Cuckoo synodontis

Care at a glance

The cuckoo synodontis from Lake Tanganyika lives up to its name with one of the most remarkable breeding strategies among fish: it joins in the spawning of mouthbrooding cichlids and slips its own eggs among those of the cichlid female. She takes them all into her mouth, after which the faster-hatching catfish fry feed on her brood.

In the aquarium it needs hard, alkaline water and a group of its own kind; kept alone it stays shy. Give it rock caves to retreat into by day and expect it to become active mainly in the evening.

Good to know

• Active at night
• Needs a mature, stable tank

Related species

• Featherfin synodontisSynodontis eupterus
• Striped Raphael catfishPlatydoras armatulus
• Upside-down catfishSynodontis nigriventris
• Whiptail catfishRineloricaria sp.
• Twig catfishFarlowella acus
• Texas cichlidHerichthys cyanoguttatus