Lace Cat with CA cichlids

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J

JTRG05

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2009
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Northwest Ohio
My local LFS just got in some "Lace Synodontis Catfish", and all I know is that I'm looking for a Catfish that can stand up to my Jack Dempsey without dying and I know that Synodontis Catfish are fairly hardy. Its a 55 gallon with a Jack, a Blood Parrot and a Firemouth Meeki.

Upon inspection of the Cat it doesn't look like the Synodontis Nigrita that I find online, or could it be a juvenile coloration? (its a little over an inch long). It is black, with a lace like pattern.

Will it live with this stuff if i stick it in a grow tank first and get it a decent size, and how long does it take for these to grow?
 
If it is a "lace catfish," it will grow at a pretty good rate. I have two of them and they grew significantly in a short period of time. I am guessing that my smaller of the two nearly doubled in size, from under 2" to 3-4" in the past couple of months.

My inclination is, yes, a syno should do fine in that tank. But if you can get a slightly larger one, say, about 4"+ to start, it'd do even better.
 
I have 2 syno's in a 75 with an oscar and they are doing fine, they are both around 5 inches. The oscar is at least 8 inches and chases them around some but they dont care at all and the oscar does not see them as food thats for sure.

And I agree that they grow fast, mine blew up, i bought them at an inch and they grew to 4-5 inches in just a few months.
 
Fantastic, they are pretty, I'm just hoping it is a Lace Catfish and not an LFS mislabel, it is at least a synodont though.

Any recommendations on food for the little guys?
 
My synos seem to go nuts for anything that I put in the tank, from flakes to shrimp pellets, spirulina discs, bloodworms, and plankton. They aren't at all picky :)
 
It's going to be pretty crowded in a 55 g with the 3 Cichlids plus a Feather Fin/Lace Cat. Otherwise I think they'll do fine. I've got one each in two 125 g tanks, they both have a pair of Oscars in with them. They grow super fast and they're pretty full-bodied, mine went from an inch to (now) 8" in like 7-8 months. They'll eat ANYthing, literally. Mine each have corners at the opposite end that the Oscars eat at. I just drop their food right there by them and they scoop it up.
Is this what it looked like?
FF.jpg
 
TwistedPenguin;3262804; said:
Is this what it looked like?
Click to expand...

Yep, I've got two of the cuties in a grower 30 gallon right now.

When is the best time to add them to the 55 gallon, and when would be the best time (or necessary time) to upgrade the 55 to something larger?

And I hope they do grow fast! Can't wait to see them with the cichlids! :D
 
It's doubtful the Parrot can hurt him with their mouths the way they are & doubtful the Firemouth would hurt him as they seem to mind their own business. If your JD is a more laid back type you should be safe to add the cats when they're about 2-3". A 55 g would be the perfect size IMO for the FM & Parrot plus the 2 catfish. It's the JD who gets big, 10" or bigger (depending on who you ask lol). Maybe you could get the JD his own tank with dithers & his own catfish and the other 4 fish can have the 55 g and add some top schooling fish. Just a thought. That way you could get more fish :-)
Edit: The cats will likely hide or hang upside down under some wood most the time during the day.
 
Yeah I would worry a little about the Jack. Unless you have an adult lace cat. These cats can take care of themselves. I got nailed by my 9 inch synodontis Angelicus and it hurt like hell.lol Again if the jack is mellow it would be fine. Lace cats are a dime a dozen in Michigan. I have seen adult lace cats 10 -12 inches goping for 15 bucks. They are on e of the cheaper more common synodontis cats.
 
I've had problems with this Jack before.

I added an 8 inch pleco to the tank when he was about 4 inches long. The pleco lasted about 10 minutes before I took him out, the JD wouldn't leave him alone, just kept ramming and nipping. I took the pleco back and got an Oscar the same size as the Jack, but he didn't last long either.

Since they hide during the day and defend themselves well, I'm hoping they'll work! If anything else they'll work with the BP and the FM
 
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