Syno. eupterus - my experience's
Posted: 17 Oct 2007, 11:42
Hello Everyone......
Ive always been a huge catfish fan from day 1.
Every single one of them.
Syno. bugatti was my first eye opening encounter by coincidence more than choice, it came with a tank purchase.... but not till years later I really got into them... and again now in the past 6-7yrs.
Syno. eupterus has been avail here in Aust for a while now but is not on the legal import list.
I got thesehttp://www.plecofanatics.com/gallery/fi ... erfins.jpg little fella's prolly 5-6yrs ago. The largest male is closer to 13inch's apposed to the claimed 9-10inch max size. (not in pic, sorry).
These fish are an amazing schoal of 14 fish, 5M + 9F.
Like most of their family they are non parental egg scatterers.
My observations have found that the female (when ripe) chooses a male, who then quickly takes control of the whole schoal even if he is not the Alfa male during non-breeding.
The 1st time I noticed 2 fish hanging at one end with the male chasing everything away... huge tinfoil barbs included.
(In hindsight & over time experience)...On average the courtship may have lasted 3-4 days before...... One night I was awoken @3.30am by the nightmareish sounds of crashing glass.. "An intruder" was my 1st thought... then 30 secs later when consciousness was closer it happened again and I knew it was fish tank lids being rattled. My 1st spawn of Syno. eupterus was being devoured before my eyes in a shark feeding frenzie.... this continued for 2hrs till dawn.
WOW I thought.
Now when ripe & male selected... I remove them to private quarters where Ive since made a special grate that suspends 3inchs above the bottom of my breeding tank, eggs are non-boyant and fall to the bottom, though they are semi adherant and some remain on side glass walls. Parents are removed after spawning ( it has taken upto 6days after being moved but usually within 3days).
One single 8-9inch super ripe female has produced 2000 eggs, give or take a couple score.
These fish are very much a social interacting fish, amoungst them selves that is.
An absolutely magnificent species.
Ive always been a huge catfish fan from day 1.
Every single one of them.
Syno. bugatti was my first eye opening encounter by coincidence more than choice, it came with a tank purchase.... but not till years later I really got into them... and again now in the past 6-7yrs.
Syno. eupterus has been avail here in Aust for a while now but is not on the legal import list.
I got thesehttp://www.plecofanatics.com/gallery/fi ... erfins.jpg little fella's prolly 5-6yrs ago. The largest male is closer to 13inch's apposed to the claimed 9-10inch max size. (not in pic, sorry).
These fish are an amazing schoal of 14 fish, 5M + 9F.
Like most of their family they are non parental egg scatterers.
My observations have found that the female (when ripe) chooses a male, who then quickly takes control of the whole schoal even if he is not the Alfa male during non-breeding.
The 1st time I noticed 2 fish hanging at one end with the male chasing everything away... huge tinfoil barbs included.
(In hindsight & over time experience)...On average the courtship may have lasted 3-4 days before...... One night I was awoken @3.30am by the nightmareish sounds of crashing glass.. "An intruder" was my 1st thought... then 30 secs later when consciousness was closer it happened again and I knew it was fish tank lids being rattled. My 1st spawn of Syno. eupterus was being devoured before my eyes in a shark feeding frenzie.... this continued for 2hrs till dawn.
WOW I thought.
Now when ripe & male selected... I remove them to private quarters where Ive since made a special grate that suspends 3inchs above the bottom of my breeding tank, eggs are non-boyant and fall to the bottom, though they are semi adherant and some remain on side glass walls. Parents are removed after spawning ( it has taken upto 6days after being moved but usually within 3days).
One single 8-9inch super ripe female has produced 2000 eggs, give or take a couple score.
These fish are very much a social interacting fish, amoungst them selves that is.
An absolutely magnificent species.
(but disaster for your budget-this gluttony ^%@%#! 
)
