# Is this a type of catfish?



## gayle14587 (Jan 7, 2010)

Okay, so about last month I bought what I was told then a Pleco - but now that I look more at pictures of Plecos...my fish doesn't look like a Pleco - I have been told that it is some type of catfish - but I am not sure...any ideas?
(The pictures were taken with a cell phone).


http://s898.photobucket.com/albums/ac184/gayle_17/Plecostomus%202009/?action=view&current=5f2a90722209__1262771612000-1.jpg

http://s898.photobucket.com/albums/ac184/gayle_17/Plecostomus%202009/?action=view&current=plecostomus-1.jpg

http://s898.photobucket.com/albums/ac184/gayle_17/Plecostomus%202009/?action=view&current=pleco.jpg

http://s898.photobucket.com/albums/ac184/gayle_17/Plecostomus%202009/?action=view&current=pleco2.jpg


----------



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

He looks a lot like an upside-down catfish, does it spend any time going around belly-up?


----------



## Guest (Jan 7, 2010)

Yeah he looks very much like an upside down catfish to me too. They will not always go belly up, usually to try to get some food off the underside of a rock structure... at least that's what my brothers did, never swam around upside down.


----------



## hXcChic22 (Dec 26, 2009)

When we feed our 29 gallon, our UDC shoots up to the top and skims food off the water, upside down. We don't see him much, but he spends most of his time clinging to the top or sides of log decoration's inside.


----------



## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

That is definately a catfish, but wouldn't swear it to be a UDC. Can't remember name atm but, no to answer your question not a pleco.


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

Cacatuoides said:


> That is definately a catfish, but wouldn't swear it to be a UDC.


I agree. It actually looks like it may be _Synodontis eupterus_, which has the same pattern as a juvenile, and will get much larger than an Upside Down Catfish.
Here is some info.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=121


----------



## Dragonbeards (Dec 14, 2008)

It's defiantly a Synodontis catfish of some kind, best fish in the world, IMHO. He looks like a Synodontis aterrima or Synodontis greshoffi to me. Or, as said, a juvenile S. eupterus.


----------



## Superfly724 (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm almost certain that's a Synodontis Eupterus. It looks exactly like my juveniles did. I've had them about 4 months and they're already about 5 1/2 inches. They get BIG, around 11 inches. I'm going to be a hypocrit and say you shouldn't keep them in anything smaller than a 75-90 gallon. I made the mistake of buying them without asking the staff at the store any questions, because they were just labeled Synodontis. Turns out I got 2 Eupterus, which will probably get too large for my 55 gallon. Unfortunately I'm very attached to them and love them a whole lot.

Great personalities these fish have. They even come out into the light during feeding time to pick up the missed food of the bottom, so I get a great look at them every once in a while. If you ask me, I actually think they're great looking fish. Cute little guys. They can be really aggressive. My 2 will tussle when they see each other, but they have plenty of hiding spaces, so no one gets hurt.


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

Dragonbeards said:


> It's defiantly a Synodontis catfish of some kind, best fish in the world, IMHO. He looks like a Synodontis aterrima or Synodontis greshoffi to me. Or, as said, a juvenile S. eupterus.


Synodontis greshoffi has a more golden color when a Juvenile, compared to the Synod. in the pic which does not.  Synodontis aterrimahave a thicker "striping" pattern, also much different compared to the one in the pic.
I am positive that it is S. eupterus.


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

Superfly724 said:


> I'm almost certain that's a Synodontis Eupterus. It looks exactly like my juveniles did. I've had them about 4 months and they're already about 5 1/2 inches. They get BIG, around 11 inches. I'm going to be a hypocrit and say you shouldn't keep them in anything smaller than a 75-90 gallon. I made the mistake of buying them without asking the staff at the store any questions, because they were just labeled Synodontis. Turns out I got 2 Eupterus, which will probably get too large for my 55 gallon. Unfortunately I'm very attached to them and love them a whole lot.
> 
> Great personalities these fish have. They even come out into the light during feeding time to pick up the missed food of the bottom, so I get a great look at them every once in a while. If you ask me, I actually think they're great looking fish. Cute little guys. They can be really aggressive. My 2 will tussle when they see each other, but they have plenty of hiding spaces, so no one gets hurt.


x2


----------



## gayle14587 (Jan 7, 2010)

Superfly724 said:


> I'm almost certain that's a Synodontis Eupterus. It looks exactly like my juveniles did. I've had them about 4 months and they're already about 5 1/2 inches. They get BIG, around 11 inches. I'm going to be a hypocrit and say you shouldn't keep them in anything smaller than a 75-90 gallon. I made the mistake of buying them without asking the staff at the store any questions, because they were just labeled Synodontis. Turns out I got 2 Eupterus, which will probably get too large for my 55 gallon. Unfortunately I'm very attached to them and love them a whole lot.
> 
> Great personalities these fish have. They even come out into the light during feeding time to pick up the missed food of the bottom, so I get a great look at them every once in a while. If you ask me, I actually think they're great looking fish. Cute little guys. They can be really aggressive. My 2 will tussle when they see each other, but they have plenty of hiding spaces, so no one gets hurt.


My fish lives with 3 common goldfish (don't ask how I managed it - because I don't even know), and I have had no problems with that arrangement.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

that is not a synodontis eupterus....possibly s. alberti ;but i doubt it..many species of this fish will have slightly different patterns as juveniles...it is not s. nigriventris either...by it's appearance ; it looks like it may reach a length of 12-18 inches..


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

lohachata said:


> that is not a synodontis eupterus....possibly s. alberti ;but i doubt it..many species of this fish will have slightly different patterns as juveniles...it is not s. nigriventris either...by it's appearance ; it looks like it may reach a length of 12-18 inches..


Doesn't seem to be S. alberti. The Pattern is much too different... I'm still stuck with S. Eupterus, but I suppose only time will tell.:fish:


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

well...i have raised and sold hundreds of eupts..it doesn't lok like any i have ever had..


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

lohachata said:


> well...i have raised and sold hundreds of eupts..it doesn't lok like any i have ever had..


Well, right now all of the Syno's that have been listed off are not a match, and a small Eupts. is the one that looks much more similar to the Catfish in the pic. I'm not saying you're right, but I'm not saying you're wrong.


----------



## Dragonbeards (Dec 14, 2008)

lohachata said:


> well...i have raised and sold hundreds of eupts..it doesn't lok like any i have ever had..


That makes sense . You still sell them? Couple of months, I might want one.


----------



## Fishnut2 (Jan 18, 2005)

I agree with Lohachata. It's definitely not a Eupterus. The common name for Eupterus is a featherfin...due to it's long, feathering dorsal fin. It is some type of Synodontis, which is an African catfish (to answer the OP) Water parameters varie greatly between Synos from the lake...and those from the rivers. The Eupterus, for example, is from the Niger river...and prefers soft, acidic water.


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

This fish is only about an 1" possibly 1 1/2", and shows all of the characteristics of a juvie S. Eupterus. Now, I showed the pic to a friend of mine from the UK, he can ID pretty much any Catfish.(Rare, common, etc.) He is from another forum that I am on, and he is the "Catfish person" of the site if anyone needs an ID for one. He agreed that it was a juvie S. Eupterus.


----------



## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

thank you Irwin..we do appreciate you enlightening us.
hmmmmm..is your friend's name ian fuller??....only catfish guy in the UK that i would trust...


----------



## Hoyo12 (May 18, 2009)

lohachata said:


> thank you Irwin..we do appreciate you enlightening us.
> hmmmmm..is your friend's name ian fuller??....only catfish guy in the UK that i would trust...


Not sure of his real name, lol, but he is known as wayne the pain on Monsterfishkeepers.com 
He has been on the site for the past 5 years, and everyone asks him for help when ever they come across Catfish that they do not have the ID for. Take a look is you wish. 

As I said, if you don't agree that it is S. Eupterus, then only time will tell. 
And we can go back and forth on the topic, argueing over the ID, but still, only time will tell, and I'm still stuck on S. Eupterus lol.


----------

