Dwarf Cuckoo AKA Leopard Catfish (Synodontis petricola), Tank-Bred
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
The Dwarf Cuckoo Catfish is one of the most attractively colored, manageably sized, and most popular fish of its genus!
The Dwarf Cuckoo Catfish (Synodontis petricola) is a small and very popular species that is native to Africa's Lake Tanganyika. It has leopard-like spotting across its head and body as well as black fins with white margins, making for a very beautiful fish. This catfish is also known for its tendency to swim upside-down as well as its ability to squeak or croak when removed from the water. It is often very active, especially for a catfish, and it is compatible with a wide variety of fish.
The Dwarf Cuckoo Catfish is primarily nocturnal, but will often become active during daytime hours once established in an aquarium with plenty of driftwood, rockwork, and other hiding places. The Dwarf Cuckoo Catfish is generally peaceful and is compatible with most fish that are too large to be considered prey. It feeds on invertebrates in the wild, so it should not be kept with ornamental invertebrates in the aquarium. It will not bother plants. It is a small predator that produces a fair amount of waste and it is sensitive to declining water quality, so regular water changes and maintenance are a must.
The Dwarf Cuckoo Catfish is an unfussy eater that will accept most meaty live, frozen, and dry foods. Some vegetable matter is also necessary. A varied diet is essential for optimal health and coloration.
- Very colorful, peaceful, and hardy scavengar
- Attains a very manageable adult size
- Will not bother plants
- Unique appearance as well as plenty of personality.
- Compatible with many peaceful and aggressive fish species
- Temperature: 75° - 82° F (24° - 28° C)
- pH: 7.5 - 8.2, although this tank-bred dwarf form is much more flexible and can live well at a much lower pH.
- KH: 10 - 35 dKH
- Minimum tank size: 30 gallons
- Diet: Mostly carnivorous. Will accept most live, frozen, and meaty foods of appropriate size. Vegetable matter is also necessary.
- Social behavior: Somewhat social and more active in groups.
- Origin: Tank-bred, but indigenous to Lake Tanganyika, Africa
- Average adult size: 4 - 4.5 inches (10 - 11.4 cm)
- Average purchase size: 1 - 2 inches (2.5 - 5 cm)
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.