What Is This Catfish?

[onidrase]

I went down the the LFS actually about a month ago, and they had this beautiful catfish for adoption, I already had a feeling it would get to be around 8 inches long, which is a fine size, but that was just a feeling, over the past few months I haven't been able to find another, and I haven't been able to do my research on it or anything. Not even the LFS knew what kind of catfish it was (they actually suggested it might be an algae eater )All I know is he's pretty active in comparison to other nocturnal catfish I've had, and he's got a fine appetite and isn't afraid to swim mid or top level of the aquarium.

He also jumped into my filter once for reasons I never understood

here's a picture from when I picked him up a few months ago (Since then, he's moved to a larger tank with less strange substrate and more plants and hidey holes, but it's the least blurry picture I've got.)

 

[Mowbz]

Synodontis Ocellifer?

 

[fluttermoth]

Well, I can tell you it's a Synodontis of some sort, but can't give the actual species; it could be a hybrid, very many synos in the trade are now, but someome might be able to pin it down, if you're lucky!

Oh, it could very well be S. ocellifer, good call, Mowbz!

 

[LucyB]

This is as close as I could find to your catfish

http/www.fishdeals.com/catfish/synodontis/ Maybe just work your way up from here?

 

[Mowbz]

Oh, it could very well be S. ocellifer, good call, Mowbz!

All credit to google image search, about 5 seconds to check the tail.

But im in no way saying it deffo is also

 

[onidrase]

Oh, it could very well be S. ocellifer, good call, Mowbz!

All credit to google image search, about 5 seconds to check the tail.

But im in no way saying it deffo is also

Yeah, I was thinking ocellifer too, but the tail on some of that species on websites that sell them have a pretty thick solid black outline, whereas on this guy, there is no black outline

he's also a bit darker in color now than he is in the pic I took, and darker than ocellifer pictures I've seen

 

[MartinS]

It just doesn't look quite right to me for S.ocellifer
Marking wise it seems about right, and the adipose fin is the right shape and size for ocellifer, but there is just something that looks a bit 'out-of-place'. Sadly, there are so many hybrids out there theses days that it's getting harder to tell real from hybrid
I'd suggest you go with the care/feeding for ocellifer, and take a few more photos as it develops.
HTH
Martin

 

[toddnbecka]

Looks more like a hybrid than a pure ocellifer to me, but post the pic on planetcatfish for the experts to judge if you want to be certain.