Featherfin upside down catfish

[gadazobe]

I've got 3 of these Lovely fish - maybe not as pretty as others, but full of life and very friendly. Whenever I go near the tank they come out and follow me round the room. When I got them I was told that they grow to about 4-5" Well, mine have reached about 6" each and still seem to be growing. Whenever I feed them, they go beserk - no matter what food is put in the tank - they eat it in a frenzy and are now quite plump and round. Does anyone know how to sex them? All 3 look the same to me.

 

[cichlidmaster]

Synodontis eupterus (which is what I believe you have) are cool indeed.

I have two myself both of which are near 8".

They are quite friendly and comical to watch, especially when they feed upside down.

Really cool to watch them skim the surface of the water with their mouth open.

Kinda like a vacuum cleaner

 

[gadazobe]

Yep - CM, you're right, Synodontis eupterus, living vacuum cleaners - there's never any spare food in their tank - everything goes, no matter what. Have you any idea how to sex them?

 

[Gibbo]

Difficult... and painful! Go to Planet Catfish and look either in the cat-e-log or Catfish of the Month archives. You have to hold them upside down and look under anal fin, which isn't easy with those spines. When I had my Feather I tried to catch him/her and got impailed on one of his pec. fin spines, right in the palm of my hand.... so if you go for it be careful considering the last few weeks you've had. To my knowledge they havn't been bred outside of fish farms although it has been tried... (see said article - COTM). I would guess that they would be egg scatterers. B)

 

[gadazobe]

Thanks for the info - I think I'll give up on the idea of sexing and breeding them

 

[Gibbo]

Never give up breeding them, sometimes these things just happen by chance. If you read the Planet Catfish article then you will see that eggs have been produced but not hatched. I personally would lower the water level slowly, increase temperature a bit and then add a lot of cooler water after a week or two, with plenty of frozen livefood and icreased water current. Then just see what happens... you can afford to try many things, be adventurous... you never know what may happen!

 

[gadazobe]

If I do that with the water, will it affect the rest of the fish - a bristlenose, 3 electric yellows, 5 aulonocaras, julie transcriptus fry and a pseudotropheus elongatus

 

[cichlidmaster]

Off topic question, gad...

How does your elongatus get along with the rest of your tanmates?

You do realize that they are highly aggressive right?

I am just curious as to see what experience others have had keeping these with a mix of different fish.

CM

 

[Gibbo]

Ah, they share a tank! Not a good idea then... If you ever have room for a big breeding tank though? Someday perhaps... Did you read the article?

 

[cryosi]

i gave my feather fin a new home and he strolls arund it like he owns the place day and night! yet he would hardly come ou in the my tank lol i miss him

 

[gadazobe]

Nope haven't got around to reading the article yet - most probably tonight as I have more time later. The elongatus is a wife killer - she disappeared the first week I had her - never ever found any remains or anything resembling a body. When I first got him, he was the largest fish in my tank and he ruled it with an iron fin but now that the others have grown larger than him they've put him in his place and he is now as good as gold - He does try every now and then to lay down the law - but I've seen the aulonocaras give him a nudge and he soon calms down.