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Catfish
/ Mochocidae / Feather-fin Catfish
Feather-fin Catfish
Synodontis eupterus | Pictures
Synonyms: None
Physical description: The Feather-fin Catfish has a deep, stocky body. It has three pairs of barbels on its mouth. The body is light brown to dark gray in color and covered in small
dark spots. The fins also have spots and the tail is striped. The dorsal stands tall.
Size/Length: To 6" (15 cm)
Similar species: High-fin Synodontis (Synodontis alberti), Spotfin Synodontis (Synodontis robbianus), Large-blotched Synodontis (Synodontis robertsi)
Habitat: Central Africa; White Nile (Sudan) and the tributaries of Lake Chad (Chari and Yobe Rivers) in Niger and Chad.
S: bottom
Aquarium: 32" (80 cm) or 30 gallons (114 L). The tank lighting should be muted by a cover of floating plants. Thickets of plants and other hiding places are
needed, as are open swimming areas. Use a fine gravel bottom.
Water chemistry: pH 6.5-7.5 (7.0), 8-20 dH (14), 72-81°F (22-27°C)
Social behavior: A peaceful fish, recommended for a community tank. Does well with any sized companions.
Suggested companions: Mormyrids, Congo Tetras, West African cichlids, Gouramis, larger barbs, Haplochromis, Butterfly fish
FOOD: Live; Tubifex, insect larvae, crustaceans, earthworms, aquatic and terrestrial insects; tablets.
Sexual differences: Unknown
Breeding techniques: Unsuccessful in aquaria, although successful in Florida fish farm ponds using hormone injections.
Breeding potential: 10. This species has yet to spawn in aquaria.
Remarks: This fish is sometimes sold as S. ornatus.
Difficulty of care: 3. A hardy catfish whose diet should include live foods.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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