Species Profile | Images | Breeding Report | Similar Species

back to the catfish index

How to look after
Synodontis nigriventris
Upside-down catfish
David, 1936

The upside down catfish in its familiar upside down swimming position
more images here

(Other members of the genus Synodontis)

ADULT SIZE: 10 cm

WATER CONDITIONS: Not critical

TEMPERATURE RANGE: 23-27 C

FOOD: Feed Synodontis nigriventris live and dried foods

DISTRIBUTION: This species comes from Congo (DRC)

AQUARIUM CARE: This small catfish is an ideal community species; peaceful with its tankmates and a pleasure to watch. Its upside down behaviour is quite interesting to watch as it swims from perch to perch where its rests under leaves, wood and roots, only righting itself to feed on the tank substrate.

BREEDING: Breeding requires specific conditions that are not clearly understood. This fish has been bred accidently, and it would seem to require a water change, with soft cool water to inititate spawning.

Have you bred Synodontis nigriventris? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?, or examine existing Synodontis nigriventris breeding reports

Synodontis nigriventris
Upside-down catfish

The upside down catfish in its familiar upside down swimming position

Like all Synodontis, this one has 3 sets of barbels

Synodontis nigriventris
Upside-down catfish
breeding notes

BREEDING: Breeding requires specific conditions that are not clearly understood. This fish has been bred accidently, and it would seem to require a water change, with soft cool water to inititate spawning.

Have you bred Synodontis nigriventris? Why not fill in a breeding questionaire?

This page summarises breeding reports provided by visitors to this site, along with some statistical analysis. Please feel free to contribute - whatever your experience! 1 breeder has filled in a breeding report, a summary of which is shown in the graphs below. You can read the full reports here. To add details of your experiences of Synodontis nigriventris, why not fill in a Breeding and maintenance Report.
Would Synodontis nigriventris be a good addition to a community tank? Never Doubtful, only with VERY calm fish Only with species of similar size Yes, a good community fish	How would you describe the disposition of Synodontis nigriventris? Very timid Slightly timid Neutral Somewhat aggresive on occasions Very aggressive
In which water conditions do you keep these fish? Very soft and acidic Moderately soft and acidic Neutral Moderately hard and alkaline Very hard and alkaline	At what average temperature? 10-15°C 16-19°C 20-23°C 24-27°C 28°C+
What, if any is the biggest difficulty encountered when breeding these fish? Poor egg production Poor egg survival Poor fry survival rate Deformities Skewed sex ratio	How would you describe sex ratios when breeding Synodontis nigriventris? If you are unsure please leave this question unanswered. Almost all males Somewhat male heavy Roughly equal Somewhat female heavy Almost all females
In general, how difficult is Synodontis nigriventris to keep and breed? Very easy Easy Average Difficult Very difficult	How sucessful have you been at breeding Synodontis nigriventris? Very unsucessful Fairly unsucessful Average Fairly sucessful Very sucessful

Remember, each record represents only one persons experience; if you had different results, or used different methods, please share your experiences