# Weird Synodontis eupterus behavior



## Buddiechrist (Apr 21, 2010)

Last night when shutting off the lights for the tank I noticed some weird aggressive movements in my cichlid / cat fish 75g. 

It was one of my featherfins chasing away all cichlids but the socolofii. After a closer look at the tank I did notice about 12 small eggs (kinda teal color) and 2 bigger eggs (puke green). I quickly ran to find my crappy cameraphone but by the time I got back all the eggs were gone and that one of the socolofii jaws were really swollen, but when trying to remove her into another tank and use a funal to get her to spit out the eggs, I didn't see a single egg come out and her jaw was not swollen and clearly no eggs in the mouth so I assume I was too harsh in the rush and caused her to swallow them. 

But my main question is about the puke green eggs, could they have been featherfin eggs, or something wrong with the cichlid? Also why would a featherfin be protecting a cichlid and not the other featherfin if there were eggs around?


All the info I could find online, only says that they get aggressive durring breeding, but breeding is undocumented. So as of this point they are all in the same tank together so I can hopefully catch this again. 

If you have any info or similar experiences give me a shout as I would like to figure that out.

This tank is a 75g 
Synodontis eupterus 2 
Synodontis petricola 1
socolofii 6
pyrsontos 6
auratus 4
Cobalts 6
Black upside down 2
Pleco 1


----------



## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

My big featherfin always chases most of the cichlids away. He claims one corner and none of the haps are allowed there. He doesn't mind the yellow labs though. socolofii being similar to yellow labs, I would assume its the same situation?

They are currently in my 125Gallon tank, but I know that no one messes with the catfish as he does fight back. Sometimes he chases them to the other end of the tank and then he is back to his corner.

I've never heard of the green eggs though, but IMHO I would assume that if a synd. lays eggs, it will probably be in the hundreds or even thousands? (No proof about it, just my opinion, I could be totally wrong).


----------



## Buddiechrist (Apr 21, 2010)

Well, I just spoke Mark Adaam. (Friend of the family also a Marine Biologist) 
In his opinion he thinks the green eggs could be from a featherfin, but it was probably just bad eggs caused by stress in the cichlid. But seeing eggs may have put the cat on a maternal instinct and it just started guarding them not the cichlid as I thought, as only a few old featherfins ever reach sexual maturaty without injections in a aquarium, and usually for that to happen it would need to be in like a 2000g+ tank and would be at least 8 years old and 8 inchs, not in a 75g and 5 inches.

As he thinks if they were featherfins eggs, they would have chosen live barer fish that were the same size / bigger etc, not fish 1/3 its size, so that the eggs would be the same size just different color to trick the live barer. But since his knowledge on african fish isn't the best he said he would look it more information, but if I see anymore green eggs or eggs and the featherfins going on the protection mode, to collect them right away; so leave a bucket razor blade and net ready. As once he has it he'll be able to tell me what exactly it is. 

But as a precaution I did take the cichlid out and put her into a hospital tank with just a bit of aquarium salt to help relax / medicate if anything is wrong. Also I re-arranged the tank for lots more caves and hiding spots also as a precaution.


----------

