Syndodontis Decorus Catfish

The rare and very hard-to-find Synodontis Decorus Catfish from West Africa are stunning fish and one of the rare catfishes that don't have scales; their skin is smooth with a long top fin that extends and hangs like an antenna from the fishes back. Surprisingly they are great for African Cichlid tanks and they are well suited for the pH of Malawi and Tanganyikan tanks.

Feeding: In their native habitat they live on invertebrates, small fishes and crustaceans. In the aquarium they will take a wide range of foods bearing in mind that it might be better to feed at night to make sure that they get their fair share in a community tank. They will accept live food, frozen food, catfish tablets, pellets, and a good quality flake food. DO NOT feed worms to synodontis!

Quick Facts

Care Guide

Tank setup: Give them caves, rocks or driftwood to hide in, and good filtration. They are most active at night.

Feeding: Feed sinking pellets once a day, ideally in the evening. They also enjoy frozen foods like bloodworms.

Tankmates: They get along with most fish of similar size, including many cichlids. They may eat very small fish.

Good to know: Decorus catfish grow a long thread from the top of their back fin as they mature.