Best syndontis catfish for a smallish tank?

[Mod123]

So Im planning to do a cheapish 85 gallon sqaure catfish tank, it has a 74x74cm footprint with 60 height. i am allocating 100$ to this and for 47 I have gotten 20kgs of play sand and a 1800Lph filter. I am using the rest of the money for fish and plants. Since most syndontis are around the 30$ mark I was planning on getting 4 corydoras along with one syndontis and along the line a BP. I've seena. few syndontis but my favourite so far is the petricola, if this stocking will not be compatible what alternatives are there?

All prices in AUD from online shops

 

[Milingu]

S. petricola and other small Synodontis do better in groups of 5 or better more. A single specimen will hide most of the time.
Synodontis from lake Tanganyika need a higher pH. At least 7.5, better higher, which can be problematic for some Corydoras species.
And Synodontis from lake Tanganyika can be quite ferocious feeders and will easily outcompete the Corydoras. Don't underestimate how much food Corydoras need.
Long story short, I would not combine them.

 

[RD.]

S. petricola and other small Synodontis do better in groups of 5 or better more. A single specimen will hide most of the time.
Synodontis from lake Tanganyika need a higher pH. At least 7.5, better higher, which can be problematic for some Corydoras species.
And Synodontis from lake Tanganyika can be quite ferocious feeders and will easily outcompete the Corydoras. Don't underestimate how much food Corydoras need.
Long story short, I would not combine them.

Agreed, would also add that that many cats sold as S. petricola, are typically S. lucipinnis. Same net result with both, as posted by Milingu.

 

[Morti]

Synodontis nigriventris, the upside-down catfish were always fun when I kept them as a kid. I don't know how much they are where you live but they were pretty cheap here.
They are best as a group so price would be the determining factor if you were interested in them but they should be fine with the cories.

If I was thinking of doing petricola/lucippinnis then I would concentrate on them because they can be such fun fish. I would want a decent sized group because they are far more fun in really big groups groups, especially at feeding time.

 

[Mod123]

Synodontis nigriventris, the upside-down catfish were always fun when I kept them as a kid. I don't know how much they are where you live but they were pretty cheap here.
They are best as a group so price would be the determining factor if you were interested in them but they should be fine with the cories.

If I was thinking of doing petricola/lucippinnis then I would concentrate on them because they can be such fun fish. I would want a decent sized group because they are far more fun in really big groups groups, especially at feeding time.

I could probably get two petricola if that would work?

 

[Mod123]

S. petricola and other small Synodontis do better in groups of 5 or better more. A single specimen will hide most of the time.
Synodontis from lake Tanganyika need a higher pH. At least 7.5, better higher, which can be problematic for some Corydoras species.
And Synodontis from lake Tanganyika can be quite ferocious feeders and will easily outcompete the Corydoras. Don't underestimate how much food Corydoras need.
Long story short, I would not combine them.

How hard is it to adjust ph?

 

[Milingu]

How hard is it to adjust ph?

Increasing the pH is pretty easy compared to lowering it. But it's still some work. You need to add sodium bicarbonate to the water. It brings the pH to 8.5. But you need to add it to the new water before you add it into the tank an wait for the sodium bicarbonate to dissolve in the water. You want to avoid any major fluctuations of the water parameters in the tank. Which can be time consuming and requires a large container for the water.
I did it for a while and found it quite annoying. I nowadays prefer to keep fish according to my tap water parameters. It makes it easier, less time consuming and in case of illness or other problems you can act pretty quickly with just doing a quick water change.

 

[Mod123]

Increasing the pH is pretty easy compared to lowering it. But it's still some work. You need to add sodium bicarbonate to the water. It brings the pH to 8.5. But you need to add it to the new water before you add it into the tank an wait for the sodium bicarbonate to dissolve in the water. You want to avoid any major fluctuations of the water parameters in the tank. Which can be time consuming and requires a large container for the water.
I did it for a while and found it quite annoying. I nowadays prefer to keep fish according to my tap water parameters. It makes it easier, less time consuming and in case of illness or other problems you can act pretty quickly with just doing a quick water change.

my ph is 7.5 according to google, can any synodontis support that?

 

[Mod123]

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[Conchonius]

Get a trio of petricola (or the cheaper nigriventris), or more if you can. Even with sociable species, getting two of a fish can result in the more dominant animal "bullying"/outcompeting the other. Larger numbers will allow social interactions to diffuse.

Another alternative is a single eupterus, which is also one of the cheapest species. While they're social animals in large enough tanks, they also enjoy having some territory to themselves and a single fish will not be stressed.

You have plenty of space, 85g will support all but the very largest synos (S. clarias, S. batensoda etc.) As long as these are the only fish in the tank, you'll probably have an easy time since low bioloads in large tanks is a proven formula for success.