Synodontis Eupterus

[cheerycherry]

Ysterday I went out and got a Synodontis eupterus (featherfin) but he is being picked on terribly.Hes very very small so would this be why?

The main culprit is mr big (yes I named him lol) I had him Id'd on here as a orange blotch? hes quite a big male and whenever the featherfin ventures out he chases him everysingle time so im a bit worried.
Ive been putting some catfish pellets in but my greedy mbuna keep eating them so hes not getting chance to eat anything.I took advice from the lfs that this featherfin will be fine with mbuna is that true?

Hes just not comming out of the caves at all

 

[kj23502]

How big is your tank? How many rocks do you have? Pic please? How small is small?

 

[Colin_T]

All mbuna will pick on new fish that get added to the tank. The cichlids had a territory and now it has an intruder (the catfish). A bigger catfish might do a bit better but try moving the rocks around and breaking up the territories. Having more catfish in the tank can help them feel more secure. They are nocturnal and will spend most of the day hiding, coming out after dark to look for food.

 

[cheerycherry]

its a juwel rio 300

I have loads of rocks all at the back where hes always hiding.I did move the rockwork around a bit today to try and help which resulted in all fish hiding in the new rock layout but after a few hours they were all back out and chasing him back in again.
Hes about 2 inches long right now so small,im hoping as he gets bigger he will be left alone?

 

[Colin_T]

They should start to ignore him soon. It is probably the excitement of having a new fish in the tank and they are all worked up. In a few days they should have settled back down. If they persist in harassing it in a weeks time then you might need to put it in another tank.

 

[buckiejim2]

Ysterday I went out and got a Synodontis eupterus (featherfin) but he is being picked on terribly.Hes very very small so would this be why?

The main culprit is mr big (yes I named him lol) I had him Id'd on here as a orange blotch? hes quite a big male and whenever the featherfin ventures out he chases him everysingle time so im a bit worried.
Ive been putting some catfish pellets in but my greedy mbuna keep eating them so hes not getting chance to eat anything.I took advice from the lfs that this featherfin will be fine with mbuna is that true?

Hes just not comming out of the caves at all

It seems you made tha classic mistake of putting a small fish into an established tank of bigger fish. If you have lots of hiding places it will maybe be ok. Dont worry about food as it will find food at night. Try getting another eupterus maybe that will help. They really are a great cat to put with Malawi cichlids even though they do not come from lake Malawi. In the meantime try adding a few more rocks with caves for the poor little thing.

 

[cheerycherry]

Its actually ok now my biggest cichlid which was the one chasing him seems to have taken to it now.I think more than anything it was curiousity with him and also saying "hey im the boss of this tank" Ive even seen him munching on some pellets now and he seems happy enough so im really glad.