[kasey06]

My LFS has this species readily available locally. Would this do ok in a 55 gallon tank with mildly aggressive fish? They are juveniles and I plan on buying all fish as juveniles. Thanks.

 

[Fogelhund]

If you don't have any fish currently, and are getting juvenile Malawians, they should be fine with Synodontis petricola. Make sure you purchase at least six of the petricola, in order to actually see them. When there are only a few, they hide quite a bit.

 

[kasey06]

My tank is 55 gallon and this is what I plan on stocking:
Labidochromis Chisumulae-Qty 6
Pseudotrophius Sp(Msuli)-Qty 4
Cynotilapia Afra(Cobue)-Qty 6

Would I have space for 6 Synodontis petricola? This tank is not set up yet, I hope to have it up sometime next month. All fish I buy will be juvenile.

 

[Fogelhund]

These species should be fine with the Syno's. Yes, there will be enough space for them.

 

[kasey06]

Thanks. I guess these are readily available and are locally raised. The Labidochromis Chisumulae are hard to get in this area as are the Pseudotrophius Sp(Msuli) but there are several that can be special ordered if not in stock. Once I have the tank up and cycled i'll head over to the store and take a look at what he can special order for me. It may be as soon as next month, I can't wait!!

 

[CichlidWhisperer]

I would make sure they are actually Syn Petricolas... I have 4 "Syn Petricolas" that have turned out to be Syn Lucipinnis... I am actually happy because I wanted them to stay small anyway.

When I got them, my mbuna were about 2 to 3 inches and the Syn Lucipinnis were tiny, probably only 1/2 an inch.. But they were totally fine. In fact the Lucipinnis are the only fish the Mbuna will share a cave with.. They simply ignore them.

 

[why_spyder]

My Syno. petricola do great with all my mbuna. Definitely a fun addition to any Malawian tank.

 

[kasey06]

Thanks. I'll definitely get the recommended 6 then for this tank!