Synodontis (cuckoo catfish) questions

[Tessa]

I was looking in my lfs yesterday and saw one of these for the first time, i'd never seen one for sale before. He is gorgeous, and i'm very tempted to get him if he's still there when i go back.. I thought I'd better do some research first though .
I read they prefer pH above ~8, the tank they'd be going in is around 7.5 - would that matter if the pH is stable and i acclimate him slowely?
In the shop they only had the one, would it be ok to keep him on his own, atleast until i found him a friend/friends? Though this is the only time i've ever seen them in any of my lfs.
Would he be ok in a 120g tank with 3 clown loaches, 3 yoyos, 5 glass catfish, 2 angelfish, 1 bristlenose pleco, 2 opaline gouramis, 1 black ghost knife and 1 kissing gourami? Most of these fish are juveniles and not very big yet. I plan to add more loaches soon-ish and in a few years i want to get a bigger (200g +) tank to keep the clowns happy
Anything else i should know about these catfish?

 

[blackmolly]

they really need groups of five. also... they hide A LOT. don't be surprised if you never see them. personally, i wouldn't with your stock. a bottom heavy tank like that will make them more likely to hide. i would say wait a while until you upgrade and they can have the bottom of the 120 to themselves.

 

[toddnbecka]

They are social fish, best kept in groups, a single would never be seen. The pH isn't critical, though they wouldn't like acidic water. I have a group of 5 adults in a 75 gallon tank with a group of eureka red peacock cichlids. The female cichlids occasionally release 1-3 baby multi's instead of cichlid fry.

 

[Koikid88]

I don't have any, but I heard they have similar behaviour as other Synos.
I have 1 upside down syno, and I honestly thought he was dead.
Saw him for the first 2 weeks, then vanished.
Rearranged the tank a few months later, and he shows up lol

So yes, get a school of them. The tankmates you have are fine, and the PH isn't too far off. As long as the fish doesn't need like 8.4 ph and your water is 6.4. Just acclimate accordingly and keep ph stable.

 

[Tessa]

Thanks for the advice, im still not sure if I should get him or not. I would get a school when i can find some more for sale but he'd be on his own at first.. And i do have alot of bottom feeders. But on the other hand (lol) he is so cute! And a bargain, the lfs has $30 on him - i looked online at an australian online fish supplier who are normally very reasonable, they cost $178 on there! So i kind of feel like maybe i ought to grab him now.
They grow to around 15cm, right?
Also, thats so cool that yours are breeding! I would like to breed them one day, just for the novelty of it, but i dont keep any mouth brooding cichlids haha.

 

[toddnbecka]

Are you sure it's actually a multi for that relatively low price? There have been a number of multi hybrids turning up over the last few years or so.
Yes, they normally grow to about 15cm, quite slowly compared to other (non rift lake) Synodontis. My eupterus went from 2" to 8" in a matter of months, multi's typically take a couple years from hatching to reach full size.

 

[Tessa]

That's true, i didn't think of that.. When i talked to the guy working there he said it was called a synodontis or a cuckoo catfish - he wasnt sure on the full scientific name. The tank didnt have a sign i.d.ing it either. But when i looked online it did look just like the multi..
Is there anyway to tell the difference? Is it likely to have significanrly different behaviours/needs if it is a hibrid or other similar breed?

 

[toddnbecka]

Google some pics, and note the black/white edges on the fins. That's distinctive to pure bred multi's regardless of size, hybrids never look the same. If there's only 1 being sold cheap it could be a random trade-in or outcast from someone else's tank. How big is it? I have juvies that are several months old and only about 3.5-4cm now. Had 2 for almost a year when I sold them, they were a little over half grown.

 

[Tessa]

He's probably 5 - 6 cm, im going to try to go back and have a look at him today.

 

[Jeff6.0]

I had to sell my Synodontis Perticola when I moved. It was my favorite fish in my tank. My PH was 7.6. He was kept alone and was happy healthy and did not hide.

I miss him

 

[Tessa]

Well I went into the lfs to have another look at him and I ended up buying him . His is drip acclimating now and I will add him to the tank soon... they told me the tank he was in was only 7.8 (i thought it would be higher cos he was in with african cichlids) so not too different to mine. They told me that he had been there for a few months, so he is used to being on his own - I will still look around for others though and try to get him a school. The shop also said they can't get any more in.
I will upload pictures later

 

[toddnbecka]

You could try posting some "wanted" ads on a couple Aussie forums, someone will surely have young ones available somewhere along the line. The buggers live for 20 years or more with proper care, so you'll have plenty of time to find him/her some friends.