Pygmy Leopard Synodontis (Petricola)

Synodontis petricola

The *Synodontis petricola* is one of the absolute stars of African cichlid aquariums. This small African catfish (10 cm / 4 inches) sports an adorable and highly elegant livery: the light brown body is covered with a neat network of black polka dots (similar to those of a leopard), while the dark fins are outlined by a dazzling and crisp snow-white border. Often confused with the larger (and predatory) *S. multipunctatus*, the Petricola is instead a real 'Pug' of fresh water: stocky, perpetually busy, incredibly gregarious and famous for its funny habit of swimming and eating completely upside down, raking the underside of stones or the water surface.

Family: Mochokidae
Origin: Africa (Endemico del Lago Tanganica)
Tank use: Used in 0 tanks

Temperature

24 °C - 28 °C

7.5 - 8.5

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Zona inferiore. Molto agili tra i meandri rocciosi.

Adult size

10 cm

Description

The Upside-Down Swimmers:

Synodontis have a unique anatomical peculiarity of the swim bladder that allows them to zero out gravity and lose the sense of up and down in the water. They spend half their lives literally swimming upside down under rocky cornices or even sucking the surface of the water upside down without showing any effort.

Care and observations

They Do Not Replace Corydoras (Very Hard Water):

The most tragic mistake of shopkeepers is selling Petricolas as "leopard cleaners" for normal community aquariums along with Neons or Angelfish. The Petricola comes from Lake Tanganyika, where the water is alkaline like baking soda (pH 8.0-8.5) and very hard. Putting them in the soft and acidic water of Amazonian fish will make them sick, causing a rapid death from osmotic shock. Buy them EXCLUSIVELY if you own a rocky aquarium dedicated to African Cichlids.

The Strength of the Pack (The Submarine Train):

Petricolas are strictly social schooling fish. If you buy only one, you will condemn it to depression: it will crawl into a tube or under a rock and will never come out again except at night. You must buy a minimum of 5 or 6. When they are in a school, their shyness disappears: they will travel in a cute "little train" darting from one side of the tank to the other playfully chasing each other even in broad daylight.

Avoid Sharp Gravel:

Like Corydoras, they possess delicate fleshy barbels (whiskers) around the mouth to find buried worms. A bottom of sharp gravel or volcanic rock will cause wounds, fatal fungal infections and amputate them. The bottom of the aquarium must be exclusively of very fine river sand.

Fish profile

Temperament: Estremamente pacifico, giocherellone e totalmente devoto al proprio branco. A differenza di molti altri grandi pesci gatto africani che uccidono i piccoli pesci durante la notte, il Petricola ignora totalmente la presenza altrui, concentrandosi solo sulla ricerca di cibo.
Diet: Onnivoro. Voracissimo spazzino. Pur spazzando il fondo da qualsiasi avanzo (pellet affondanti, scaglie, cibo vivo), ha bisogno di un forte apporto proteico: chironomus, tubifex e artemia. Tendono a soffrire di obesità se la vasca viene sovralimentata per colpa dei ciclidi.
Tank level: Zona inferiore. Molto agili tra i meandri rocciosi.
Minimum group: 5
Adult size: 10 cm
Minimum tank: 120 L
GH: 10 dGH - 25 dGH
KH: n/a
TDS: n/a
Conductivity: n/a
Sex ratio: Grande Gruppo Obbligatorio (5-10 esemplari). I maschi sono leggermente più piccoli e snelli; le femmine adulte appaiono visibilmente più larghe quando piene di uova. Un esemplare tenuto da solo morirà di inedia o stress nascondendosi per sempre.
Feeding frequency: 1 volta al giorno (preferibilmente all'imbrunire). Mangiano spesso a testa in giù.
Bioload: Medio-Basso
Flow: Corrente da Moderata a Forte. Acque iper-ossigenate come quelle del Tanganica.
Reproduction: Dispersori di uova 'Opportunisti'. A differenza del cugino S. multipunctatus (che usa il parassitismo da nido deponendo le uova in bocca ai Ciclidi in modo che le crescano al posto suo), il Petricola è un semplice 'egg scatterer' che disperde uova appiccicose nelle fessure strette tra le rocce oscure.
Compatibility: Mantenimento perfetto negli acquari 'Rift Lake'. I compagni inseparabili sono i Ciclidi del Lago Tanganica (Neolamprologus, Julidochromis, Cyprichromis, Frontosa) o del Lago Malawi (Mbuna non troppo aggressivi e Peacocks). Evitare di mischiarli con grandi loricaridi (Pleco) che competerebbero ferocemente per il fondo.

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.