Help Me Accomodate The Lunatic

[LongS]

I bought this cute little catfish around a year ago, originally sold to me as an upside down cat.

Before it was too late i realized it wasn't indeed the cute little upside down cat that i thought it was, but a complete nutcase instead.

It has already made its way through my smaller fish and i'm looking for options to stock rather than the current stock of platies, guppies and mountain minnows.

So do i get rid of the catfish and keep the smaller fish?

Keep the Catfish and rehome the small fish?

The trouble is i am not sure what to keep with the Catfish? more Cats? African Cichlids? (i really don't think i can cope with their aggression) or some other type of community fish that isn't just going to become a midnight snack?

 

[LongS]

anyone suggest any robust tank mates?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

How big is the tank? He should go okay with SA Cichlids. I have one with my Severums and they pay him no minds

 

[LongS]

Its a 100 litre tank think thats about 22 gallons, i think it may be a little on the small side for cichlids? Maybe there are a few less aggressive cichlids i could put in there though?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

You might ask in the SA cichlid section if there are any dwarf cichlids that would live comfy with your lunatic. I really knwo nothing of dwarf ciclids. all of my cichlids are large. 22g seems a bit small though, for a featherfin though

 

[LongS]

You think? He only shares the bottom of the tank with a Golden Zebra loach, has lots of caves and plants to hide. I wasn't aware it was on the small side for this catfish, it certainly doesn't look it but i guess people have different ideas. What size tank would you put a Featherfin in?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Well, they can get up to 8 inches. Not only that they prefer groups, so I personally wouldnt' keep him in anything smaller than a 4ft tank. I have 1 in a 75g tank. Unfortunately there has been a shortage around here, otherwise he would have some friends

 

[LongS]

yeah i see what your saying. I may have to rethink the situation then....

 

[Dieses Madchen]

He may be so aggressive because he is alone, but it is pretty well known that they eat smaller fish.

 

[LongS]

Yeah i have recently read up on them, i was actually sold him as an upsidedown cat. Thats why i wasn't prepared for what i have unfortunately.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Yeah I had the same issue. Mine was sold as an upside down, but he is too big to be that species. But he has always been in a SA cichlid tank

 

[Wills]

100 liters is not really a good home for him, he is going to get pretty big - my biggest ever was about 10 inches and as thick as my forearm!

Really nice fish in the right tank. The species you were after were Synodontis Nigriventus.

Wills

 

[LongS]

Yeah thats what i thought i was buying, shame really, from what i have read that species wouldn't have been a problem.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

With the right type of fish, a featherfin isn't a bad fish. Mine is a great little cat. Where abouts are you? If you are in the states....

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I would not call Synodontis euptera a social African catfish, more at the territorial and aggressive end of the spectrum[sup]*[/sup] in this genus, that will fight with conspecifics and any other Synodontis in the tank unless it was very spacious with lots of hidey holes. In a larger tank (at least 4-foot) a single specimen could work well with Kribs/Lionhead Cichlids; a group of Congo/ Yellow Tail Congo Tetras; 1 or 3 Leopard Bushfish etc.


[sup]*[/sup]When compared to very social Synodontis nigriventris; contracta; flavitaeniata; decora; congica; multipunctata; lucipinnis etc. that do far better in groups of at least three (ideally 6+ for the first few in list).