Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Catfish > Large-spot Catfish

Large-spot Catfish

Naked Catfish - Upside-Down Catfish Family: Mochokidae

• Puzzles
• Postcards

Synodontis ocellifer Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The word 'ocellifer' means 'eye-like spot', and the Synodontis Ocellifer certainly has big spots!

   There are several color forms of the Synodontis Ocellifer available. Some have color in the finnage, while others have almost no color other than their large spots. The large spot variety, which is the most attractive of the color forms, used to be quite rare but is fairly common now.

   Although this Synodontis (like most of this genus) gets rather large, reaching up to 8" (20 cm) when mature, it is an excellent addition to a large community aquarium. The Synodontis Ocellifer are fairly hardy fish and are not difficult to keep in a well maintained environment.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Comments from people who have kept this fish:

i just got a catfish and it is wild! if you don't have a catfish and you want a playful easy-to-care-for fish then i highly recommend going to the pet store and buying a upside down catfish. my experiance has been great! Dot is the name of my catfish and is liveliest fish i have ever had!

my up-side down catfish likes to hide in my treasure chest until it's time to eat. he likes my other fishes too. I like to find out more about it. He's very graceful too. He doesn't swim much around the tank. I love it. He's neat. Thank-you for listening. May 6) 2006.

I think maybe I have the oddball upside down catfish. He loves attention. Swims alongside my female betta and the goldfish. He hangs out with my dragon fish and my crab and shrimp. He likes hiding behind my thermomiter. Whenever I come into the room he'll come out and do little loops for me and swim alongside my finger. he also comes up and lets me rub his little belly when he's all full. He also comes out when my fathers around. When my father first saw it while I was cleaning my tank he goes "your fish is gunna die, it's swimming upside down". I laughed at him and told him he's always like that, that's how he swims. So he loves to annoy him. And I always ask my dad when he looks at my tank "is he dead yet?". ANd he'll come out from under the little rock he has and just like float when I say it. He's so adorable. And unique. They're not brightly colored. Or glamorous, but some have their own little minds.

He is shy, spending most time in his cave. however, at night he comes out and re-aranges my tank, digging in the gravel and moving my plants! he eats loads too!

I have a 3 year old who is quite an active fellow.He loves chasing my Eupterus around the tank.I love my cats!!!

I love this fish! but they are hyper active. they torment my gouramies and play vollyball with my snail. But I think they are pleasant!

A very hardy fish. I have had one for several years, he has been through a few tank changes, and has withstood high and low ph changes. Looks really cool, is easy to take care of and doesnt get too big like some catfish. He has even had some disease on his skin (my fault) and hes come back strong. He is very shy though, only really swimming around the tank at night when nobody is in the room.

Back to Catfish

Author: David Brough. CFS.

[Home] [Newsfeed] [Saltwater Aquariums] [Reef Aquariums] [Freshwater Aquariums] [Cats]
[Pet Birds] [Small Animals] [Reptiles] [Cute Pets] [References] [Team] [Pet Links] [Pet Supplies] [Care Sheets] [About Animal-World] [Site Map][Privacy Policy] [Recommended Pet Books]