Synodontis petricola

Overview

The Synodontis petricola is a small catfish from Lake Tanganyika with a cream body covered in black spots and black fins edged in white. It is active and hardy, and unlike many catfish it is often out and about during the day, especially when kept in a group.

It is a favorite companion for African cichlid tanks because it thrives in the same hard, alkaline water, and its armor and spines protect it from rowdy neighbors. A word of caution when buying: much of what is sold as "petricola" is actually a look-alike species (such as S. lucipinnis) or a farm-bred hybrid. Care is almost identical, but it is worth knowing if you want the pure species.

Care and tank setup

It is social, so keep a group of four or more. A single fish turns shy, and in pairs one may bully the other. For a group plus tankmates, a 55-gallon (200-liter) tank with good length is a sensible minimum.

• Hard, alkaline water at 73-81°F (23-27°C), like a Tanganyika or Malawi cichlid tank; it does not belong in a soft-water community.
• Plenty of rockwork with caves and crevices so every fish has its own retreat.
• Sand or fine, rounded gravel to protect its barbels.
• Strong filtration and oxygenation; it does poorly with built-up nitrate.

Tankmates: medium-sized African cichlids, other Tanganyika fish and robust hard-water species. At night it will eat fry, shrimp and very small fish. Handle with care: its pectoral spines snag easily in nets, so it is better to catch it with a container.

Feeding

It is an easygoing omnivore. Use quality sinking wafers and pellets as the staple, with bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis and some plant matter as extras. It feeds most actively in the evening, so drop part of the ration at lights-out to make sure it gets some among greedy cichlids. Do not overfeed: it gains weight easily.

Breeding

It belongs to the "cuckoo catfish" group: in the wild these Synodontis slip their eggs into the spawning of mouthbrooding cichlids, which end up incubating them. It occasionally happens in Malawi cichlid tanks, but it is not something you can plan at home. Most fish in the trade come from farms that use hormone induction.

Compatible tank mates

Species from our database that share water parameters, size and temperament with the Synodontis petricola. Calculated from the data in each profile.

Check the compatibility of your whole tank →

What not to keep it with

Popular species you shouldn’t house with the Synodontis petricola, and why.

• Discus: incompatible temperatures, incompatible pH
• Oscar: incompatible pH, one may eat the other due to size, incompatible temperaments
• Ram cichlid: incompatible temperatures, incompatible pH
• Celestial pearl danio: incompatible pH, one may eat the other due to size
• Rummy-nose tetra: incompatible pH
• Cardinal tetra: incompatible pH
• Ember tetra: incompatible pH, one may eat the other due to size
• Amano shrimp: eats shrimp

Recommended equipment

What you need to keep the Synodontis petricola healthy, checked against Amazon stock.