Synos - Upside-Down Catfish, etc.

The upside-down catfishes and their kin are popular pets that possess a lot of character, with outgoing personalities and species to suit many situations.

Amongst this family are soft water fishes from forest rivers that prefer quiet tanks with lots of hiding places, as well as hard water cats which happily live alongside Rift Lake cichlids and even use them to raise their young. The nocturnal lurkers tend to be more territorial than the lake species, which thrive in groups. The true Upside-down catfish is a social species and is far more likely to be seen during the day when kept in decent numbers, especially when floating plants or similar surface cover provides refuge.

Hybrids can have parents in either group, making them highly adaptable – a useful trait when you might not know their heritage. Luckily all the Synos are hardy, long lived, and easy to keep. Identifying pure bred fish isn’t always easy either and exporters don’t always label their fish correctly.