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I am finally the proud owner of 15 inch-long petricola fry (I have also finally dove into a Lake Tang tank outside of my shellies, a first for my catfish ventures), but I am somewhat perturbed by the fact that they look like tiny tiny multipunctatus catfish. Do the two species look similar as fry, or did I just purchase some hybrids?

Thay are somewhat similiar, but at 1", the petricolas should exhibit the white leading edge on the dorsal.

You will be able to tell by growth rates. The multis will be an inch in about a week or so. the Petricolas will take 2 months.

They are definitely petricolas then! Little fat guys they are though. I know breeding is far ahead in their future, but what would the best cichlid be to spawn these cats? Would ones similar to multipunctatus hosts work?

the petricolas wont need a cichlid host. they are just egg scatterers.

Your "petricolas" are more likely to be

Dave Rinaldo wrote:Your "petricolas" are more likely to be

Synodontis lucipinnis

Darn, looks like you are right!

Are pretty much all lucinipinnis being sold as petricolas, since they look so similar?

Yes, particularly the ones called "Petricola Dwarf" - since that's the name they were sold under (and probably stil are being sold under) until they were scientifically described at the end of last year (description was pulished in December 2006 I think).

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Mats

OK, I have been living under a rock - or at least haven't visited this forum recently. Does that mean pretty much all the so called 'petricola' in the hobby are actually lucipinnis, and to have a true petricola would be quite unusual?

fmueller wrote:OK, I have been living under a rock - or at least haven't visited this forum recently. Does that mean pretty much all the so called 'petricola' in the hobby are actually lucipinnis, and to have a true petricola would be quite unusual?

I think both S. petricola and S. lucipinnis have been sold - but the "petricola dwarf" (i.e. S. lucipinnis) is probably a bit more frequent in the trade, and thus more likely the one available as "petricola" in your local fish shop.

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Mats

Here in the uk most 'petricola' are lucipinnis in the retailers. The revision name change has not filtered down much yet so petricola is being used as a catch all name for both (& a number of hybrids). True petricola are about but much more unusual.

Figure 12-18 months before they'll grow large enough to spawn. I learned the hard way to keep the tank well-covered if you use hob filters. They like to swim up the outflow, and are liable to miss the tank on the return trip. Finally finding one dried out on the cover glass solved the mystery of the vanishing catfish for me.