Syno petricola question

[RampageRR]

My wife saw a bunch of these schooling together at the lfs last night, and now really wants to buy 4-5 of them. We've got a tank we can put them in, but it's not a rift lake setup. Do these synos have to be in a high ph salted rift lake type setup like an african cichlid, or are they OK to be put into your standard 78-80 degree medium flow with good hiding spots type of tank? I don't want to buy them if the tank is unsuitable for them, so I'd like to confirm whether or not they need to be in a specific setup or not.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Chances are 1000 to 1 it is Synodontis lucipinnis, not petricola. Luci's are far more predominant in the trade and cheaper. Luci's appear to be tolerant of various water: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=103

Here is petricola (note that it is highly variable in appearance and may be split later into a few species): http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=857

You probably need a Syno expert advice, not mine, or read a few more care sheets from other databases on lucipinnis and petricolas - there are plenty to choose from.

I kept multis (which were far more likely to be S. grandiops - another common ID trap) in an average water, not soft, not hard, neutral. They did ok.

 

[RampageRR]

Thanks for that information. If they are indeed lucipinnis, which I can't really discern from the pictures on that forum, they are perfectly fine in normal conditions. I wish there was an easy way to tell the difference.

From your link about lucipinnis:

"Given that the fish doesn't require the water conditions normally associated with rift valley cichlids this renders virtually any aquarium fish of a suitable size and disposition a good tankmate. It's a community catfish for the masses!"

 

[cl0wn knife]

i have true F1 petricolas they are an awesome fish id reccomend getting aslong as ater quality is good they seem fine just have 3+ and they are alot more active.

 

[RampageRR]

Do you have them set up in an african cichlid high ph rift type tank, or are yours in a normal tropical setup?