Nothing False About How Cool This Fish Is!

Some of you have begun to delve into the wonderful world of Catfish and you've all realized the absolutely massive number of fish that fall under that generality. As a result, you aren't likely to find an end-of-all favorite among fish keepers, or even a number one genus. With this in mind, there are a few groups that are nearly universally loved, and one of those is Synodontis. The almost surely most common Syno is a fish that is often just called the Common Syno; it's also known as the Lace Catfish, the False Upside-Down Catfish, and the Spotted Catfish (though it shares that last moniker with more than one other cat...)

Scientifically it's known as Synodontis nigrita and is often confused with many other west African Synodontis as they are all very similar when small, and a large portion of the fish available to hobbyists from this genus are still wild collected. The most common identification issue arises with this fish getting confused with the True Upside-Down Catfish (S. nigriventris). When small, appear very similar and both species will swim around and often rest upside down. This behavior carries on into adulthood but is less frequent in our False Upside-Down Cat.

Another difference is that our false UDC gets nearly twice as big as the true UDC, and they could theoretically get up to about 13 inches long, but the biggest one we've seen around here was about nine inches long and they'll regularly get seven to eight. They grow to five or six inches within a couple years, when they hit sexual maturity and develop much more slowly after that. They aren't the most active of fish and generally are quite peaceful, so even though they get pretty large, you could keep one in a tank as small as 30 gallons, but 55 would probably be a better idea for the fish when full grown. They don't require a substrate, but if you choose to have one, select for softness. Driftwood and rocks are appropriate decorations, and aquarists should also look for rounded or smoothed out edges on these pieces. Floating plants will help dim the light, which your Syno will appreciate.

Flow in this system should be fairly sedate as Synodontis nigrita prefers backwaters and ponds over rivers and the flow that comes with them. This makes sense when you consider that these fish come from these types of water bodies, all over North and West Africa from Egypt and Sudan in the North, to Mali, Niger, Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria in West Africa along the Atlantic Coast as well as Chad and Cameroon in the west central region. The water quality and chemistry in these ponds can vary quite a bit, and not surprisingly, the False Upside-Down Catfish is pretty adaptable as a result. The acceptable temperature could be anywhere from 70 to the low 80s. Hardness is basically irrelevant unless it is poisonously high, and pH could be anywhere from 6.0-8.0.

You can keep Synodontis nigrita in planted aquariums, but keep in mind that this is an omnivore. They are unlikely to bother healthy plants if well fed and luckily, they are very easy to feed. In house they get a mix of Nutramar Freshwater Algae and Color Boost Shots as well a blend of meaty foods that includes Gamma Brine Plus Spirulina, Brine Plus Omega 3, Tubifex, White Mosquito Larvae, Bloodworms, and Mysis etc. They will also happily take blanched rounds of zucchini and peas, though there is some debate about the food value of terrestrial greens for them. They will greedily consume live offerings like earthworms and redworms as well.

These are peaceful fish in general and can be kept in groups if the aquarium is large enough and each of the fish has a unique spot to call home. If that's a display you'd like to try, add the Synos all as juveniles and at the same time. They can also be kept with pretty much anything that isn't small enough to be eaten. Barbs, Rasboras, Knifefish, African Tetras, even some west African Cichlids can all make good tankmates. Because of their potential size, and penchant for eating stuff smaller than them, we don't recommend them for a peaceful community display. As they get bigger / older they may get more territorial, so we don't recommend adding more Synodontis genus fish to aquariums that have established, adult False Upside-Down Catfish in them.

As we referenced earlier, this is a fish that is commonly available as a wild caught species, but they are also frequently available aquacultured, so breeding them is possible. There is little in the way of literature out there on this topic, so if you want to try your hand at this in your home display, you'll be almost starting from scratch.

The False Upside-Down Catfish isn't a phony after all. They'll be upside down all the time as juveniles, but this behavior will fade somewhat as they develop. What won't fade is this fish's amazing durability, adaptability, activity, good looks and general coolness. If you're looking for a cat that gets a little bigger but isn't a full-on monster when it grows out, Synodontis nigrita fills that slot almost perfectly. Head to your LFS and ask them for one from Aquatropic today!