Care
The Marbled Catfish is a medium sized species from the middle Congo river basin. This attractive bottom dweller has a beautiful marbled colour pattern that intensifies with age - smaller more intricate vermiculations develop, with some of the lighter areas on the flanks taking on a striking golden yellow hue. The aquarium should be spacious (4ft long) with a soft sandy substrate in order to protect the long sensory barbels. It should be decorated with a good amount of bogwood, rocky caves/PVC tubes, and robust planting to provide shady areas, but you should also ensure that a roomy swimming space is left along the front of the tank. External canister 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, and the use of blue-moon type illumination is highly recommended so that you may observe a few hours of the nightly goings-on in an aquarium containing these catfish. More than one may be kept together providing that there is an abundance of hiding places and visual barriers within the tank. Companions should be peaceful and larger than 5cm (2") in length (otherwise they may be predated upon) ; good tankmates could include some of the medium sized tetras, barbs, rainbowfish, rasboras etc, or some of the African dwarf cichlids. These fish should not be kept alongside Malawi or Tanganyikan cichlids on account of the aggressive nature of Rift Lake cichlids, and incompatible water conditions. These catfish may also be seen on sale as Marbled Synodontis, Yellow Marbled Synodontis or Vermiculated Synodontis.
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. These are greedy fish, and are a little susceptible to bloating so take care not to overfeed, and go easy on the amount of dried foods given - avoiding all floating foods.
Breeding
Marbled Catfish have been bred in captivity, but reports suggest this has been somewhat accidental rather than deliberately planned. As the spawning of this species in captivity is not a regular occurrence, it would make a very worthwhile breeding project for the serious hobbyist. In the wild, these egg scatterers form distinct pairs when breeding, but exhibit no parental care. A few aquarists have discovered hundreds of tiny fry in their aquarium a few days after observing courtship behaviour between a mature pair (which has often followed a large, slightly cooler water change) with the male wrapping himself around the female whilst they simultaneously emit milt and eggs.
