Common syno

Care at a glance

Overview

The common syno is a hardy, active catfish that works the bottom and lower water at night, rasping at food and browsing surfaces. It is mostly peaceful and does best with robust tankmates such as larger tetras, barbs, West African cichlids, or gouramis rather than tiny fish it could bully or startle. It is a sociable species that can be kept singly or in a small group given space. Feed it well and vary the diet with sinking pellets, frozen foods, and vegetable matter like shelled peas. Provide a soft sand bed and plenty of caves, and aim for a tank around 210 liters or larger.

In the wild

Synodontis nigrita is widely distributed across Africa, living in quiet backwaters, pools, and slow stretches of rivers in the Nile, Niger, and Volta systems and beyond. It tolerates a wide temperature band, so anywhere from 21 to 28 degrees C works, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Furnish the tank with a soft sandy floor to protect its long barbels, bogwood, and rocky caves for daytime shade, and keep the water well-oxygenated with a moderate current and regular water changes to control waste.

Good to know

A member of Mochokidae, the African squeaker catfishes, Synodontis nigrita reaches around 20 centimeters, roughly twice the size of the true upside-down catfish it is often confused with. Squeakers get their name from the creaking sound they make by locking and grinding the pectoral spines. Its body carries bony head plates and strong dorsal and pectoral spines, and it browses with teeth set in the lower jaw. Breeding in aquaria is not documented.

Did you know

This is the fish most often sold as an upside-down catfish, though the real one is Synodontis nigriventris. The common syno rests belly-up far less often and grows about twice as large, which usually gives the mislabeling away once it matures.

Related species

• 

  Bigeye squeaker

  Synodontis alberti

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Featherfin squeaker

  Synodontis eupterus

  7.9 in (20 cm)45 gal (170 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Ocellated squeaker

  Synodontis ocellifer

  7.9 in (20 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)

• 

  Lake Malawi syno

  Synodontis njassae

  7.5 in (19 cm)40 gal (150 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Brichard's synodontis

  Synodontis brichardi

  6.3 in (16 cm)50 gal (190 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  One-spot synodontis

  Synodontis notatus

  9.8 in (25 cm)53 gal (200 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)