LA
Pic
1.5" upside-down catfish doing what they do.
Latin
Name: Synodontis
means “dog-toothed.” (We don’t
get it either.) All the Synodontis
have “root-like” whiskers and good ol’ catfish stabbers in their pectoral
and dorsal fins. Nigriventris
means “black-bellied.” They are usually lighter colored on what would
be their top if they were not upside down.
LA
Pic
Another upside-down catfish.
Common Name: Lots of the
Synodontis species swim upside down
from time to time. S. nigriventris swims
upside down nearly 90% of the time – thus the name.
LA
Pic
Give them a visible "cave."
Why Upside Down? Some
fish keepers have theorized that Synodontis nigriventris swim upside down to enable them to
eat mosquito larvae that congregate at the water’s surface.
LA
Pix
Upside-downer on
left.
Lace catfish on right.
Origins: As far as we
know, all upside-down catfish are still directly imported from Africa. They come from the Zaire river
basin.
Water Conditions: Don’t
worry too much about pH. We like to
add one teaspoon of salt per gallon. Some
references insist catfish hate salt. Lots
of African catfishes come from high pH water with salt in it.
LA
Pic
You see them for sale at 1.5 inches.
Appeal: Who can resist a
fish that swims upside down? They’re
flat out cute. They mix well with
other fishes. They eat whatever you
feed them. And unlike many
catfishes, Synodontis nigriventris come out during the day. They
not only come out, they very actively feed during the day – off the bottom and
off the top.
Size: You find
them for sale at about two inches or less. They
grow up to average about three inches and occasionally reach four.
LA
If they find a location they like, upside- down catfish all try to pile up there.
Habitat: Provide caves
or ledges for your nigriventris to loaf in. If
you don’t, they will stack up behind your filter tube.
Better yet, give them an arching piece of driftwood.
They’ll line up along the underside of the wood arch like a Lionel
railroad. If you give them a ledge
or cave, put it up front so you can watch these intriguing little characters.
Good Mixers: Upside-downers
don’t bother regular community fishes. Oddly
enough, they will also get along with some ol’ African cichlids,
because they have enough sense to maintain a low profile when housed
with bullies. The lace catfish mix better with African cichlids, than S.
nigriventris.
LA
Pic
Scavengers: Lots of
people keep catfishes on their clean-up crew.
Upside downers will scavenge for food.
However, they also come right out front and compete with the other fish
at feeding time. They are not picky
eaters or intimidated by most fish.
LA
Pic
USD catfish just cruising.
Foods: Upside-down
catfish eagerly eat whatever you feed them.
They love foods with meat in them. They
also love live foods and frozen foods. As
you might expect, they go nuts for live California blackworms. Their whiskers make
them great “worm finders” – live, frozen, or freeze-dried.
Filtration Note:
Upside-down catfishes love to explore small places in search of snacks.
That’s their job. If you
use a power filter, make sure you put a strainer on the end.
They will also explore your under gravel filter stems, if you leave out
the carbon cartridges.
LA
Pic
LA
Pic
Head 'em up. Moov'em out.
LA
Pic
Upside-down catfish love the under surfaces of whatever they can find.
LA
Thee-inch adult Synodontis nigriventris -- much easier to photograph.
LA
Adult female upside-down catfish lighten up more than the males.
LA
Females also get larger bellies.
LA
S. nigriventris like to hang together.
LA
We'll see if they want to spawn.
Summary:
If you collect catfishes, you need one or more of these cuties in your
collection. If you want a scavenger,
these guys will do the job. If you
like interesting fishes, you need at least one upside-down catfish.
By the way, they like to patrol in herds.
LA.
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© 2005
LA Productions
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Corner of Sixth &
Euclid Avenues
Des Moines, IA 50313
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