Information on keeping Microsynodontis sp. "Nigeria&quo

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 24 Dec 2003, 01:26

Hi!

While my girlfriend was doing the christmashopping i picked up some very tiny fish that ive identified as Microsynodontis sp. (2)(elog) or sp. "Nigeria"(Shanes World) or sp.cf.pollii (Mergus Bd.5).
I got 4 of them for 5 euros but right now im pretty clueless of how to keep them properly. I could free a 40 cm tank for them, would that be allright for the moment? They are around 2-3 cm tl.
They are very active and have allready eaten some dry granulate food.

Mergus says try to keep a pair for breeding purposes - sexing: unknown....im still trying to understand this.

Any advice would be nice.
greetings
C

Post by **Silurus** » 24 Dec 2003, 01:38

They're fairly easy to maintain. Keep the water soft and acidic, proivide plenty of hiding spaces and a mild current, and they'll be very happy.
You may want to keep a pair for spawning, but they're just as happy in a group. Males have a prominent genital papilla and are slightly more tuberculate, espcially during breeding season.

Post by **Dinyar** » 24 Dec 2003, 01:39

A 40 cm tank should be fine. These are not especially difficult fish to keep. Keep a neutral pH (we found this worked better than acidic conditions for our "Nyong") and temp of 25-26 C. Furnish with sufficient hiding places. Feed live food occasionally. You could easily keep not four but 10 or even 20 in a 40 liter tank.

Dinyar

Caol_ila · Post by **Caol_ila** » 24 Dec 2003, 08:44

Thanks a lot. Nice things to hear. Finally a small species i brought home.

How about this price? Ive never seem then in shops here before. Not an often asked for fish i guess. The shop closed so i got them cheaper than usual ( at least i think so) also brought home 1/5 Nannacara anomala? for 1 euro that i didnt even want...shop guy said theyre better off with me even if i had no need/space for them...

greetings
C
p.s.: urghs girl wants to go shopping again today...(for the anglosaxons we give presents today and the rest is just drinking and feeding...

plesner · Post by **plesner** » 24 Dec 2003, 10:32

I've got mine (8 of them) in a 144 L tank: Except for a few caves (marble type ones like the one described in the Cat-eLog under Synodontis cf_petricola 'dwarf'). They are one of very few of my fish which seems completely uninterested in frozen artemia or frozen black mosquito larvae. I feed them my homemade frozen veggie and shrimp mix as well as different kinds of Hikari sinking pellets and wafers. Not the most active fish BTW.