I picked up a new Corydoras but it turned out to be....

[MIKE D]

Two days ago I was at my LFS buying ottos for my G/F's community tank when I saw this awsome looking cory for 3 bucks. I had a extra 5 spot burning a hole in my pocket and I said what the heck why not so I bought him. When I got him home and acclimated to the tank I got a better look at him. His face didnt look like the other Corydoras I have. His dorsil fin sticks up much higher than my others, and he likes to clean upside down. Worried I bought a monster cat I jumped onto the web and did some searching. After an hour of searching I came up with a match Synodontis eupterus. The picture from planetcatfish.com matched my new cory to a "T". Heres a link to the picture http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/image.php?image_id=1576

Now I have some questions I would like to ask as I plan on keeping him. How big does the featherfin get? I been on 5 diffrent sites and the all have diffrent sizes. One site said 6" and another said 8" Do I feed it normal catfish food like alge discs? Im thinking about moving it into my discus tank which houses 3 discus, 2 angles, 3 Corydoras and a bunch of plants. Will everything be ok if I add him? The featherfin is still a Juvenile and it's about the same size as my corydoras. Thank you in advance.

[rich311k]

Mine is 4-5 years old. He is about 8 inches and very bulky. He has never hurt anything. He has had many small bottom dwelling companions without problems. I never see him. He hides continually even when food is in the tank.

[flossyfloofloo]

they usually grow to 8 inch they are great but only come out when it gets quiet or your lights go out they grow pretty slow but they look awsome when they get big

i feed mine algae wafers but choose a good brand like hikari as they are higher in protiene also they do scavenge for flake and other food so feed at night (just before lights out) and u might tempt him out more often

i have mine in a community tank and its fine just give it plenty of cover and bogwood and it will be fine

[flossyfloofloo]

let it grow a bit before u put it in ur tank with discus it might get spooked

[MIKE D]

Great! I havent seen him since I put him into the tank. Will his color change when he gets bigger? I love zebra coloration and I would hate to loose it. My discus get hikari discus food so not only will he get hikari alge discs but hikari discus food as well. The high temp wont bother him will it?

[flossyfloofloo]

they can put up with high temps but not too high wwhat temp is ur tank at

mine is around 2.5 inch long ( around 2 month old )and has not changed colour and ive seen plenty of large specimins that have brilliant colours

they do go very dark during the day though and there colourage comes out at night

[Star_Rider]

more info

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=121

they do apparently change color

[flossyfloofloo]

oh yes so they do mine must have the decorus colouring from birth then sorry bout the miss information but mine is going to be a bit of a fun time as it is a snyodontis eupterus x decorus a genetic mix of two species

hope all goes allright

if your tank is big enough i would buy at least two more as it not uncommon that they will live together ( but not school) and this will make them a lot more active

[rich311k]

I found a shot mine. they are nice looking cats, when they grow up.

[MIKE D]

Tank temp is at 85. Its a 72 gallon so I think I could get at least 1 more. I got it for 3 bucks and from what I've been seeing online the starting price is $19.99 for a 4"

[DAVIDFBT]

They may have mislabeled it.

[Zebulon]

Nice steal! Temp sounds a bit high, probably would be happiest under 80 degrees. They can eventually grow over 8 inches in the long run, but your tank might be sufficient. They are pretty chill cats and shouldn't bother anything.

[MIKE D]

I went back to the same LFS and got another one. Right now they are living in my planted 10g and are helping my snails keep the tank clean. They are about 3" and Im letting them grow out before I move them. I cant turn the tank temp down in the 72g because of my discus so I might have to find another home for them.

[jsayther]

i bought my synodontis as a wee little boy, about 1.5-2 inches, and it has only been 3 months, and he is 5-6 inches. he hides all day unless it is feeding time, they do however lose the marbley pattern, which i thought was so frickin cool, and end up having spots, still cool, but not as cool. IME they grow fast, maybe i just have an abnormally fast growing syno. great fish though, he is way nice, his color varies, from dark to light, always having the black spots. i like it when he searches the bottom for food, its fun watching his whiskers go all crazy, like they are fingers or something. anyways, good buy, you'll enjoy them.

jason.

[Rbishop]

A great find and a decent price, Mike! Congrats!

[Mudfrog]

Mine grew like a weed. Bought it at 3" and ended up at 7.5" but I do not remember the time frame. It was very territorial, and it grew fond of my bichirs slime coat so I ended up having to get rid of him. Mine mainly fed on shrimp pellets with an occasional algae wafer.

[MIKE D]

Thanks! They hide under a clump of java moss durring the day and the only time I see them is when I feed them or after the tank lights are off. Im a little bumed that they loose there marble pattern but What drew me to them was there little whiskers. Ill try and post pics soon!

[Fishy_Fun]

Good luck with them