help with identification and behavior

orthikon · 08-22-2005, 01:27 PM

the fish has been up by walls of the aquarium instead of the bottom. Could it be hungry? So far i've been feeding them flakes and a couple of flakes fall down the surface. I've only had him for a day and I'm a total fish newbie.

BTW sorry for the large pic I don't have any image editing software right now.

Thanks

Courtney · 08-22-2005, 01:53 PM

well it looks like some kind of pleco, and he would probably love some Algea Wafers

cucci67 · 08-22-2005, 02:04 PM

I can't really see from the pic, but does its mouth look like a suction cup. If so then it is some sort of pleco and you should feed it algae tablets. If it has a larger "regular" mouth, then it isn't a pleco, and should be fed a bottom feeder/catfish tablet.

orthikon · 08-22-2005, 02:14 PM

So flakes would not be sufficient for a pleco?

flynngriff · 08-22-2005, 02:28 PM

Depends on the variety of pleco... Also, some are carnivores and do not eat algae...

The picture isn't good enough for me to tell you what kind of fish it is, although it's likely either a pleco of some kind, or a synodontis of some kind. Do you remember what the store had it labeled as? Also, how much did you pay for it?

garfieldnfish · 08-22-2005, 03:08 PM

This is a pleco and I'm tempted to say either an L333 or 260, hard to tell. But go to Plantecatfish http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/com_list.php and compare. A lot of plecos are carnivores and prefer bloodworms, mysis shrimp, shrimp pellets and frozen brine shrimp to algae wafers, but not knowing for certain what you have I would attempt both to see what he goes for.
Like already mentioned it certainly would help us to know how much you paid for it.
I have carnivorous, wood eating and algae eating plecos and while they will munch a little on flakes once they hit the gravel, sinking pellets are prefered. Besides, my other fish pick the best morsels out of the flakes before they hit the bottom and my plecos would only get left overs. Not fair to the coolest fish around. (plecos are my favorite in case that's not obvious)

**Baby_Baby** · 08-22-2005, 04:35 PM

get some algae discs, put em in the tank at night and turn the lights out in the tank, they can see better in the dark, those algae wafers will be history in the morning

orthikon · 08-22-2005, 05:20 PM

got the algae discs (spriluna to be exact).

i got the tank from a friend and he doesn't remember how much (just <$5) he also told me that this was a catfish.

garfieldnfish:

i looked at the pics of the L333/260 and they don't have antennae (dunno if this is the right term) that's one piece of information i forgot to mention and it also isn't apparent in the picture.

i hope i didn't waste money on the food if it's not a pleco. on the back it says for all bottom feeders/algae eaters so will this food be okay if it were not a pleco(catfish?)

thanks

Jonno · 08-22-2005, 05:37 PM

its dif a plec i suggest u feed him alage pellets that sink and if you have algae in the tank he or she will also feed of that i would says its a zebra plec but i dnt think it is

malawi4me2 · 08-22-2005, 06:48 PM

Are you guys sure that it's even a pleco? I immediately thought of one of the Synodontis cats, possibly Synodontis robertsi or a young S. eupterus... It appears to have a prominent adipose fin behind a large dorsal fin. It's a tall bodied fish also, where (aside from the Panaques) most plecos are "flatter" (for lack of a better word). It's eyes also look more like the eyes of a Syno than a Pleco to me. What do y'all think? Orthikon, how big is this fish?

flynngriff · 08-22-2005, 06:57 PM

Like I said... No way to tell from the photo if it's a pleco or not. I'd lean towards a type of Synodontis catfish, but I don't know of any with those markings. I can't say for sure that it's not a pleco cause I can't see it's mouth clearly, and a lot of plecos have similar markings.

See if you can take a better photo... And please don't start dumping in different kinds of food trying to see what it eats. That will polute your water, and the fish can stand not eating for a day or two while we figure this out.

-Flynn

orthikon · 08-23-2005, 01:17 AM

Sorry for the delay guys just got home. Hope these pics will do I will try to get better ones I'm too clumsy I keep hitting the tank and the fish move so it's hard to get a clear picture.

edit: the fish is about 2 3/4 to 3 inches long

mr.dark-saint · 08-23-2005, 06:57 AM

that's a Syno. It'll eat anything meaty like Brine Shrimp, Worms (of all types), Sinking Pellets, Flake (basically any and everything).

Lydia · 08-23-2005, 07:02 AM

Yeah that's definately not a pleco. Just out of curiosity, what else do you have in the tank with it? It looke like an awesome tank! Could you by any chance post a full tank pic?

flynngriff · 08-23-2005, 08:47 AM

Yep, I'd say it's a Synodontis Eupterus.

I'm 100% sure on the "Synodontis", and 95% sure on the "Eupterus"...

The markings can vary from spots to the intricate maze this one seems to have. It also looks pretty fat. I'd cut back on the feeding a good bit!

This guys are pretty hardy fish that don't really have any special requirements that I can think of... They can get up to 6 inches long, and they grow pretty fast.

-Flynn

orthikon · 08-23-2005, 11:59 AM

Thanks for the responses guys!

Regarding the behavior of the syno the first two days i had it it was just swimming by the bottom surface. Lately it it's by the walls of the aquarium, to be exact by the thermometer it seems to swim around the suction cups. Could it be looking for algae? cleaned out the tank (thoroughly) when my friend gave it to me. For now I'll be feeding it the pellets that I got above before I go to bed.

Lydia:

The tanks doesn't look spectacular it's just a 10g and it is pretty empty right now. pics are here: http://photobucket.com/albums/v165/orthikon/fishy/

I n addition to the syno, I have two glassfish and a blackskirt tetra.

The glassfish I have look like these:
http://www.fishesnpets.net/explore/...1glassfish2.jpg

I've read that they are brackishwater fish but one that had this description didn't match the pics so any help is appreciated if this is not the right forum pls direct me to the right one.

malawi4me2 · 08-23-2005, 12:01 PM

Yep, I'd agree with Flynngriff. Looks like a young S. eupterus to me also. I have one with my Malawi Cichlids that I've had for about 18 months. She's grown from about 3/4" to almost 6" now. Very peaceful, hardy, and will eat anything that'll fit in her mouth! One of my favorite fish! Those stripes will probably change into a spotted pattern at about 4". Can you get a side view pic showing the dorsal fin?

**Baby_Baby** · 08-23-2005, 04:45 PM

oh cool glass catfish! I want some of those! lol

solar-ton · 08-23-2005, 05:11 PM

its synodontis schoutedeni if you dont belive me look at this.

**TheOldSalt** · 08-23-2005, 05:54 PM

Solar-ton might be onto something. How big IS this fish? If it's a little juvenile, then eupterus is a good candidate, but if it's an adult, it's not.

08-22-2005, 01:27 PM	#1
orthikon Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 16	help with identification and behavior the fish has been up by walls of the aquarium instead of the bottom. Could it be hungry? So far i've been feeding them flakes and a couple of flakes fall down the surface. I've only had him for a day and I'm a total fish newbie. BTW sorry for the large pic I don't have any image editing software right now. Thanks

08-22-2005, 03:08 PM	#6
garfieldnfish Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 661	This is a pleco and I'm tempted to say either an L333 or 260, hard to tell. But go to Plantecatfish http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/com_list.php and compare. A lot of plecos are carnivores and prefer bloodworms, mysis shrimp, shrimp pellets and frozen brine shrimp to algae wafers, but not knowing for certain what you have I would attempt both to see what he goes for. Like already mentioned it certainly would help us to know how much you paid for it. I have carnivorous, wood eating and algae eating plecos and while they will munch a little on flakes once they hit the gravel, sinking pellets are prefered. Besides, my other fish pick the best morsels out of the flakes before they hit the bottom and my plecos would only get left overs. Not fair to the coolest fish around. (plecos are my favorite in case that's not obvious) Last edited by garfieldnfish; 08-22-2005 at 03:17 PM.

08-22-2005, 04:35 PM	#7
Baby_Baby Friendly Neighborhood Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 3,602	get some algae discs, put em in the tank at night and turn the lights out in the tank, they can see better in the dark, those algae wafers will be history in the morning __________________ *Emotion is energy in motion.*

08-22-2005, 05:20 PM	#8
orthikon Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 16	got the algae discs (spriluna to be exact). i got the tank from a friend and he doesn't remember how much (just <$5) he also told me that this was a catfish. garfieldnfish: i looked at the pics of the L333/260 and they don't have antennae (dunno if this is the right term) that's one piece of information i forgot to mention and it also isn't apparent in the picture. i hope i didn't waste money on the food if it's not a pleco. on the back it says for all bottom feeders/algae eaters so will this food be okay if it were not a pleco(catfish?) thanks Last edited by orthikon; 08-22-2005 at 05:27 PM.

08-23-2005, 01:17 AM	#12
orthikon Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 16	Sorry for the delay guys just got home. Hope these pics will do I will try to get better ones I'm too clumsy I keep hitting the tank and the fish move so it's hard to get a clear picture. edit: the fish is about 2 3/4 to 3 inches long Last edited by orthikon; 08-23-2005 at 01:20 AM.

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08-22-2005, 01:53 PM	#2
Courtney Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Rogers, Ohio, USA Age: 25 Posts: 260	well it looks like some kind of pleco, and he would probably love some Algea Wafers

08-22-2005, 02:04 PM	#3
cucci67 No Longer Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 481	I can't really see from the pic, but does its mouth look like a suction cup. If so then it is some sort of pleco and you should feed it algae tablets. If it has a larger "regular" mouth, then it isn't a pleco, and should be fed a bottom feeder/catfish tablet.

08-22-2005, 02:14 PM	#4
orthikon Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 16	So flakes would not be sufficient for a pleco?

08-22-2005, 02:28 PM	#5
flynngriff Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 34 Posts: 443	Depends on the variety of pleco... Also, some are carnivores and do not eat algae... The picture isn't good enough for me to tell you what kind of fish it is, although it's likely either a pleco of some kind, or a synodontis of some kind. Do you remember what the store had it labeled as? Also, how much did you pay for it?

08-22-2005, 05:37 PM	#9
Jonno Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Devon, UK Age: 20 Posts: 512	its dif a plec i suggest u feed him alage pellets that sink and if you have algae in the tank he or she will also feed of that i would says its a zebra plec but i dnt think it is

08-22-2005, 06:48 PM	#10
malawi4me2 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 22 Posts: 354	Are you guys sure that it's even a pleco? I immediately thought of one of the Synodontis cats, possibly Synodontis robertsi or a young S. eupterus... It appears to have a prominent adipose fin behind a large dorsal fin. It's a tall bodied fish also, where (aside from the Panaques) most plecos are "flatter" (for lack of a better word). It's eyes also look more like the eyes of a Syno than a Pleco to me. What do y'all think? Orthikon, how big is this fish?

08-22-2005, 06:57 PM	#11
flynngriff Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 34 Posts: 443	Like I said... No way to tell from the photo if it's a pleco or not. I'd lean towards a type of Synodontis catfish, but I don't know of any with those markings. I can't say for sure that it's not a pleco cause I can't see it's mouth clearly, and a lot of plecos have similar markings. See if you can take a better photo... And please don't start dumping in different kinds of food trying to see what it eats. That will polute your water, and the fish can stand not eating for a day or two while we figure this out. -Flynn

08-23-2005, 06:57 AM	#13
mr.dark-saint Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 177	that's a Syno. It'll eat anything meaty like Brine Shrimp, Worms (of all types), Sinking Pellets, Flake (basically any and everything).

08-23-2005, 07:02 AM	#14
Lydia Ichthus Owner Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: FL Posts: 1,907	Yeah that's definately not a pleco. Just out of curiosity, what else do you have in the tank with it? It looke like an awesome tank! Could you by any chance post a full tank pic? __________________ Vote for FishForums!

08-23-2005, 08:47 AM	#15
flynngriff Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 34 Posts: 443	Yep, I'd say it's a Synodontis Eupterus. I'm 100% sure on the "Synodontis", and 95% sure on the "Eupterus"... The markings can vary from spots to the intricate maze this one seems to have. It also looks pretty fat. I'd cut back on the feeding a good bit! This guys are pretty hardy fish that don't really have any special requirements that I can think of... They can get up to 6 inches long, and they grow pretty fast. -Flynn

08-23-2005, 11:59 AM	#16
orthikon Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 36 Posts: 16	Thanks for the responses guys! Regarding the behavior of the syno the first two days i had it it was just swimming by the bottom surface. Lately it it's by the walls of the aquarium, to be exact by the thermometer it seems to swim around the suction cups. Could it be looking for algae? cleaned out the tank (thoroughly) when my friend gave it to me. For now I'll be feeding it the pellets that I got above before I go to bed. Lydia: The tanks doesn't look spectacular it's just a 10g and it is pretty empty right now. pics are here: http://photobucket.com/albums/v165/orthikon/fishy/ I n addition to the syno, I have two glassfish and a blackskirt tetra. The glassfish I have look like these: http://www.fishesnpets.net/explore/...1glassfish2.jpg I've read that they are brackishwater fish but one that had this description didn't match the pics so any help is appreciated if this is not the right forum pls direct me to the right one.

08-23-2005, 12:01 PM	#17
malawi4me2 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 22 Posts: 354	Yep, I'd agree with Flynngriff. Looks like a young S. eupterus to me also. I have one with my Malawi Cichlids that I've had for about 18 months. She's grown from about 3/4" to almost 6" now. Very peaceful, hardy, and will eat anything that'll fit in her mouth! One of my favorite fish! Those stripes will probably change into a spotted pattern at about 4". Can you get a side view pic showing the dorsal fin?

08-23-2005, 04:45 PM	#18
Baby_Baby Friendly Neighborhood Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 3,602	oh cool glass catfish! I want some of those! lol __________________ *Emotion is energy in motion.*

08-23-2005, 05:11 PM	#19
solar-ton guardian of the sea Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: a tree Age: 16 Posts: 685	its synodontis schoutedeni if you dont belive me look at this. __________________ minimum oscar tank size: 75 gallon for 2 a 125 goldfish can cause hith diesease! so dont feed them goldfish as a staple diet! Last edited by solar-ton; 08-23-2005 at 05:18 PM.

08-23-2005, 05:54 PM	#20
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,250	Solar-ton might be onto something. How big IS this fish? If it's a little juvenile, then eupterus is a good candidate, but if it's an adult, it's not.

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