Riverine Synodontis Tank

[CEfire]

Hello,

I have a 75 gallon tank that I am thinking about putting four synodontis angelicus in that I will eventually try to breed as they fully mature. Currently the tank has TONS of hiding places and only two current inhabitants: One S. Eupterus and one porthole catfish. Do you guys think that the angelicus would hassle the eupterus to death? He is very bossy right now and is about 6" head to tail.

Thanks for your help

[sidguppy]

4 angelicus is nice in a 150G, but NOT in such a small tank!

there will be severe fighting; and I would indeed ditch the eupterus.
this is a bad combo anyway; two Syno's.....

[CEfire]

OK, thanks for the advice I will definitely get a much bigger tank before thinking about the angelicus. In general though, I thought that Eupterus was a syno that would be able to live alongside other synodontis...

Thanks again for preventing a disaster

[troi]

In general though, I thought that Eupterus was a syno that would be able to live alongside other synodontis...
Thanks again for preventing a disaster :shock:

My 2 cents as well, but I think mixing synos is not across the board a bad move. Maybe it is a matter of WHICH synos you try to mix? I find that all my synos are more active and visible with more synos in the tank. For a while they would school a bit with mixed species.

I have three eupterus, adult, in with three S. decorus in a 100 US gal tank. Had nigriventris in there as well for a while. I never see serious fighting. The Eupterus squabble among themselves often enough, but only get slightly serious after a big water change or when someone takes a notion to try to make more eupterus. On the whole, they leave the decorus alone, unless one gets too close. Usually, it it the decorus who chase off the eupterus. The 5 yr decorus is the elder of the tank as well as the largest fish in there now; "she" gets pretty definite aobut chasing someone away from a cave she wants at the moment,but only a nip or catfish version of a dirty look.

I don't think I have ever seen the eupterus go after the decorus beyond chasing them off a favorite spot.

No one ever bothered the little nigriventris. That I saw. They did, however, stay hidden.

Do get a bigger tank, tho.

BTW, are S. decorus and S. eupterus river fish?

troi

[CEfire]

First of all, Thanks for that info. I know my tank is a bit on the small side for syno's but I was wondering if you had any recommendations on what other syno I can keep with my Eupterus. I know having just two synos tends to be a bad idea, so I wanted to know what other syno combination I could safely put in my tank.

BTW-my eupterus is always VERY active even though he is just about alone in the tank. I am even thinking one day of handfeeding but I dont want to get my hopes up.....

As far as Eupterus being riverine...I just thought I saw that somewhere like Scotcat.com

[troi]

I am even thinking one day of handfeeding but I dont want to get my hopes up.....As far as Eupterus being riverine...I just thought I saw that somewhere like Scotcat.com

Don't give up on the hand feeding. My decorus "dance" when they see me at feeding time, although the eupterus wait more in the shadows. It took a LONG time for them to do that and quite frankly, I never saw the elder do it till I add two youngsters, now they dance as a troupe.

The fish will recognize you. You might want more eupterus to make your one feel secure. Once they get used to feeding time and sinking food try mixing sinking and floating food. I feed after dark, as late as I can. Might work.

I *know* I saw that both S. decours and S. eupterus are river fish somewhere, but can't find the reference now. Might have been scottcat.

troi

[CEfire]

So now I am thinking maybe get 2 more juvenile eupterus to join my current one. Just wanted to make sure that this would be a fairly safe combination in a 75gallon.

Also, I pretty much always mix floating and sinking food so I can watch the eupterus can feed upside-down at the surface.

Also troi, what do you think the best water parameters are for these eupterus. My tank is fairly soft with a PH of about 6.8-6.9 and it stays at about 76F. Anything that I should change about the water?

[Birger]

Distribution imformation is in the Cat-eLog, you can also take the link to fishbase from there.

Birger

[troi]

Distribution imformation is in the Cat-eLog, you can also take the link to fishbase from there.

Birger

Thanks. I did check back to PC CateLog, but I haven't found "such and such" river basin too helpful since I don't know the geography or river patterns of the area. By River Basin, do they mean slow sluggish delta waters, or do they mean rapid, clear well aerated water, as I went into this believing? or something in between. Do they even mean someby way located in the basin area?

troi

[troi]

Also troi, what do you think the best water parameters are for these eupterus. My tank is fairly soft with a PH of about 6.8-6.9 and it stays at about 76F. Anything that I should change about the water?

See my last few posts in the "syno husbandry" thread in the African Catfish forum.

troi

[Birger]

It is my understanding that basin means the drainage system.
For the S.decorus one of the collection points is the Malebo Pool, from an encyclopedia

Pool Malebo, lakelike expansion of the Congo River, c.320 sq mi (830 sq km), along the Congo (Kinshasa)â??Congo (Brazzaville) border, W central Africa, c.350 mi (560 km) from the Congo's mouth. It is 22 mi (35 km) long and 14 mi (23 km) wide.

it has also been collected from some of the rivers in the system.
For the S.eupterus it has been collected in both lakes and rivers within it's respective system.
I am thinking that both these fish would be adaptable to varying conditions, but would not think that they would like the fast flowing water like for example, S.brichardi would.
Also taking into account water level fluctuation throughout the year which can be quite extreme in places but I have always imagined them being most comfortable swimming casually in a flooded backwater somewhere searching around for insects or some other treat or maybe looking for a suitable spawing site.
This is only my opinion, wish I could say I have been there.

Birger

[Shane]

By River Basin, do they mean slow sluggish delta waters, or do they mean rapid, clear well aerated water, as I went into this believing? or something in between. Do they even mean someby way located in the basin area?

Troi,
This is actually a fair question. Freshwater fish distribution patterns are described by the watershed they in habit. This is because fish can not get up and walk over a mountain range to the next watershed. The watershed could be a basin (such as the Lake Valencia basin), a river system (and its feeder rivers and creeks), or even a single pool that is unconnected to any other body of water. The point is that this is locational information and not habitat information.
That said, you can use this information, and a little time searching on the web, to get a pretty good general idea of the habitat.
In this case, you have the holotype location of the fish in question. This is like having a specific address for the fish and narrows your information search. For example, if you live in Oakland I can look Oakland up and get a general idea of where you live. However, with your address in Oakland I can look up your neighborhood and get a much better understanding. Try a few searches on Malebo Pool and I am pretty sure you will find photos and all kinds of other useful information.
-Shane

[troi]

Thanks, all. this is useful. I'll check up a bit on the river systems.

The thought about varibable conditions might explain why these fish have done so well (growth, activity, attempts at spawning) with the varying pH, frequent large water changes and high-end-of-moderate flow and aeration in my tanks.

I first posted the question to settle a fiskkeeping dispute with someone who thinks I don't need added air in the tank and do need deep substrate. I think the fish will be fine, if not as happpy, in their current reduced circumtances.

troi