17:30-18:30 minutes:
All 8 synos have been transferred to a new 1800 gal. 36:20-36:45 minutes:
All 8 synos have been transferred to a new 1800 gal. 36:20-36:45 minutes:
Synodontis quartet, ~8"-12", in 4500 gal
- Thread starter thebiggerthebetter
- Start date
From our snail bullhead thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-or-snail-bullheads-ameiurus-brunneus.696696/ post #6
Update. A little criminal bedside story for boys and girls with stable psyche...
Once upon a time, there lived not three but two, not piglets, but snail bullheads not in the forest but in a dark scary fish tank full of critters of unfathomable kinds...
The snail bullheads had done well in the 1800 gal for some months and then I started noticing some damage on one of them, on the top, by the dorsal, first a little, no red, then with each week worse and worse until it became a sizeable, red, skinless crater. I spent some time by the tank hoping to catch the culprit but largely failed. I caught the Prochilodus lineatus tank mate (a relative of red-fin and yellow-fin Prochilodus) try to suck some slime off the target bullhead and hence took the lineatus out of the tank first, blaming the damage tentatively on it... but the future showed lineatus was but a sneaky fox, a vile profiteer, not the big bad wolf... the damage on the snail bullhead didn't heal and perhaps got a bit worse even after the lineatus was gone.
So it wasn't it. I took the bullhead out and placed it in a 240 gal where it healed up well and has been doing well since, even today. Then, of course, I started seeing the exact same damage develop on the second snail bullhead left in 1800 gal! Well. Mind you, this is but typical hair-pulling-out experience when housing a menagerie of fish together. Nothing surprising, at least in my career of "caring" for fish.
I watched closer as time permitted and finally caught the evil-doer - it was our oldest, about 15 years old, 12" hybrid synodontis! Swimming up to the bullhead and always looking for the same spot and rasping on it. The lubber bullhead behaved strangely to human logic not trying hard enough to swim away or to shake off the uninvited vampire. I feed the tank very well, so I cannot imagine the syno was doing it out of hunger, but rather just because it could. It wasn't about territory whatsoever either. Just a leisurely supplementation of diet, not out of need but probably out of "it gives me something to do, so why not?".
As I reported before, Ictaluridae, such as channels and bullheads, are terrible IME at warding off such attacks of certain fish, such as pacu, synodontis, Distichichodus, Labeo. Same goes for iridescent shark catfish, sporadically some Doradids, all rather timid fish.
So I had to take out the second bullhead out of the 1800 gal and transfer it to join the old buddy in the same 240 gal.
And in such a way the two Pigheads lost some skin but escaped the big bad Wolfodontis...
Obligatory after-story non-Vogue photoshoot. Parental discretion advised. (Remember the healthy stable psyche alluded to above.)
The first bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:
Second bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:
The rasper - hybrid synodontis named Krol through the years - first set of photos is from 2009-2010, 120 gal, Rochester, NY, then 2015-2017, 4500 gal, Naples, FL. Spots come and go. Same fish.
Update. A little criminal bedside story for boys and girls with stable psyche...
Once upon a time, there lived not three but two, not piglets, but snail bullheads not in the forest but in a dark scary fish tank full of critters of unfathomable kinds...
The snail bullheads had done well in the 1800 gal for some months and then I started noticing some damage on one of them, on the top, by the dorsal, first a little, no red, then with each week worse and worse until it became a sizeable, red, skinless crater. I spent some time by the tank hoping to catch the culprit but largely failed. I caught the Prochilodus lineatus tank mate (a relative of red-fin and yellow-fin Prochilodus) try to suck some slime off the target bullhead and hence took the lineatus out of the tank first, blaming the damage tentatively on it... but the future showed lineatus was but a sneaky fox, a vile profiteer, not the big bad wolf... the damage on the snail bullhead didn't heal and perhaps got a bit worse even after the lineatus was gone.
So it wasn't it. I took the bullhead out and placed it in a 240 gal where it healed up well and has been doing well since, even today. Then, of course, I started seeing the exact same damage develop on the second snail bullhead left in 1800 gal! Well. Mind you, this is but typical hair-pulling-out experience when housing a menagerie of fish together. Nothing surprising, at least in my career of "caring" for fish.
I watched closer as time permitted and finally caught the evil-doer - it was our oldest, about 15 years old, 12" hybrid synodontis! Swimming up to the bullhead and always looking for the same spot and rasping on it. The lubber bullhead behaved strangely to human logic not trying hard enough to swim away or to shake off the uninvited vampire. I feed the tank very well, so I cannot imagine the syno was doing it out of hunger, but rather just because it could. It wasn't about territory whatsoever either. Just a leisurely supplementation of diet, not out of need but probably out of "it gives me something to do, so why not?".
As I reported before, Ictaluridae, such as channels and bullheads, are terrible IME at warding off such attacks of certain fish, such as pacu, synodontis, Distichichodus, Labeo. Same goes for iridescent shark catfish, sporadically some Doradids, all rather timid fish.
So I had to take out the second bullhead out of the 1800 gal and transfer it to join the old buddy in the same 240 gal.
And in such a way the two Pigheads lost some skin but escaped the big bad Wolfodontis...
Obligatory after-story non-Vogue photoshoot. Parental discretion advised. (Remember the healthy stable psyche alluded to above.)
The first bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:
Second bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:
The rasper - hybrid synodontis named Krol through the years - first set of photos is from 2009-2010, 120 gal, Rochester, NY, then 2015-2017, 4500 gal, Naples, FL. Spots come and go. Same fish.
Last edited:
January of 2010. Our first 5 synodontis and their ID. Hybrids, eupterus, possible decorus / hybrid. https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=28869
Synodontis eupterus aggression issues - 6th post down with a link collection: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=43896&hilit=eupterus+aggression
Our early (2009-2011) community of 20 different synodontis species and 40 different species of tank mates in 120 gal grow out: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30939
Synodontis eupterus aggression issues - 6th post down with a link collection: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=43896&hilit=eupterus+aggression
Our early (2009-2011) community of 20 different synodontis species and 40 different species of tank mates in 120 gal grow out: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30939
Last edited:
Going back to 2009-2011.
One of our two first ever synodontis. Both turned out hybrids.
Angelicus, adult, at 9":
Alberti:
BFF alberti and P. pictus:
One of our two first ever synodontis. Both turned out hybrids.
Angelicus, adult, at 9":
Alberti:
BFF alberti and P. pictus:
Some of half a dozen early rescues of eupterus, all in the same tank, 120 gal, heavily "planted":
Group shots:
Upside down syno. Right side up haha...
We've rescued a lot of the most common hybrids, called valentiana, jaguar, zebra, and other nonsense, such as this:
Group shots:
Upside down syno. Right side up haha...
We've rescued a lot of the most common hybrids, called valentiana, jaguar, zebra, and other nonsense, such as this:
More valentiana hybrids:
Hybrids abound in skeletal defects, such as this crooked face:
Genuine species, occelifer:
Genuine - soloni:
It was hard to say genuine or hybrid, decorus:
Strange-proportioned eupterus:
Sold as highly coveted and extremely rare longirostris (the syno grows to 2 feet)... but this is just the $5 valentiana hybrid:
Hybrids abound in skeletal defects, such as this crooked face:
Genuine species, occelifer:
Genuine - soloni:
It was hard to say genuine or hybrid, decorus:
Strange-proportioned eupterus:
Sold as highly coveted and extremely rare longirostris (the syno grows to 2 feet)... but this is just the $5 valentiana hybrid:
Again one of the first two hybrids. This one I naively thought was notatus.
Our first ever eupterus. The shorter than usual snout suggests a debatable variant or species galienatus, but it's likely just a eupterus with a snout deviation / deformity.
Upside down, genuine nigriventris.
Syno 55 gal in the basement:
That's a genuine, adult notatus, ~10".
Our first ever eupterus. The shorter than usual snout suggests a debatable variant or species galienatus, but it's likely just a eupterus with a snout deviation / deformity.
Upside down, genuine nigriventris.
Syno 55 gal in the basement:
That's a genuine, adult notatus, ~10".
Seems about right. My only experiences with syno cats were suspect hybrids throughout their lifetimes. I wonder if there is a vendor out there who specializes in wild caught syno. I mean I see a lot of specialized cichlid, pleco, ray vendors that have meticulously catalogued catch location and species info, but with synos it's always vague, like "it's a schoutedeni....I think..."
You are right! The only vendor off the top of my head is Toyin of Rehoboth Aquatics. He specializes in Africans... Well, Dave Rinaldo from Texas is real good too with synos. I forget / don't know what his joint is called. He is active on PCF (Planet Catfish).
WetSpot, Aquabid, Ebay carry synos often.
If you ever see a syno for sale and doubt, ask for the actual fish photos and post them on Planet Catfish, or at least here, to get ID'ed. As simple as that.
