TankBud

Cuckoo squeaker

Synodontis multipunctatus

Also known as Synodontis multipunctata, Cuckoo catfish

FreshwaterFish

Cuckoo squeaker (Synodontis multipunctatus)
Imperial Tropicals · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–82°F
24–28°C
pH
7.5–8.5
Adult size
7.1 in
18 cm
Minimum tank
29 gal
110 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Shoaling
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Mochokidae
Origin
Lake Tanganyika

Overview

The cuckoo squeaker is an active, peaceful catfish from Lake Tanganyika for a hard-water community tank. It is a step up from the easiest fish.

Did you know

The cuckoo squeaker is the only fish known to be an obligate brood parasite. Its eggs hatch inside a cichlid mother's mouth ahead of her own, and the young catfish then eat her fry.

Caring for the cuckoo squeaker

Give a group of cuckoo squeakers at least 29 gal (110 L). Stack rock into piles of caves over a sandy floor, with open swimming lanes between them. Run strong filtration and keep the oxygen steady.

Keep the water hard and alkaline, at a pH of 7.5 to 8.5 and 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C). Clean, mineral-rich water and good flow keep them in good health. Offer a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, snails and the odd algae wafer.

Keep cuckoo squeakers in a group of at least four or five. In a group they school and forage busily over rock and sand. They are peaceful and mix well with Tanganyikan or other rift-lake cichlids, since they share their tastes. They are also too quick and armored for the cichlids to bother them.

Cuckoo squeakers spawn while mouthbrooding cichlids spawn, and the cichlids scoop up the catfish eggs with their own. Breeding them on purpose is hard and needs spawning host cichlids.

Good to know

The cuckoo squeaker is a catfish in the family Mochokidae, the squeakers. It also goes by the names cuckoo catfish and Synodontis multipunctata.

In the wild

The cuckoo squeaker is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. This vast, ancient rift lake has hard, alkaline and very stable water, with a rocky shoreline.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The cuckoo squeaker is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a cuckoo squeaker need?

A cuckoo squeaker needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a cuckoo squeaker need?

A cuckoo squeaker is comfortable at 75–82°F (24–28°C) with a pH of 7.5–8.5.

What does a cuckoo squeaker eat?

A cuckoo squeaker takes a varied diet of sinking pellets, frozen bloodworms, snails and the odd algae wafer.

How big does a cuckoo squeaker get?

An adult cuckoo squeaker reaches about 7.1 in (18 cm).

Does a cuckoo squeaker need a group?

Yes. A cuckoo squeaker is a shoaling species and should be kept in a group, not singly.

How does a cuckoo squeaker breed?

The cuckoo squeaker spawns alongside mouthbrooding cichlids, which scoop up its eggs with their own. Breeding it on purpose is hard and needs spawning host cichlids.

Related species