Lucipinnis breeding advice sexing, diet, age of maturity etc

[FTLOSM]

Hello,

With the great help of this forum I have now correctly identified my petricola as lucipinnis, thanks on that btw.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... hp?t=21449


Ok I have 3, they are about a yr old maybe 3 inches in size, I have a dedicated 29 gallon tank, clear bowl black marbles flowerpot with top hole, just like what I see around the net for breeding petricola.

But is the process the same for lucipinnis?

Also diet wise (what is the best for breeding yet maybe less hassle than a frozen worm diet) wife NOT too keen on me putting frozen worms in the freezer hehe.

Lastly and probably most important, at what age or size can I determine of my 3 fish here which "might" (hopefully) be female, i read to look for body buldge (eggs) but haven't really seen any difference in any of the 3 but also not sure if at 1 yr of age it would even show yet.

Anyone with some specific lucipinnis breeding info pics notes please let me know,

Bill

[Mod edit: Moved to African Catfishes where it belongs -- Mats]

[FTLOSM]

Sorry Mods on not putting this in the right area, also had one more question, what exactly does a catfish DO, I mean all they "seem" to do is scan the bottom like crazy, are they doing something or just busybodies?

Will having more in a tank help keep it clean or is that a myth?

Bill

[MatsP]

Catfish are generally "Bottomdwellers". As to "clean the tank" it probably depends on many things, amongst which you'd have to define what you mean by "clean".

When I clean my tanks, it involves mainly changing water. I have so far not been able to find a fish that can do that

The purpose of changing water is to remove nitrogenous waste [as nitrate], which is formed as the overall metabolism of "food" (and other deteriorating matter, e.g. dead plants). The nitrogen comes into the tank in the form of proteins, and unless you actually remove the nitrate, it will have a toxic effect on the fish.

If by "clean" you man "eat leftover food from messy eaters", yes, many catfish do this, including S. lucipinnis.

I hope this helps.

And no worries about the move - it's not hard, just a few clicks with a mouse. It's part of "our job" as moderators.


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Mats

[MatsP]

As to your Sexing question,

Synodontis lucipinnis

info, which should give you some idea about feeding and other husbandry, and picture of male/female fish

Aside from the above picture sexing differences, the following is the "generic entry for Sexing Syno's", which I believe will work on S. lucipinnis

First lay the fish in your hand with its head toward your palm and the tail toward your fingers. Hold the dorsal spine between your middle and ring finger so the fish is belly up and you won't get stuck (which by the way, hurts like crazy!) The genital pore is in a small furrow of tissue (in healthy fish) and will be obstructed by the pelvic fins. Pull down on the tail gently to arch the fishes spine and the pelvic fins will stand and the furrow open to display the genital pore and the anus of the fish. The male has a somewhat ridged genital papillae on which the spermatoduct is on the back side, facing the tail fin. A gravid female will also show an extended papillae but the oviduct is on the ventral side of the papillae (And may also show a little redness if really gravid). A thin or emaciated female will have just two pink pores, the oviduct and the anus.

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Mats