The Upside-Down Catfish

By KimmyM
 
Scientific Name: Synodontis Nigriventris
 
Size: Up to 4 Inches (10cm)
 
Lifespan: 6 or more years
 
Tank Size: 15 Gallons
 
Temperature: 20 – 30°c (60 – 86°f)
 
Ease of Keeping: Easy
 
pH: 6 – 7.5
 
Hardness: 4 – 15dGH
 
Temperament: Peaceful
 
Comments: Upside-Down Catfish are easy to keep and are great for an aquarium, They like to be in well planted tanks with lots of driftwood and hiding places. Upside-down catfish love insects like mosquito larvae, bloodworms, etc and will eat a bit of algae sometimes, so they like to eat algae wafers at times. The catfish got their amazing trait of swimming upside down from when they are in the wild, they swim upside down along the surface of the water picking up insects as they go.
 
Female upside-down catfish are larger and their colouration is a bit pale compared to the male of the species. Breeding this catfish in an aquarium has happened before, but is pretty hard to achieve. First, you must condition them with live foods, then do a water change and soften the water to mimic a storm, then place a pot or a pipe in the aquarium for a place to spawn. As said before, it’s hard to achieve breeding this catfish in the aquarium so don’t get your hopes up, but it is worth trying ;)
 
All round, this catfish is almost perfect for the home aquarium, its not particularly fussy in what larvae it eats, and it doesn’t have to have a large aquarium to live in, but, be prepared to only see the catfish very rarely as it is nocturnal and very shy.