Bigeye upside-down squeaker

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep this squeaker on its own, as it is a solitary bottom dweller that does not school and can be territorial toward its own kind. It spends the day tucked under wood and overhangs and often cruises belly up, so give it plenty of shaded cover. Temperament is mostly peaceful, but choose tankmates with care: pick robust, calm fish that are not small enough to be swallowed and not aggressive enough to pester a night feeder. Feed after dark with sinking pellets, catfish wafers, and frozen foods such as bloodworm and brine shrimp. Allow a tank of around 400 liters.

In the wild

In the wild it lives in the Niger and Benue rivers of West Africa, among submerged branches and root tangles in warm, well oxygenated water. Recreate that with a soft sand floor, a good amount of bogwood, and shaded overhangs it can rest beneath, plus gentle to moderate flow. Keep the water warm, from 23 to 27 C, at a near neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.8 that is moderately soft to slightly hard.

Good to know

A member of the catfish family Mochokidae, the squeakers, it reaches about 30 centimeters. It is one of the upside down catfishes: its countershading is reversed, dark below and pale above, which fits a fish that swims inverted for much of the day. It was described by the naturalist George Albert Boulenger in 1904. Breeding has not been recorded in home aquaria.

Did you know

The name resupinatus is Latin for lying on the back, a plain description of how this fish spends much of its life, cruising upside down beneath snags with its dark belly turned up toward the light.

Common questions

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