PlanetCatfish.com

Hi all, just registered. I just had a holding yellow lab spit out synodontis multipunctatus fry over the weekend and came here to learn more about the species so I can take good care of them and also to appreciate another aspect of this hobby.

Cheers,
Joe

Welcome to PC.

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Mats

with opening statements like that you wont make many friends Seriously though, congrats on the multipuncs I for one am very jealous. How big are the fry and how well developed are they. Is the labi continuing to brood them or have you collected the fry up and lastly.... how many?

Congrats on the fry and welcome to Planet Catfish!
Amanda

Uh-oh, hehe. I went to strip the yellow lab from my 125gallon expecting yellow lab fry and got a heck of a surprise with the multies. I had read about their cuckoo behavior but that it was rare. I bought three adult multies six months ago from a quality LFS and was told that they were wild-caught (not sure if true). At least I now know that they're not all female or all male.

The yellow lab is pretty young and is only 1.75 inches long. She had eight multi fry in her mouth but it was hard to get them out since her mouth is still pretty small. The fry were 5/16" long

I hastily set up a 10gallon with a cycled filter for them. pH=8.2, temp at 79F -- same as the 125 they came out of. One died within 6 hours and two days later another died from what looks like abuse from the other fry.

The remaining six are doing well and have already grown another 1/8" to approach 1/2" in TL. They're getting more active and eating well, I'm afraid almost too well since they look like fat-stomached little balls with fins after feeding.

I'm determined to keep these six alive and healthy

The "fat stomachs" that you see may just bee the leftover yolk from the egg sack (I think) If so, they will feed offof that for a few days.

The fry are definitely not still living off their yolk sac. The yolk is gone within 24 hours of hatching ( 3-4 days post-spawning )and so those bad boys are merely demonstrating their enormous appetite. [/b]

I have to agree, young syno have to shapes, round and hungry. But as I am still jealous of the spawning I am gonna shut up

So far, so good. Thanks for all of the replies and info; knowledge is life in this situation.

Fed some BBS to get them moving and took an amatuer pic. Also included a pic of my largest adult (female?) in the main tank.

Cheers