The squeakers (Synodontis) are a species-rich genus of catfish from Africa. Currently 131 accepted species are known. The maximum size of these fish lies between 8 cm and 60 cm. Most species attain a maximum length of 15-20 cm in the aquarium. In their home-countries these fish are very common and heavily used as food fish. Sadly only very few species are imported on a regular basis. Squeakers are very interesting fish, for they have a complicated social structure. One should always try to keep them in groups. Spacious tanks with lots of hiding places are essential for keeping these fish. Regarding water chemistry they are undemanding. They will live happily in any type of tap water. Food is mostly composed from meat, in the wild Synodontis feed in insects, small fish and Aufwuchs. If a Synodontis is caught and held out of the water is makes a loud squeaking sound – that is the reason for the common name of the genus.
We could import after a quite long time again Synodontis bastiani (S. eburneensis is a well-known synonym) from Nigeria. The species can be best recognized by the dark should spot. The body coloration can be plain or spotted, this differs individually. A special juvenile coloration has not been described for that specires so far. However, our smallest individuals have still two light bands on the caudal peduncle, which is a typical feature for many juvenile states of squeaker. According to the literature S. bastiani can attain a maximum length of 25-30 cm.
For our customers: the fish have code 172603 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
| Angaben zum Tier | |
|---|---|
| Herkunft | Nigeria |
| Verfügbare Größe in cm | 7-8 |
