Some fins look a little nibbled on the Petricola, especially the littlest one. Are they safe?
I have three juvenile Petricola with Mbuna juveniles. I had been told the Mbuna would ignore the catfish and that Syno's can hold their own with Mbuna.
That seems to be true, and I know an occasional nip will grow back. I just don't want to ignore something I shouldn't and end up with permanent damage.
With their sucker mouths, can Petricola themselves nip fins?
I do have lots of rockwork and hiding places. I am planning a larger tank with more individuals of each species, but it's a long term plan.
Petricola with Mbuna
-
sidguppy
- Posts: 3827
- Joined: 18 Jan 2004, 12:26
- My articles: 1
- My images: 28
- My aquaria list: 5 (i:0)
- Spotted: 9
- Location 1: Southern Netherlands near Belgium
- Location 2: Noord Brabant, Netherlands
- Interests: African catfishes and oddballs, Madagascar cichlids; stoner doom and heavy rock; old school choppers and riding them, fantasy novels, travelling and diving in the tropics and all things nature.
- Contact:
it's most likely the cats themselves, although very agressive Mbuna can be the culprit as well (species like Pseudotropheus elongatus for example).
I got a group of my F1's in a tank with 6 Melanochromis auratus, and they're pristine.....
often cichlid-bites look like nips or split fins.
if they bite out of territorial issues, they often "ram" the opponent, resulting in a scratch or a split fin.
petricola's can nibble each other, and that looks like scrapes or shredded finparts. sometimes they rip each other's barbells clear off
but it all grows back when given time and peace.
you have 3....in small groups tensions rise1 best keep them in a group of 5-7 (or more in a big tank). then the agression will spread, and less or no damage is done.
it also works with Mbuna <-> petricola; because the Mbuna are less likely to pick on one and the same cat, when there are many.
I got a group of my F1's in a tank with 6 Melanochromis auratus, and they're pristine.....
often cichlid-bites look like nips or split fins.
if they bite out of territorial issues, they often "ram" the opponent, resulting in a scratch or a split fin.
petricola's can nibble each other, and that looks like scrapes or shredded finparts. sometimes they rip each other's barbells clear off
but it all grows back when given time and peace.you have 3....in small groups tensions rise1 best keep them in a group of 5-7 (or more in a big tank). then the agression will spread, and less or no damage is done.
it also works with Mbuna <-> petricola; because the Mbuna are less likely to pick on one and the same cat, when there are many.
Valar Morghulis