New Pics! New Synos Coming They Came/they Conquered--update Pics

[jollysue]

I took the bid on 6 (with 2 extra so 8 ) S. petricola dwarfs from aquariaman on AB. They are tank bred, 3/4" long. What size tank should I keep them in until they get big enough to put in with the fronties.

Should I keep them together? I am so excited!

Here's their AB pinup:here

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Awww they're tinies. Mine were older then that when I got them and they went straight in with older synos etc. If you want to have them seperate until they're a little older and bigger then I'd suggest a tank around 20g with lots of hidey holes. And yes, keep them together. They like company.
Hugs,
P.

 

[jollysue]

Thanks Miss Dib Dabs

I asked the breeder and he said they would be fine in a 10 usg for now. I have a 25 tall that I may make available to them later. It seems 6" of babies should do ok for now in the 10. Don't you think?

He said it would be a looong time until they are ready for the fronties. The fronts would be delighted with the snack, he said. He said they grow very slow.

It was just an accident that I saw the posting on AB. I was headed for photobucket and clicked wrong and ended up in the Lake Tanyanika section of AquaBid. I had spied the dwarfs before on the catfish place when I was trying to figure out what my other two are. I decided then that I thought I might like them if I found the right opportunity.

 

[freddyk]

Just give them lots of little hiding places in the tank that the Fronts can't get to and they'll be fine with them. Fronts are very slow and lousy hunters - they catch their prey in the wild by feeding very early in the morning when other fish are sleeing at the bottom. These syno's are nocturnal and will never be caught sleeping, and they rest in caves where the Fronts can't get them.

 

[jollysue]

Hi freddyk,

Yes so I've read. I was a bit surprised when the breeder said they were too young to be in the frontie tank. The Moba tank has some very young and small fellows--1.5 or 2" is the smallest and 4" is the biggest. There are already two 4" synos in there and they stay hidden most of the time. They were out a lot before I put the Zaires and Bismarcks in. I'll be happy to have the new babies where we can meet without the fronts interfering.

 

[jollysue]

I will try to post pics when they get here next week.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Hmmm I would take what the seller said with a pinch of salt. They CAN grow slowly but mine certainly didn't! The two youngsters I got have grown very fast over the past month or two. Suprisingly so in fact. It may be that having the adult, rather gravid, petricola in there gave them a spur on and having a great deal of space to play and grow up in, alongside a very varied diet. I have noticed with some of my other syno species that their habitat plays an enormous role in how well and fast they grow. I had 4 Eupterus in with my gouramies at one point but moved 3 out after BB causing all sorts of trouble with them. I couldn't catch the fourth for some months. The three that were moved went in with my adult group that were at the time in my 55g. They grew pretty rapidly and now aren't far off the size of the adults despite only being around a year old. The fourth however, once I caught him, prooved to be having a bit of a rough time and was noticeably smaller. He was moved into my 44g where he joined some other synos although no other Eupterus. He began to grow and be much healthier in appearance over the following months before the move into the 100g where he now lives alongside all the Eupterus and my single Clarias and the Multi's. He is doing well but is still smaller then those who he was originally the same size as.
Hugs,
P.

 

[jollysue]

The S.peticola, babies mostly, have not yet attained 3/4" even with their tails. so cute B)

They arrived last Thursday morning. All 8 arrived alive and were alive when they finally got to the tank.

By the way, that is a sea shell not a skull. There are two large sea shells for caves in their tank. The one problem/blessing is a large amount of Malysian Trumpets that pile on food. They completely covered a Hikari tab before the syno babies found it. They get a few blackworms occasionally, but I don't know if they can get bites from them. I am mostly using fry powder. It spreads all over, and I expect the little guys can find it, while the snails will also clean up debris.

The seller is also the breeder and very concerned for his babies. For now there is no doubt they will do well in ten usg. I expect they will learn to get their food when it arrives.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Aww they are sweet. I accidentally bought two new synos today from the Aquatic design center in London. ) One a large silver Eupterus type and the other....well they weren't entirely sure! One of the suckingmouth syno types and very gentle. A real sweet thing. Kept splashing around in his bag on the journey home (tube and train and car...bless). But has settled nicely in my 44g with my Decorus and Petricolas. I had to put the now named Silver up in there too, for now. Because he's not used to any other catfish let alone my big boisterous family group he got very upset and stressed with them in the few hours he was in there and Beattie (I assume) bit him, which didn't help. He's relaxed heaps now and can heal the bite and chill in with the placid bunch for a few weeks before I re-try him with the big group.
Will try for a piccy of him and the mystery syno tomorrow or Tuesday.
Only went in for some loaches.
Hugs,
P.

 

[jollysue]

Sweet accident Yes try for piccies

I put a Hikari tab in before bed. One fellow went at it with gusto, lifting it off the ground several times, but he soon gave it up and left. I think it was too hard to get a bite. They do seem to have little chompers then. When I just got up at 7pm the trumpets and ramshorns were covering it. Made me a little annoyed. One petricola was nosing around it. So I netted the snail pile. I found there was some soft tab left so I put that back and tossed all but the bigger Trumpet. Then I put another tab in and dusted some fry powder. I am really wondering about the best to feed them??

Guess I don't have to worry about the sand getting too compact.

 

[bunjiweb]

They look nothing like baby syno. petricola that I have ever seen. I have 4, the smallest I bought at about an inch long and it didnt look anything like those that you have.

Either yours are less than 7 weeks old, in which case the stripes havent split off into spots yet (which judging by their form they aren't), or they are a weird hybrid from the czech repubic.

Ben

 

[jollysue]

Well you are certainly correct about them not looking like the adults. I went over to Planet Catfish and took a look at the Synodontis cf. petricola dwarf. They don't have any pics of the little ones that are near as clear as mine, but this one looks a little like them. here

The breeder is not new to AB, so I don't think he is being exceptionally dishonest (such as importing from Checkoslovokia and claiming them as his own.) The breeder is in Hawaii. That is where the fry were shipped from. They are less than an inch.

If anyone knows anything, I'd be interested to know. Actually I'm not overly concerned with the breed. A hybrid doesn't concern me as long as they are healthy. Mostly I want a smallish cute syno. I'm not planning on breeding. I can certainly look further into the breeder if you like.

My biggest concern is what I should be feeding them. I'm still on fry food, which seems to suit them just fine.

 

[bunjiweb]

They should feed absolutely fine on sinking wafers, they will rasp away at them and feed absolutely fine. Or you could try some fresh prawn, that always goes down well with mine.

As for whether they are petricola, we shall just have to wait and see how their pattern develops.

Ben

 

[jollysue]

Perhaps they are related to your shrimp in your sig.

Hmm? No prawns, but I have some frozen mysis shrimp. The lfs is always out of brine shrimp when I go. I have a good variety of freeze dried Hikari, including brine shrimp.

I think they are spoiled on the fry powder. They ignore everything I've tried so far, including sinking shrimp pellets, and search around for the powder. They get very active mwhen I dust the powder in.

I think I will email the breeder and see what he says. He replied when I sent him the arrival pics and asked about their breeding possibilies.

 

[jollysue]

They are cute and healthy, but they still don't look like the dwarfs on Planet Catfish:

Any ideas?