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Water Conditions- Not Critical. Temp 72- 80 Degrees,
Plants, Vegetable in Diet
Behavior- Generally well behaved, very social,
can be aggressive with one another.
Breeding- Parasitic "Cuckoo" type reproduction using
mouthbrooding cichlids
Size- 5 inches
Some question exists as to the proper identification of this
fish, many claiming that this fish, kept
in the hobby, are actually Synodontis grandiops, as true S.
multipunctata are said to reach a much
larger size. Fin counts have been done on this line of
Synodontis, which also seems to confirm this
population as S. grandiops, and not S. multipunctata.
However, used as a subject of research at a local
university for over 20 years, it has been historically
identified as S. multipunctata. At this point,
these are still identified as S. multipunctata.
This fish is a hardy eater, but is best fed a vegetable based
dry food similar to the diet fed other
Tangyanikan fish. Though this fish appears more tolerant of
higher protein foods, we still feed
richer foods sparingly.
A highly social fish, they will group together and hide in
any dark area available to them. PVC pipe,
caves, pots, etc. are essential for this fish to thrive
comfortably. They will frequently stay out in the
open, but require safe places to hide where they can escape
to quickly.
Females can be
identified by a fuller, rounder body, possibly carrying eggs,
with a rounded ovipositor
opening near the anus. The males are thinner and possess a
pointed male organ similar to that seen on
many cichlids.
When kept in a large tank with a mating pair of mouthbrooding
cichlids, they may breed when the
cichlids do. The catfish keeps a close eye on their cichlid
host tankmates, and then time their own
egglaying and fertilization to that of the the cichlids. Not
all mouthbrooding species can be
parasitized, but C. horei are their natural hosts. Diagramma
simichromis and babaulti both work,
as well as H. obliquidens, Red and Albino zebras, and others.
When a female cichlid is seen carrying,
gently shake (strip) the eggs from the female's mouth, and
the smaller catfish eggs can be seen.
The eggs can then be hatched in an egg tumbler and
fry raised
separately. If left together the catfish
will hatch and feed upon the cichlid fry. If there are not
enough cichlid fry available, the catfish will then
feed upon one another. When moved from a tumbler to a 10
gallon tank to be raised, the catfish fry
will literally double in size on a daily basis with frequent-
2-3xs per day feedings of first vinegar eels
or microworms, and then newly hatched
brine shrimp.
Unfortunately, even with adequate feeding,
they can be cannibalistic, and an interruption in feeding
during the first couple weeks could result
in a quick reduction in the size of the brood.
They are generally very peaceful with tankmates, but may be
rough with one another, where the
need to remove an individual to heal an abrasion or two is
sometimes necessary. Those type of
injuries generally occur when first getting established into
a new tank, and territories are fist being
claimed, or when pair bonding is being established.
See
other Care Guides Here
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