Edit Synodontis petricola
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Name
Scientific name
Synodontis petricola
Described by
Authority Matthes, Year 1959
Family
Mochokidae
Common names
Dwarf Lake Synodontis, False Cuckoo Synodontis
Photograph credits
All 4 credited
Summary
The dwarf lake Synodontis, Synodontis petricola, is a small, peaceful Synodontis catfish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. Unlike most of the gen…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
130mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 90 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Minimum height 30 cm
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 24–28°C, pH 7.5–8.5
Hardness
10–35dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Peaceful
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Community-safe
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Lake Tanganyika
Writing
Etymology
Petricola derives from the Latin petra (meaning rock or stone) and cola (meaning dweller), in reference to its preferred habitat among the rocks of Lake Tangan…
Distribution
This species is endemic to Lake Tanganyika.
Habitat
This species is endemic to Lake Tanganyika.
Aquarium size
90 ∗ 30 ∗ 30 cm - ~81 litres as a group should be kept.
Maintenance
Should be housed in a Lake Tanganyika biotope setup, with piles of rocks arranged to form caves and areas of open water for swimming. Dim lighting will encoura…
Water conditions
Temperature: 24 – 28 °C pH: 7.5-8.5 Hardness: 10-35 dH
Diet
Synodontis are omnivorous and are most unfussy in terms of feeding. Frozen, live and dried foods are all accepted. It also relishes vegetable matter in the for…
Behaviour and compatibility
Should not be kept with any fish so small as to be considered food but makes a good addition to a community of hard water cichlids, ideally mouthbrooding speci…
Sexual dimorphism
Mature females are rounder in the belly than males. Cannot be sexed using the genital papillae technique as it is too small.
Reproduction
Unlike the majority of the genus, S. petricola is actually bred quite often in aquaria. It is usually an open spawning egg scatterer but it is also one of the …
Notes
One of our favourite Synos and highly recommended for any Tanganyikan community aquarium. The dwarf form can even be kept in a South American community.
References
References
2 on this profile