Petricola catfish care
Synodontis petricola · Rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika, Africa
The petricola catfish, sometimes called the pygmy leopard catfish, is a small, spotted Synodontis from the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika, often kept with Tanganyika and Malawi cichlids.
- Tank size
- 30 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 73 to 79 °F (23 to 26 °C)
- Group size
- 3 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 4.5 in (standard length of the largest fish, without the tail)
- pH
- 7.5 to 9
- Hardness (GH)
- 8 to 20 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 30 gallon
36¼ × 12⅝ × 16¾ in outsideHow to keep petricola catfish
The petricola catfish, sometimes called the pygmy leopard catfish, is a small, spotted Synodontis from the rocky shores of Lake Tanganyika, often kept with Tanganyika and Malawi cichlids. Keep three or more in a 30 gallon or larger tank with caves and hard, alkaline water; they are busiest at dusk and need sinking food that reaches them.
Diet: Omnivore: sinking pellets, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Petricola catfish tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Blind cave tetra
4.7 in · 29+ gal · 68–77 °F
Rusty cichlid
4.3 in · 40+ gal · 75–79 °F
Banded gourami
4 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Molly
3.9 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Swordtail
5.5 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Paradise fish
3.5 in · 20+ gal · 61–79 °F
Fairy cichlid
3.5 in · 30+ gal · 75–81 °F
Sailfin molly
5.9 in · 30+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: petricola catfish need 73 to 79 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Discus: No shared temperature: petricola catfish need 73 to 79 °F, discus 82 to 88 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Cherry shrimp: Petricola catfish eat shrimp.
Amano shrimp: Petricola catfish eat shrimp.
Ghost shrimp: Petricola catfish eat shrimp.
What a petricola catfish tank needs
A tank of 30 US gallons or more (such as the 30 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon petricola catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 30 gallon petricola catfish tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Fluval E100
Petricola catfish need 73 to 79 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding petricola catfish.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 79 °F.
We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common petricola catfish problems
- Shy alone; a group of three or more comes out more.
- Fry and small shrimp get eaten.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Synodontis petricola. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Petricola catfish Nerezza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Blind cave tetra James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Rusty cichlid Gerard Delany, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Banded gourami Sandipan Das, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Molly LPA74, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Swordtail Usien, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise fish André Karwath; edited by Muhammad, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fairy cichlid FakirNL, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sailfin molly Nick Tobler (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Discus Patrick Farrelly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pygmy corydoras Birger A, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Salt-and-pepper corydoras D.W., CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Panda corydoras Chronotopian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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