Synodontis quartet, ~8"-12", in 4500 gal

thebiggerthebetter

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17:30-18:30 minutes:



All 8 synos have been transferred to a new 1800 gal. 36:20-36:45 minutes:

 

thebiggerthebetter

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From our snail bullhead thread: https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...-or-snail-bullheads-ameiurus-brunneus.696696/ post #6

Update. A little criminal bedside story for boys and girls with stable psyche...

Once upon a time, there lived not three but two, not piglets, but snail bullheads not in the forest but in a dark scary fish tank full of critters of unfathomable kinds...

The snail bullheads had done well in the 1800 gal for some months and then I started noticing some damage on one of them, on the top, by the dorsal, first a little, no red, then with each week worse and worse until it became a sizeable, red, skinless crater. I spent some time by the tank hoping to catch the culprit but largely failed. I caught the Prochilodus lineatus tank mate (a relative of red-fin and yellow-fin Prochilodus) try to suck some slime off the target bullhead and hence took the lineatus out of the tank first, blaming the damage tentatively on it... but the future showed lineatus was but a sneaky fox, a vile profiteer, not the big bad wolf... the damage on the snail bullhead didn't heal and perhaps got a bit worse even after the lineatus was gone.

So it wasn't it. I took the bullhead out and placed it in a 240 gal where it healed up well and has been doing well since, even today. Then, of course, I started seeing the exact same damage develop on the second snail bullhead left in 1800 gal! Well. Mind you, this is but typical hair-pulling-out experience when housing a menagerie of fish together. Nothing surprising, at least in my career of "caring" for fish.

I watched closer as time permitted and finally caught the evil-doer - it was our oldest, about 15 years old, 12" hybrid synodontis! Swimming up to the bullhead and always looking for the same spot and rasping on it. The lubber bullhead behaved strangely to human logic not trying hard enough to swim away or to shake off the uninvited vampire. I feed the tank very well, so I cannot imagine the syno was doing it out of hunger, but rather just because it could. It wasn't about territory whatsoever either. Just a leisurely supplementation of diet, not out of need but probably out of "it gives me something to do, so why not?".

As I reported before, Ictaluridae, such as channels and bullheads, are terrible IME at warding off such attacks of certain fish, such as pacu, synodontis, Distichichodus, Labeo. Same goes for iridescent shark catfish, sporadically some Doradids, all rather timid fish.

So I had to take out the second bullhead out of the 1800 gal and transfer it to join the old buddy in the same 240 gal.

And in such a way the two Pigheads lost some skin but escaped the big bad Wolfodontis...

Obligatory after-story non-Vogue photoshoot. Parental discretion advised. (Remember the healthy stable psyche alluded to above.)


The first bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:

Bullhead snail 1 rasped by syno 1.JPGBullhead snail 1 rasped by syno 2.JPG


Second bullhead after transfer to 240 gal:

Bullhead snail 2 rasped by syno 1.JPGBullhead snail 2 rasped by syno 2.JPGBullhead snail 2 rasped by syno 3.JPGBullhead snail 2 rasped by syno 4.JPGBullhead snail 2 rasped by syno 5.JPG



The rasper - hybrid synodontis named Krol through the years - first set of photos is from 2009-2010, 120 gal, Rochester, NY, then 2015-2017, 4500 gal, Naples, FL. Spots come and go. Same fish.

Synadontis Krol 1.JPGSynadontis Krol 6.jpgSynadontis Krol 8.JPGSynadontis Krol 9.JPGSynodontis hybrid 10 years 1.JPGSynodontis hybrid 10 years 2.JPGSynodontis hybrid 10 years 4.JPGSynodontis hybrid both 1.JPGSynodontis hybrid both 2.JPG
 
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thebiggerthebetter

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January of 2010. Our first 5 synodontis and their ID. Hybrids, eupterus, possible decorus / hybrid. https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=28869

Synodontis eupterus aggression issues - 6th post down with a link collection: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=43896&hilit=eupterus+aggression

Our early (2009-2011) community of 20 different synodontis species and 40 different species of tank mates in 120 gal grow out: https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30939

100_2308.JPG

120-gal 2.JPG

120-gal 3.JPG
 
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thebiggerthebetter

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Going back to 2009-2011.

One of our two first ever synodontis. Both turned out hybrids.

Angella 1.JPG


Angelicus, adult, at 9":

Angie 1.JPGAngie 2.JPGAngie 4.JPGAngie 7.JPGAngie and Leo.JPGAngie.JPG


Alberti:

Bert 1.JPGBert 2.JPGBert 3.JPGBert 7.JPGBert 10.JPGBert and Al 1.JPGBert and Franz.JPGBert, Angie and Soloni 2.JPGBert, Angie and Soloni.JPG


BFF alberti and P. pictus:

BFF S alberti & P pictus.JPG
 
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thebiggerthebetter

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Some of half a dozen early rescues of eupterus, all in the same tank, 120 gal, heavily "planted":

Flus 1.JPGFlus 3.JPGFlus 4.JPGFlus 9.JPGFlus and USD 2.JPGFranz 5.JPGFranz and Krol.JPGFranz and USD.JPG


Group shots:

group shot 2.JPGgroup shot 3.JPG


Upside down syno. Right side up haha...

group shot 4.JPGgroup shot 5.JPGgroup shot 6.JPG


We've rescued a lot of the most common hybrids, called valentiana, jaguar, zebra, and other nonsense, such as this:

Jaguar.JPG
 

thebiggerthebetter

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More valentiana hybrids:

Krol and Angella 2.JPGKrol and Bert 3.JPGKrol and Bert 4.JPGLeo 3.JPG


Hybrids abound in skeletal defects, such as this crooked face:

Leo 4.JPGLeo and Angella.JPGLeo and Ocya.JPG

Genuine species, occelifer:

Osya 1.JPG

Genuine - soloni:

Soloni 1.JPG


It was hard to say genuine or hybrid, decorus:

Syno decora 0.JPGSyno decora 1.JPGSyno decora 5.JPG


Strange-proportioned eupterus:

Syno eupterous - question 3 1024-576.jpgSyno eupterous - question 4 1024-576.jpgSyno eupterous - question 5 1024-576.jpg

Sold as highly coveted and extremely rare longirostris (the syno grows to 2 feet)... but this is just the $5 valentiana hybrid:

Syno longirostrus - question 1.JPGSyno longirostrus - question 2.JPGSyno longirostrus - question 3.JPG
 

thebiggerthebetter

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Again one of the first two hybrids. This one I naively thought was notatus.

Syno notatus - question 1.JPGSyno notatus - question 2.JPG


Our first ever eupterus. The shorter than usual snout suggests a debatable variant or species galienatus, but it's likely just a eupterus with a snout deviation / deformity.


Synodontis euptera 1.JPGSynodontis euptera 3.JPGSynodontis euptera 6.JPGSynodontis euptera 8.JPGSynodontis euptera 9.JPGSynodontis nigriventris 1.JPGTiger shovelnose-red tail hybrid 2.JPGTire track eel 2.JPG
Upside down, genuine nigriventris.

USD 1.JPGUSD 2.JPGUSD 5.JPG


Syno 55 gal in the basement:

100_3843.JPG

That's a genuine, adult notatus, ~10".

100_3846.JPG
 

Backfromthedead

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Seems about right. My only experiences with syno cats were suspect hybrids throughout their lifetimes. I wonder if there is a vendor out there who specializes in wild caught syno. I mean I see a lot of specialized cichlid, pleco, ray vendors that have meticulously catalogued catch location and species info, but with synos it's always vague, like "it's a schoutedeni....I think..."
 

thebiggerthebetter

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Seems about right. My only experiences with syno cats were suspect hybrids throughout their lifetimes. I wonder if there is a vendor out there who specializes in wild caught syno. I mean I see a lot of specialized cichlid, pleco, ray vendors that have meticulously catalogued catch location and species info, but with synos it's always vague, like "it's a schoutedeni....I think..."
You are right! The only vendor off the top of my head is Toyin of Rehoboth Aquatics. He specializes in Africans... Well, Dave Rinaldo from Texas is real good too with synos. I forget / don't know what his joint is called. He is active on PCF (Planet Catfish).

WetSpot, Aquabid, Ebay carry synos often.

If you ever see a syno for sale and doubt, ask for the actual fish photos and post them on Planet Catfish, or at least here, to get ID'ed. As simple as that.
 
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