Care
The Granulosus Catfish is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, where it is most abundant at depths between 20-40m (66-131ft). It is less abundant in the lake than other Synos and more likely to be seen singly than more sociable relatives such as Syno. multipunctatus.
This is one of the most eye-catching species of Synodontis with its dark grey body and thick, bright white edging to all fins (except the adipose) and white barbels. Juveniles may appear a lighter brownish-grey and typically display dark spotting on the flanks, but the contrast diminishes with age to a point where the spotting is no longer visible. The aquarium should be spacious with a soft sandy substrate in order to protect the sensory barbels. It should be decorated with a good amount of driftwood, rocky caves/PVC tubes, and robust planting (that can cope with hard, alkaline conditions) to provide shady areas, but you should also ensure that a roomy swimming space is left along the front of the tank. Efficient filtration is recommended, as these fish are voracious eaters and can produce a fair amount of waste. The water should be well-oxygenated with a moderate current, and frequent partial water changes are a must to help keep nitrate to a minimum. These fish are most comfortable in aquaria with subdued lighting, although this is less of an issue for tank-bred fish that are used to aquarium conditions. Ensure that heaters are covered with heater guards to prevent these catfish from being burned when looking for dark crevices to rest against. Syno. granulosus is territorially aggressive towards conspecifics, so a spacious set up is needed to keep adults together. Companions should be relatively peaceful and they do well as part of a Tanganyikan community of medium-sized fish.
Thanks to its scarcity in the lake, this was at one time a rare and expensive collector's catfish with a price tag of around £750. Captive breeding has changed this and brought them within the range of most enthusiasts. May also be seen on sale as the White Seam Synodontis and like other Tanganyikan species, hybrids may be seen with creative names.
Feeding
Omnivorous. Offer a variety meaty frozen foods such as bloodworm, white mosquito larvae, vitamin-enriched brineshrimp, Mysis shrimp etc., along with some sinking catfish pellets/tablets/granules. Be sure to offer some vegetable matter such as cucumber, courgette, and shelled peas, along with occasional algae wafers. These are greedy fish, and are easily conditioned on a diet of dried foods.
Breeding
The Granulosus Catfish is regularly bred commercially but details are scarce. Hobbyists have observed spawning chases involving caves with pebble substrates in a similar way to Syno. lucipinnis and they may naturally deposit their eggs in the territory of parental cichlids in the wild.
