synodontis flavitaeniata suitable tankmates

[corycrazy1, posts: 3]

hi,new to the forum but love the website as i'm always visiting it !!!! these syno's have been on my wish list for a while so could'nt believe it when i saw some in my lfs for £5.99 each !!! i plan on putting them in my 4ft tank and maybe thinking about about getting 4 of them.got lots of bogwood and the substrate is sand.the current inhabitants are 3 mature bristlenoses,lots of cories,3 congo tetra,2 banjo cats,2 glass cats,1 debauwi cat,2 wcmminnows,1 otto and 1 aspistigramma panduro.i will move the smaller fish into my 3 footer when the syno's grow and the smallest cories are sterbai.i have been fishkeeping for 6 years or so but good advice is always appreciated and i never let my heart rule my head as i know that i cannot have every catfish i see ! unfortunatly !!!after all if a fish is'nt suitable it must stay in the shop ! many thanks for your help !!!!

[Richard B, posts: 6338]

Your current species should do fine with the Flavis - the only problem might be mature bristlenose with a clash of wanting the same hidey-holes, but if there is plenty of options it should be ok. Flavis are a little more delicate than a lot of other synos but a super little fish & that sounds like a bargain price!

[corycrazy1, posts: 3]

hi,thanks for your reply !!! yep,defo got lots more bogwood to add to the tank and i'll still take time before i make a final decision.many thanks again !!!!!

[wrasse, posts: 729]

Here's a flavi tank, with guppies for company. They are very active when the food goes in. I need to put in even more bogwood. Vid quality is not the best... its not easy with the curved glass.

[N0body Of The Goat, posts: 157]

Most of the fish you list are ones that like a fair current, which is a pretty good match for the flavs, who come form the strong current Malebo pool area of the Congo river.

In my 5x2x2, I now house my four flavs (~6-10cm SL) with the likes of...
2x S. brichardi (plans for another few at some point)
1x S. notata
1x S. decora (who will be moving with MatsP in the coming weeks)
4x Megalechis thoracata (moved down there recently to escape hassle)
1x Aborichthys elongatus ("Mr Squidgy" has done really well in this tank, but planning to move him inside with my Ilyodon xantusi soon)
1x Steatocranus casuarius (who will be getting introduced to my 36 youngsters in the near future, to see if I can get an unrelated bonded pair to keep)
5x Puntius denisonii (advertising these currently to make way for African characins, will be joining my Ilyodon xantusi soon)
4x Ctenopoma acutirostre (they pootle in and out of the current and spend time lurking in the fake planted upper corner)
1x Pantodon buchholzi (who sits amongst these fake plants which also vastly reduce water surface current)
1x Aplocheilus Lineatus (joining a fellow hobbiest's hareem in near future, she goes in and out of the upper water current)

I've had my four flavs about a year now and the biggest shock is how fiesty they have been with each other (lots of bite scars but nothing serious), especially when in my indoor 4-footers until a ~two months back, despite the tanks having plenty of hidey holes. With a lot more space to spread out in the 5x2x2, which they do, I think they look in far better nick than at any other point in the last ~12 months.

[corycrazy1, posts: 3]

thanks for your reply !!!! having mixed thoughts about getting these as i've heard lots of different info regarding size.i know syno's are slow growing as my upside downies(housed in the 3 footer) took ages to grow and some people say flavs never reach more than 4 inches in the aquarium and other info says up to 19 cms.the lfs selling them has got a max size of 15cms.although my 4 footer is big enougth i measured 19cms and defo having a change of mind no matter how much i want these fish.i always buy fish taking into consideration the max size that they can reach even though they might not. . . . confused ! again,thanks for your help !!!!

[Richard B, posts: 6338]

Reliable sources say these can get to 19cm total length (ie a body size of 6").

That said, i've never seen one that size & those i've kept have been very slow growing. Remember the biggest one seen/recorded/written about is 19cm & not all will attain that size