Synodontis petricola is a small (four inches) catfish from Lake Tanganyika in the Rift Valley of Eastern Africa. It looks very much like Synodontis multipunctatus except smaller. They both have white/cream colored bodies with black spots. Both fish do well with African Cichlids (of their size, of course) from all the Rift Valley Lakes.
I bought my first Synodontis petricola at a Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society (GCAS) Fall 1999 Auction. There were four and I spent a hefty price for them. There were only four at the auction and, of course, I had to have them all. I bought my next group (six fish) at Wet Thumb Aquatics the following spring. I got a good price on six of them. I had to. My last group I bought at the next GCAS Auction (Spring 2000). In total, this gave me 14 fish. The last 10 were juveniles when I bought them (less than a year) and the first four were of unknown age.
At first, I thought they would spawn like the Synodontis multipunctatus. However, I was wrong. I got put on the straight and narrow by a gentleman named Gerald Miranda who had spawned Synodontis petricola. Of course, it cost me $60 for the video. Actually, he was very helpful. So was Dolores Scherer, who owns Wet Thumb.
They are egg scatterers. They do not “Cuckold Spawn” like Synodontis multipunctatus. Their eggs are very small and the most absolute vibrant shade of gold. Mine have always hatched the next day (after I found them). They swim around for several days with their egg yolks. I read one account where they keep their yolks for 10 days. It was difficult for me to determine this time frame, as their size was very small. I started feeding them small amounts after several days. These included microworms and live baby brine shrimp. I used powder but sparingly. I treated them with fine kid gloves.
My breeding group consists of 13 (unlucky? No.) fish. I had lost one. They started spawning this past spring, about a year after I purchased the ten juveniles. Or, should I say this was when I noticed them spawning. At this time, the young fish were approximately two years of age. I keep them in a 20 long. Sometimes, other fish are present. I make sure, though, that the S. petricola are the dominant fish in the tank.
When I find eggs, I transfer them to a three-gallon tank. Their first several weeks/months are spent there. Their growth is slow but steady. After 35 days they are about half an inch.
At this point, I feel I am still learning about them. I have raised three broods and have made mistakes with each one of them. However, I feel that I have also learned from my mistakes. My next goal is to raise a large brood to juvenile size.
Video
Author: Jerry Riegel
First published in Fincinnati, the official newsletter of the Greater Cincinnati AquariumSociety
Source: Aquarticles (no longer available)
Copyright image: Ben Lee – Amiidae.com
