TankBud

Ocellated squeaker

Synodontis ocellifer

Also known as Ocellifer catfish

FreshwaterFish

Ocellated squeaker (Synodontis ocellifer)
Original uploader was Tameff at pl.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
73–81°F
23–27°C
pH
6.5–7.8
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
21 gal
80 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Common
Family
Mochokidae
Origin
West Africa (Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Volta, Lake Chad basins)

Overview

The ocellated squeaker is a nocturnal catfish for the bottom of a community tank. It is an easy catfish to keep.

Did you know

Ocellated squeakers really do squeak. They lock and grind the spines of their pectoral fins against the shoulder girdle to make an audible creaking or squeaking sound. They usually do it when handled or stressed, so you can easily hear it when you net one out of the tank.

Caring for the ocellated squeaker

Give an ocellated squeaker at least 21 gal (80 L), in a tank with a long footprint. Larger fish or a small group need 350 liters and up. Use soft sand or fine gravel with plenty of driftwood, roots and rock caves, and give each fish its own refuge. Keep the lighting dim or shaded by floating plants.

Keep the water clean, well oxygenated and well filtered, at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.8. Ocellated squeakers hide among wood and caves by day and forage at night. Feed sinking pellets and wafers, frozen and live foods, and some vegetable matter.

Ocellated squeakers are mostly peaceful, but they are predatory by size and will eat anything small enough to swallow. Skip tiny tank mates and pair them with tetras, larger barbs or rasboras, cichlids and gouramis. They turn mildly territorial toward other Synodontis as they mature. Keep them singly, or in a group only if you provide plenty of caves per fish.

Breeding them at home is impractical, since commercial production relies on hormone induction. Fish in the trade come from farms rather than home tanks. As a large, hardy catfish, it should never be released into local waters. Check your local rules before keeping one.

Good to know

The ocellated squeaker is a catfish in the family Mochokidae, the African squeakers. Wild fish can grow much larger than aquarium adults, near 49 cm total length according to FishBase. It is hardy and long-lived.

In the wild

Ocellated squeakers come from the river and lake basins of West Africa, including the Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Volta and Lake Chad systems. These are slow to moderate flowing waters with sandy or muddy bottoms, scattered wood and overhanging cover.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The ocellated squeaker is a mostly peaceful, social 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 an ocellated squeaker need?

An ocellated squeaker needs at least 21 gal (80 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an ocellated squeaker need?

An ocellated squeaker is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.8.

What does an ocellated squeaker eat?

An ocellated squeaker eats sinking pellets and wafers, frozen and live foods, and some vegetable matter. It will also eat any fish small enough to swallow.

How big does an ocellated squeaker get?

An adult ocellated squeaker reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

How does an ocellated squeaker breed?

Ocellated squeakers in the trade are bred on farms using hormone induction. Breeding them at home is impractical.

Related species