Synodontis petricola & lucipinnis Care Guide

Basic care guide to keep Synodontis petricola & lucipinnis. Rough notes below

Old care guide video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BQODuZeN1M&ab_channel=MikeFish

Petricola eating here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOc-hDcQKCk&ab_channel=MikeFish

Entire aquarium here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay0Mk8sq_Yg&t=67s&ab_channel=MikeFish

Spawning here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GkkTKS6KWL8

Petricola fry here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDTs_tiGiZc&t=41s&ab_channel=MikeFish

Synodontis petricola and lucipinnis

*both these species are very similar to one another
*they are often mislabelled and could also very well be hybrid
*that said, these were sold to me as petricola from a very reputable store, part of me thinks they may be lucipinnis, leave a comment below on what you think they are and why
they both come from the same lake a require the same care
*it doesnt help that lucipinnis are also called dwarf petricola
*has many nicknames, pygmy leopard catfish, dwarf cuckoo, false cuckoo to name a few

*native to Lake Tanganyika in Eastern Africa
*they are a light brown with irregular dark brown spots over the body and smaller spots on the head and ventral region
*white whiskers and the fins have white tips/edges with a darker base
*petricola, compared to the lucipinnis grow about an inch larger and have an axillary pore at the end of the gills
*petricola max out at 5-6 inches, lucipinnis 4 inches
*lucipinnis apparently have a window or light coloured area on the base of the dark triangle, most noticeably on the anal fin
*the front edges of the dorsal and pectoral fins harden into stiff spines
*other than that, spotting etc... is not a certain way to tell the difference
*also, visually similar to the synodontis multipunctatus with obvious differences, multis dont have white on the front of the dorsal fin. Multi also get a lot larger, bigger eyes, and are more plump
*they are a hardy species, however, I would put them on an intermediate level of scale for care
*they should be kept in groups of at least 5 or 6, this will encourage them to be more social
*keeping a single specimen in a tank may cause it to be very cautious and preferring to hide amongst rocks and caves
*can do well in a community tank with other semi-aggressive fish, however, I don't recommend putting them with small, slow and peaceful fish. I've seen them almost kill a betta
*tanks mates should be large enough that they won't be seen as prey
*larger tetras, barbs, gouramis, most cichlids, especially African mouthbrooders
*these fish are primarily nocturnal, but will become active during the day once established in an aquarium with caves, driftwood and rocks
*will not eat plants, however, they might uproot them
*dim lighting will also encourage the fish to be more sociable
*these fish love open water for swimming and darting around sometimes
*they hang out mostly on the bottom of the tank though with plenty of rock arrangements and driftwood for exploration
*they are constantly moving in and out of my caves and driftwood, and seem to be having a lot of fun
*these catfish will also appreciate a fine, sandy substrate

*temperature 75-82F (24-28C)
*pH 7.5-8.5
*water hardness 10-35 dH
*longer aquariums are better, Ideally a 75 gallon, even a 55 gallon felt too small for my adults
*well oxygenated, good flowing water

*diet – omnivorous and not fussy about the food they get. Frozen, live and dried foods are all accepted. Worms, shrimp, and small cichlid pellets, foods that sink, sinking catfish food etc
*also known to graze on vegetables such as peas and cucumbers. I make sure all my fish have a balanced diet of all different sorts of food
*surface foods should be avoided as these fish are susceptible to bloat

*gender: females are rounder around the belly and a darker colour
*cannot be sexed using the genital papillae technique as it is too small
*I have successfully bred these, I have a video of the egg stages posted, and of them growing into adults
*it is kind of tricky to breed them, as they tend to eat the eggs and fry. I had to make a contraption or marble bed to prevent this
*It is basically a cave with no bottom, on top of egg crate so the eggs can fall through, and the adults cannot get to the eggs
*also a different tank to raise the fry or to move the parents

*petricola are egg scatterers and can also breed through a method called brood parasitism
to get them to breed is easy, but keeping the eggs and fry from getting eaten is the more difficult part
*provide them with a lot of caves, rock work, and driftwood, and they will likely breed
the male will chase the female a bit, then lock up in a T position. They will quiver alongside each other as the eggs and sperm release
*more info in the video!

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