they are to come out.

Birger

Awesome fish, good luck with your breeding. I am only keeping 1 syno at the moment but he is my favorite fish.
Synodontis Granulosus

Jools wrote: ↑20 Apr 2020, 07:49 They look nice, quite young (?)

Synodontis grandiops

. Good luck with the breeding project. Interesting also to hear about your wider circumstances, crazy times indeed.


Jools

Yes...i do believe they're grandiops as well...jus needed confirmation. From what i undsrstand, the majority of my group is 3-4 years old. All are about 6inch or so.

Birger wrote: ↑27 Apr 2020, 23:38 Your petricola are of course lucipinnis. I used piles of river rock which they enjoyed swimming in and out of. The more cover they have the braver they are to come out.

Birger

Thank you for the confirmation. I definitely dont know as much as you guys do when it comes to these fish....always appreciated my friend.

My camera is cracked on my phone....but i have some good news ladies and gentlemen. WE HAVE CATFISH BABIES!!! synodontis grandiops. From what i can see..4 fry from one female aulonocara baenschi. I knew i was seeing breeding behaviors starting to happen within the group. Im so excited!! I wish i wasnt the only fish nerd in my household lol. Sharing with you guys before i tell my wife lol sorry for crappy pictures

My camera is cracked in the glass...i will try to borrow my wodes tomorrow.

Holy cow! Congratulations! They parasitized the Aulonocara? Are there other species in the tank?

Cheers, Eric

Good luck raising the fry. I hope you fill out a spawning report

Yes. Theres only grandiops in the tank, and the peacocks. I have about 7 lucipinnis in another tank. I watched my dominant male sunshine spawning with one of his females...the syno's kept charging in. I watched the whole thing and didnt even catch the "switch" lol.

@Birger, get a load of this! Synodontis grandiops spawned again!

Cheers, Eric

@Mrsomethingfishy, did you see this recent scientific report on grandiops?

Natural brood hosts for Synodontis multipunctatus and Synodontis grandiops

I don't know that there's anything useful in it for you, but cool to see more attention given the genus in the scientific literature.

Cheers, Eric

bekateen wrote: ↑04 May 2020, 16:22 @Mrsomethingfishy, did you see this recent scientific report on grandiops?

Natural brood hosts for Synodontis multipunctatus and Synodontis grandiops

I don't know that there's anything useful in it for you, but cool to see more attention given the genus in the scientific literature.

Cheers, Eric

Thanks....i will definitely read this.

I lost one of the fry while i was at work..it was the smallest of the 4. I assume one of the others ate it, as im almost positive it couldnt have gone anywhere else lol The other 3 are doing good so far..i swear theyre growing already

Good news- I have not lost anymore of the fry, still have 3 alive and well. They are definitely growing and eating baby brine shrimp and the fry food made by Hikari. Crazy how much faster the catfish fry grow then the aulonocara fry of the host cichlid. I hope that the catfish continue to breed now that they have started...i would love to have a tank full of the fry. Lol. They are basically exact duplicates of the adults, jus tiny lol.

P.S. SORRY FOR THE CRAPPY PICTURES..I CRACKED THE SCREEN OF MY CAMERA.

Well, they did it again!! Lol. Jus stripped another female Sunshine Peacock and found 5 syno eggs...3 days later i have 2 survivors. I do think i will have to cull one, as it looks to have a deformity. The first fry i got are now getting big and eating everything in sight. I will post pics soon as i can.

Holy cow! Congratulations! They parasitized the Aulonocara? Are there other species in the tank?

Cheers, Eric

Eric, I have pulled them from cichlids with cichlid eggs as well, they certainly do parasitize the cichlid eggs, sucking the yolk to a shriveled husk and then go for the fry.I have photos somewhere with the eggs.

@Birger, get a load of this! Synodontis grandiops spawned again!

Of course thats what they are 95% of the time when called multipunctatus.

Birger

Yes my "multipunctatus" are indeed grandiops.

Hey guys...so the this is the best pic i can get right now. The two smaller ones are from my own spawn. The other is a juvenile i purchased before my group started to breed for me. They are still not getting a lot of fry in the cichlid spawns...but i do have some grow outs that will be getting to spawning age soon. Hoping to switch up the hosts to a younger group of cichlids, which may be a bit more naive and equal more synodontis eggs. The last two pics are of my most recent stripping of female cichlid..there was 2, but one seems to have escaped the first night.

Hello everyone....hope all are well. Jus found another 3 synodontis fry in another female. I was almost ready to give up on hoping to find catfish fry recently..as ive had about 3 batches of cichlid eggs without any. I am thinking that the "host" cichlids are starting to catch on to the "switcheroo" hahaha. This trio came from a younger female. Actually her first spawn. I have been having success with my Albino Bristlenose recently tho...the male is guarding some wigglers right now. The breeding aspect brings so much more into this hobby. Hope everyone is doing well

Mrsomethingfishy wrote: ↑14 Sep 2020, 00:26Hello everyone....hope all are well. Jus found another 3 synodontis fry in another female. I was almost ready to give up on hoping to find catfish fry recently..as ive had about 3 batches of cichlid eggs without any.

Congratulations! Glad you didn't give up. Keep going and keep sharing.

Thanks, Eric