PlanetCatfish.com

I have searched through this site and others looking for what people have tried in attempting to breed this fish. I am not one to reinvent the wheel nor one that thinks breed trout should be a model for this fish.

Has there been a compilation on what has been attempted? I have an angelfish/discus breeding room, 2300g now and maybe 3500g when finished and would like to give this an attempt. I loved the one I had 30 years ago and want to see what I can do.

Thanks

I have never heard of anyone having success in breeding this species. Keeping two of opposite sex in the same tank appears to be a good starting point... You may well be able to in a 2500+ gal tank... As a rule, with a few exceptions, breeding Synos in captivity is pretty rare. Only the ones from the Rift-lakes and a small number of others have been reported as bred in captivity - and aside from the rift lake species, I don't know of anyone breeding any Syno "with repeated success".

I don't think it's impossible.

When Neil Hardy's (wholesaler here in England) breed their S. granulosa, they keep males and females apart until the female is full of eggs, then introduce one female to one male, as I understand it.

By all means, go for it. I just don't think there is anyone that has even a decent idea of what you should try...

--
Mats

By all means, go for it. I just don't think there is anyone that has even a decent idea of what you should try...

I was waiting for when I had time to write this out...


Most synos because of their tuffness are kept in mixed tanks often with territorial cichlids and such, we often do not see the behaviour and colors that they are capable of.


As you can see in my MyCats list I enjoy Synodontis...I have kept track of any information about , I have had five myself for awhile now. . I do not have enough large tanks to free up just to work with these so mine are in a display at the moment.

I think they could be done but possibly need a number of fish with separate tanks large enough or one large with a divider to keep the sexes split and another tank, for example a 75 to 100 gal. for breeding.

Any young out there in stores are hormone induced.

I also know of one person who will say he spawned them (naturally) but the reality is they spawned in a tank on their own and no eggs were saved, which is interesting to me in its own right.

Key points:

Mature specimens

They seem to fade to white when initiating spawning action and would have to be brought together before seeing this, more than a few have seen the fading during their interactions.

Ideally you will need two tanks one for each sex,

Well fed, they will eat most any foods but for me a well rounded diet would include insects, shrimp and a supply of veggies they can browse on…once they figure out veggies are available they are not shy scraping at zucchini or green beans with relish but with feeding enough has to be supplied so that not only the dominant fish of the tank gets to eat.

Talking to people that have bred large synos with hormones the first batch of eggs will quite possibly be non-viable and it may take 4-6 months to get back into breeding condition but the second batch works… may work out the same with natural breeding.

A third tank to be set up for egg scatterers with screens.

I think synos are sometimes breeding in tanks but happening at night, it is hard to catch when it happens, also eggs become a tasty treat and the synos themselves are opportunistic feeders so any eggs would not last long(as well as what is consumed by other inhabitants.
a very large tank could also be set up having many caves no plants except for a large breeding tray with plants or spawning mops above with a group of fish kept permanently in the tank.

I recommend you could experiment with or , both are smaller have been spawned and schoutedeni are Congo fish as well.

Birger

To elaborate a little on previous posts, I believe that breeding synos is literally only just around the corner for the dedicated hobbyist who has the correct resources. These are mostly, time & multiple tanks.

The way Neil Hardy's do it (with genuine petricola & granulosa) is to have 3 tanks: males in one, females in another & the third is the tank set up for the breeding attempt. The fish are conditioned up & the best male & female selected & transferred to the breeding tank.

I believe the different conditioning tanks is a deliberate move rather than a divided tank as the water cannot mix so secreted hormones etc are not sensed until they are brought together. For the breeding tank I'd install a tight fitting mesh/ grid an inch off the bottom to save any eggs produced.

Suitable adults obviously need to be obtained & we are talking 10 inch TL fish or as close as you can get.

Then we come to external influences & this I can't advise on what might be best. A cold water, water change is well known but it may have to simulate rain via a watering can or spraybar. The sound of rain/ thunderstorms may have an effect combined with atmospheric pressure changes. The pH of the water may alter mimicking natural changes. These may be a bit trial & error to find the correct combination. Having already spawning fish in the tank may have an effect or at least the water they've been in. There are so many things to try but I believe the 3 tank system gives us a great starting point as it has a proven track record