PlanetCatfish.com

Hello everyone,

Ive just joined this forum and am returning to the aquarium hobby after a few years away. Im looking at making my first tank a catfish home. So im keen for some kind advice from you guys.

Im looking at landscaping my tank with rocks and stones and read that Syno Multis love rocky cave environments similar to they would live in the wild.So what would be the ideal Synodontis Multipunctatus community for a 24 X 12 X 12 inch tank ? I know they like to be in groups. How many Multis could i house in a tank this size ?

Or would i be better off with a 36inch tank ?

What is the best filtration to use ? I read Undergravel is a no-no.

I do also like the idea of putting loaches in with the Multis. Im quite open to ideas, different types of catfish known to be good for newbies etc;

These questions have probably been asked before, heres hoping someone can kindly help me back into the hobby.

Thanks
Steve.

Welcome to Planet Catfish Steve

I would suggest that a 24" would be a little on the small side for multipunctatus, really a four foot would be the best option.

If a 24" is all that is available i would go for lucipinnis, often referred to dwarf petricola in the trade as these are similar & stay considerably smaller. They are from lake tanganyika which is hard & alkaline which may not be suitable for loaches although you don't specify which ones. Lucipinnis may spawn in the right set-up - it isn't that difficult to achieve. Both Lucipinnis & multipunctatus would prefer to be in a group so other bottom dwelling fish wont leave much room for establishing territories & as they are (like a lot of cats) a little light shy the tank can look empty - there are other more visible fish to consider as tankmates. There is plenty of info on htese species in the cat-e-log pages of this site to help you along.

I would go for either an internal or external power filter, dependant upon your bugget, space available etc

There is currently an advert on aquarists classified website for petricola which are actually lucipinnis which are a good price although they are located in the north west.

Be careful of the amount of hybrids around being offered as genuine fish - you can see examples of these in threads on the african forum on this site.

Best of luck and i'm sure you'll find these species very rewarding - keep us posted on your progress