SAPs and Synodontis?

[coldmachineUK]

Hi,
I'm not new to keeping brackish puffers, but I am to FW puffers. I'm looking at converting a tank which is home to two synodontis petricola and one synodontis granulosus. I wondered if these would be suitable tankmates for a small group of SAPs? I know the pH may not be appropriate but I also know that ideal pH is less important than stable pH...Right now the pH is 7.8.

I've read this article here
which suggests it'll be fine, but wanted to check!

[jnheinz]

Boy I am not sure about syno's.. I have a pair of multipunctatus and they love to get up in all the cichlids' rear ends.. SAPs may or may not tolerate this. If the syno's are the first in the tank (obviously), then your odds are alot better.

Hit and miss situation possibly.. If you treasure your syno's I might not suggest this... It depends how active they are.. Mine are always frolicking looking for trouble. My SAPs never had issues with pH.. mine is always around 7.6-7.8.

[coldmachineUK]

Thanks for the reply!
Yeh, my synos are fairly active. I was planning on keeping some of the lava rockwork down on the bottom level of the tank for them (they love roaming in and around it)...perhaps that'd keep them away from the puffers but as you say no guarantee.
I would have thought synos could hold their own though...but I really don't know (why I'm asking! ).

Ok, similar question then: I'm wondering if a pair of irrubesco might work? Are they more or less aggressive? I'm assuming more being that they're usually kept in singles and only pairs with suitable tank sizes...but then I keep two F8s together in a 36G (same tank size) without any problems and I understood the two were about the same in spectrum of aggression - i.e. accepting that puffers are individuals and some are more moody than others!

[jnheinz]

I have zero experience with Irrubesco puffers.

Regarding syno's, It is all in perception really. My SAPs lived with a BN pleco, giant danios, and rainbowfish. If the fish understands not to fin nip the SAP, there will be hardly any issues.

Worst case scenario, an SAP won't decimate a fully grown syno. It might tear at some fins.

I would give the SAPs a test run with the syno's. Just watch the interaction for 20 minutes a day.

I would do it, but my Syno's are happy in the cichlid tank.

Are your two syno's a pair (M/F)? Mine are always on the lookout for breeding and get up in a fish's rear end that some don't appreciate.


Ultimately to me, I would drop the syno's in 3 days prior. Then put the SAPs in, I would say your chances of aggression would be slim to none.

[coldmachineUK]

Synos already in the tank, so they're good to go. They're both male, I think, just from the occasional tussling (mainly over the best hiding spot in the tank). They do swim together, but there's never been any remotely wanting-to-spawn like behaviour! If it goes wrong I suppose I can move the synos out, it wouldn't be a disaster. There's a BN plec in there too, I forgot to mention, which I also wish to keep. An LDA08. He stays out of everyone's way though.

The priority would be the SAPs, obviously. If there's problems they'd get to stay, without question. I'd move the synos and plec across my other tanks as required. So, I'll give it a go and report back! That's if I can get hold of the SAPs....

[PuffTheMagicFishy]

Ok, similar question then: I'm wondering if a pair of irrubesco might work? Are they more or less aggressive?

More. Waaaay more! I would never let my girl near another living thing unless I was giving her live food. Anything you put with an irrubesco will, eventually, be live food. Your synos will be finless in no time flat.

Unless you have a HUGE, thickly-planted tank, I would not even consider it. With such a tank, I would still have reservations. Irrubescos are active hunters during all times of the day and night. Rest assured, as soon as your synos settle down for a nap, there will be a little puffer hunting them. Size is not an issue. They will try to attack anything. And they are persistent: my girl checks everything in her tank at least daily to see if it has become edible.

Also, from what I have seen on this board, a pair is not a good idea. Either keep irrubescos singly (the safest way) or in a harem group of at least 2-3 females per male, and have lots of places to hide. This will reduce the chances of mate-killing, but not eliminate them.

[coldmachineUK]

Hokays! Sounds like SAPs are the way to go then And that means I won't have to annoy the mail order company by telling them I changed my mind on my earlier enquiry