Synodontis petricola – Cuckoo Catfish
Synodontis petricola was first described in 1959 by Matthes. The species name can be broken down into two words. ‘Petra’ means ‘rock’ and ‘-cola’ means ‘living among’, a reference to their habitat over and between the rocks of Lake Tanganyika. Their common name is Cuckoo Catfish.
Description
Synodontis petricola is one of the smaller Synodontis species from Lake Tanganyika and reaches a maximum length of about 10 centimeters. Only its cousin, Synodontis cf. petricola “Dwarf” remains slightly smaller.
The cf. in the Dwarf’s name means “resembling” and means that scientists are not yet sure whether it is a separate species. In any case, the two are very similar but also have a number of differences. With the Dwarf, the dot pattern is slightly more erratic in terms of placement and size of the dots. Also, the ground color of the Dwarf is slightly grayer than its larger cousin.
It is a species that is mainly active at night and rests during the day between the rocks. They can lie dead still in the same place for minutes at a time. Once the lights go out or are dimmed, you’ll see them become more active. Animals that grow alone or only in pairs often languish. It is better to keep them in a group of 5 or more, the company of conspecifics is very important for this species.
Diet
The Cuckoo Catfish is a real omnivore, they ensure that any food that remains between the rocks is cleaned up. It is important to keep an eye on whether they are getting enough food. Feeding only in the morning means that in the evening when the lights go out there is (virtually) no food left. After the lights go out (or just before) some additional feeding will be required.
Breeding Synodontis petricola
The breeding of this species has been a matter of concern for a long time. It was thought that Synodontis petricola would reproduce in the same way as Synodontis multipunctatus, ie like a cuckoo catfish. They would lay the eggs in the nest of cichlids that would then ensure further incubation. It has since been found that this is not correct.
Hobby breeders eventually figured out how to breed this species. The so-called flower pot or marble method is used for this. Fill a bowl with marbles. Place a flower pot upside down over it. Make a hole in the side of about 3-4 centimeters so that the Synodontis petricola can just pass through and the larger cichlids cannot. You now have a dark hole in which they can lay the eggs. The marbles ensure that other fish, but certainly, also the parents, cannot reach the eggs to eat them.
After spawning, the eggs must be removed within 24 hours or they will become moldy. You can place the eggs in a breeding net in the parents’ aquarium. Remove white (unfertilized) eggs and eggs that are moldy immediately, otherwise, they will also mold the others.
After the eggs have hatched, the larvae still feed on their yolk sac. So you don’t have to feed them for the first few days. As soon as the yolk sac is used up, you can start feeding freshly hatched brine shrimp, cyclops and fine dust food. The fry of Synodontis petricola are very vulnerable. The net must therefore be kept clean. For example, use Posthorn snails, they not only clean up the mess at a later stage but are also good at cleaning up the unfertilized and moldy eggs. When changing the water, it is better to change a little bit of water a few times than a lot at once. This gives too great a fluctuation in the water composition with the possibility that you will lose fry.
Video
Author
John de Lange
Copyright images
John de Lange
Ben Lee – Amiidae.com
