Hemisynodontis Membranaceus

[Gibbo]

These guys are great!!! They're closely related to Synodontis Catfish, but have more gill rakers due to them being filter feeders. The 'moustache' is a pair of modified barbles that guide the food into their mouths. They're like miniature Hoovers and are surprisingly fast moving when feeding. They enjoy frozen bloodworm and daphnia as well as catfish pellets and other small bottom feeder foods. They will get to 12-14" in length (they're approx 3" at the moment) but are real slow growers. Like almost all of the Mochokidae family they can live for between 20-30 years, possibly longer!

 

[William]

They are rather cute!!

 

[Gibbo]

They're true inverted catfish as well, dark belly, light upper body. Mine spend 90% of their time upside down.

 

[cryosi]

glad to see u got some at last! i take it they from wharf! only ever seen one! they do have a rather high life span ur rite someone i know has had thiers for over 25 years..... longest living member(close not a mile off! ) of syno i know. i was just about to say the family name when i noticed you already named it

 

[wetwetwet]

Nice looking fish and great piccie gibbo (and other threads )

 

[Alex]

If I could get a hoover that cute I might do some house work every now and then

 

[gadazobe]

They're cute - remind me of my featherfins.

 

[Gibbo]

Funnily enough they would be good tankmates for the Violet Gobies Gad, they feed in a similar way and enjoy the same foods (filter feed on Daphnia, bloodworm, brineshrimp etc)

 

[gadazobe]

I have a 6-7" pleco in with my dragons, 4 clown loaches (just over 1" at the moment, 6 cory's and numerous platies, sailfin mollies and 1 beta - so as much as I'd love to get some, I think I have more than enough at the moment. Maybe when I manage to persuade the spouse that we really don't need a 6 foot settee to watch tv from - we could see just as well from stools in front of a new 6 foot tank

 

[Gibbo]

Great Idea, best of luck with that, It matches my philosophy B)