Synodontis petricola & lucipinnis Care Guide

Basic care guide to keep Synodontis petricola & lucipinnis. Rough notes below
Old care guide video here: • Synodontis Petricola &...
Petricola eating here: • Synodontis Petricola A...
Entire aquarium here: • Feeding Synodontis Pet...
Spawning here: • Synodontis petricola b...
Petricola fry here: • Synodontis Petricola /...
Synodontis petricola and lucipinnis
*both these species are very similar to one another
*they are often mislabelled and could also very well be hybrid
*that said, these were sold to me as petricola from a very reputable store, part of me thinks they may be lucipinnis, leave a comment below on what you think they are and why
they both come from the same lake a require the same care
*it doesnt help that lucipinnis are also called dwarf petricola
*has many nicknames, pygmy leopard catfish, dwarf cuckoo, false cuckoo to name a few
*native to Lake Tanganyika in Eastern Africa
*they are a light brown with irregular dark brown spots over the body and smaller spots on the head and ventral region
*white whiskers and the fins have white tips/edges with a darker base
*petricola, compared to the lucipinnis grow about an inch larger and have an axillary pore at the end of the gills
*petricola max out at 5-6 inches, lucipinnis 4 inches
*lucipinnis apparently have a window or light coloured area on the base of the dark triangle, most noticeably on the anal fin
*the front edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins harden into stiff spines
*other than that, spotting etc... is not a certain way to tell the difference
*also, visually similar to the synodontis multipunctatus with obvious differences, multis dont have white on the front of the dorsal fin. Multi also get a lot larger, bigger eyes, and are more plump
*they are a hardy species, however, I would put them on an intermediate level of scale for care
*they should be kept in groups of at least 5 or 6, this will encourage them to be more social
*keeping a single specimen in a tank may cause it to be very cautious and preferring to hide amongst rocks and caves
*can do well in a community tank with other semi-aggressive fish, however, I don't recommend putting them with small, slow and peaceful fish. I've seen them almost kill a betta
*tanks mates should be large enough that they won't be seen as prey
*larger tetras, barbs, gouramis, most cichlids, especially African mouthbrooders
*these fish are primarily nocturnal, but will become active during the day once established in an aquarium with caves, driftwood and rocks
*will not eat plants, however, they might uproot them
*dim lighting will also encourage the fish to be more sociable
*these fish love open water for swimming and darting around sometimes
*they hang out mostly on the bottom of the tank though with plenty of rock arrangements and driftwood for exploration
*they are constantly moving in and out of my caves and driftwood, and seem to be having a lot of fun
*these catfish will also appreciate a fine, sandy substrate
*temperature 75-82F (24-28C)
*pH 7.5-8.5
*water hardness 10-35 dH
*longer aquariums are better, Ideally a 75 gallon, even a 55 gallon felt too small for my adults
*well oxygenated, good flowing water
*diet - omnivorous and not fussy about the food they get. Frozen, live and dried foods are all accepted. Worms, shrimp, and small cichlid pellets, foods that sink, sinking catfish food etc
*also known to graze on vegetables such as peas and cucumbers. I make sure all my fish have a balanced diet of all different sorts of food
*surface foods should be avoided as these fish are susceptible to bloat
*gender: females are rounder around the belly and a darker colour
*cannot be sexed using the genital papillae technique as it is too small
*I have successfully bred these, I have a video of the egg stages posted, and of them growing into adults
*it is kind of tricky to breed them, as they tend to eat the eggs and fry. I had to make a contraption or marble bed to prevent this
*It is basically a cave with no bottom, on top of egg crate so the eggs can fall through, and the adults cannot get to the eggs
*also a different tank to raise the fry or to move the parents
*petricola are egg scatterers and can also breed through a method called brood parasitism
to get them to breed is easy, but keeping the eggs and fry from getting eaten is the more difficult part
*provide them with a lot of caves, rock work, and driftwood, and they will likely breed
the male will chase the female a bit, then lock up in a T position. They will quiver alongside each other as the eggs and sperm release
*more info in the video!
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[@markfranklin8831]

There are such awesome catfish. Thanks for sharing

[@MikeFish316]

Thanks for the kind comment! 🐠

[@aaronfiddy4260]

I got 2 wood cats and also 1 bumbkee bee but i loat my favourite catfish the gulper cat and i cant find another obviously in a separate tank loved that fish 😢.these guys are cool budd oh i gotba feather fin cat hes awsome 😊

[@MikeFish316]

Thanks for the comment! I've had bumblebee cats before. All catfish are fascinating eh

[@aaronfiddy4260]

@@MikeFish316 yeah budd love my catfish thrre 2 types of bumble bee I'm sure I have the Asian one then u have the South American one to .happy fish keeping m8

[@billbradley6380]

Great video and info. I wanted a larger group (3-5) of synodontis petricola but was only able to get two at a local store. They were fine the first couple of months but lately one became very territorial and chasing the other one. I have hiding places but going to add more. Do you think adding 2 or 3 to the pair I already have will help with the aggression? It's a 50g tank that I really didn't want to divide, but I may not have any other options. Thanks for any advice you can give.👍

[@MikeFish316]

The more the better, they love being in groups. Might be a male chasing a female trying to breed as well. Mine are always swimming together, never any bite marks though or nipped fins. Hope this helps and thanks for the comment. Let me know how it works out!

[@billbradley6380]

@@MikeFish316 It did seem to be a breeding thing when I was watching the other day, but then it turns into an all out chase until the other one hides. I did divide the tank for now. Do you think when I get a few more I can remove the divider and just see how all of them do together in a group?

[@Girlgetup__]

Can they be kept with tilapia?

[@MikeFish316]

Thanks for the comment! They shouldn't because they require different water parameters, and Tilapia can gulp them down at a certain size

[@AquaShowClub]

can they kept with guppys?

[@MikeFish316]

They won't directly gulp a guppy down, they will stress the heck out of it over time with many nibbles on the fins which will eventually kill it imo. Of course a bigger tank and many many plants will help but I don't think its the greatest idea. Thanks for the comment! 🐟