PlanetCatfish.com

Well, I'm setting up my African Cichlids in a 55 gal tank and before I was going to house them w/ pictus cats.

Then I was told synos... I thought they were ugly until I finally saw one in person.

The one I saw was by himself, I thought they were schooling, wouldn't be the first time the LFS was wrong... Bad thing is, wouldn't be the first time I was wrong either...

So I come to you all and ask... Are they schooling?

That depends really. Which species are you thinking of?

the more common species from both Lake Tanganyika and the single species from Lake malawi are indeed schooling fish.

Most seen in the hobby are are: Synodontis multipunctatus , Synodontis lucipinnis (aka Synodontis 'petricola Dwarf') and the Zambian species known as Synodontis sp 'polli White'.

the last two are usually just sold as true petricola and true polli, but those 2 species are actually hard to get.

if I read "African cichlids", can I assume they are Mbuna?

cause the best choices for a Mbuna tank are the lucipinnis or the polli white. this has to do with size (small), shoaling behaviour (true shoalers, do fine in groups of 5 and more) and especially diet.

the multipunctatus really likes frozen food as well, next to flake; the lucipinnis and polli white do just fine on a veggie-based Mbuna-food diet.

So are these suggestions the same as Synodontis Njasse?

Or is that a completly different species? Because that is what I was leaning toward... Would he be an okay fit? and if so, how many are accecptable school for a 55gal?

Yup. Lake Malawi was previously named Lake Njassa, hence the name .
There are many threads on this forum about fake and/or hybrid njassae, so be very careful to get the right one and not some Czech-made lookalike.

So, say a school of 5 and these guys would be out active and about, and not all shy hiding like the single one I saw at the LFS?

Would 5 be to many or not enough in a 55gal along w/ a bristlenose(maybe 2, but right now its just 1) and Malawi cichlids?

Are there reputable breeders around this site who are located in the US? Recommendations?

Thanks guys
-Jake

Synodontis njassae isn't among my recommendations.

check the links, jake!
all the syno's in my reply are links that's why the names are purple....

they are all Tanganyika Syno's.
the water from both Lake Malawi and Lake tanganyika is very much alike.

the reasons why I specifically did NOT recommend Synodontis njasae:
-this fish gets too big for a 55! it's a shoaling fish that maxes out at 7-8" and it's a highly active swimmer. for, say, 6 fishes with an adult size near 8" and active behaviour you really need a bigger tank.

-S njassae is not really compatible with Mbuna. like the multipunctatus from Tanganyika it needs a much more omnivore diet, even more so. this species simply does not do on a green based diet at all.
add to that the nature of this fish: it's a shy, graceful and very peaceful Synodontis. lumping it in any tank with the agressive boisterous Mbuna is a no go.
the S njassae belongs in a big roomy tank with large open caves, sandy open spaces and mild mannered larger Malawisns; the "haps" (Nimbochromis, Dimidiochromis, Bucchochromis etc), the sandchewers and smaller piscivores (Placidochromis, Lethrinops, Otopharynx, Sciaenochromis etc) or the Peacocks (Aulonocara).
it will definitely NOT be happy with pseudotropheus, Metriaclima, Labeotropheus etcetera.

-lastly: if you can get your hands on REAL S njassae, you might count yourself very very lucky!
and I say it again: I do NOT recommend this species for the tanksize and companions you'll likely have in mind.
unfortunately 99% of all "njassae" in the trade aren't njassae at all but those damnable hybrids, made in Czechia.
be warned about buying or ordering any njassae without having seen clear pics and those pics determined here on this forum.

SG

Thanks Sidguppy.

I do believe I will stay away from Njasse after reading all that.

Anyone in particular you could recommend as a breeder?

Imo S. lucipinnis would do nicely in your tank: doesn't grow large, visible and compatible.

I second that one too.

for obvious reasons the Tanganyikan Syno's are even better at coping with nasty cichlids than the Malawian species.

wich isn't really surprising, given the age of the lake (12-20 million years as compared to Malawi's 3-8 ) and the fact that several species evolved in the rocky habitat wich is crammed full of fairly nasty critters (Tropheus, Neolamprologus etc). lucipinnis is a good choice.

thanks guys.

But where would I be able to find a school of these guys? Not usually sold at Petsmart, Petco, or any LFS in my area that I know.

Perhaps you could PM Barbie. She's a moderator on PC and usually knows a lot.