What tank size does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?

A Dwarf Petricola Catfish needs an aquarium of at least 100 litres (26.4 US gallons) with a footprint at least 80 cm (31.5 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.

What water parameters does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?

Dwarf Petricola Catfish does best at 22–27 °C (71.6–80.6 °F), pH 7.5–9 and a general hardness of 8–25 °dGH.

What group size does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?

Dwarf Petricola Catfish is a social species — keep a group of at least 5 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.

Is the Dwarf Petricola Catfish suitable for beginners?

Yes — Dwarf Petricola Catfish is one of the easier species to keep and forgives typical first-tank mistakes, as long as the aquarium is cycled and maintained.

Species library

Dwarf Petricola Catfish

Synodontis lucipinnis

Mochokidae

FishDifficulty: ●●○○○Data: verified

📷 Original photo: de:user:Nerezza; derivative retouch: Commons user Haps · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized · Wikimedia Commons

Dwarf Petricola Catfish — Synodontis lucipinnis — 📷 Original photo: de:user:Nerezza; derivative retouch: Commons user Haps · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized · Wikimedia Commons

About

A pocket-sized Lake Tanganyika squeaker described scientifically only in 2006, this is the smallest of the lake's spotted Synodontis and the fish that actually reaches shops under the trade name dwarf petricola. It is copper-brown with irregular black blotches, snow-white barbels and a bright white leading ray in the dorsal and pectoral fins, and it stops at roughly 8 cm standard length (about 10 cm counting the tail), while true Synodontis petricola keeps going to 11-12 cm. The fastest way to tell the two apart is the pale window at the base of each dark triangle on the rayed fins, clearest on the anal and pelvic fins, which gave lucipinnis its name and which petricola lacks; petricola also carries an axillary pore behind the gill and wears finer spots on the head than on the body. Worth knowing when you compare the two profiles: a 2024 revision of Tanganyikan Synodontis proposes treating lucipinnis as a junior synonym of petricola, so the names may yet merge again.

Care

Keep five or six together in hard, alkaline water over soft sand with rock piles and caves, in 100 litres or more with a lid and moderate flow. Peaceful towards anything it cannot swallow, so it fits both Tanganyikan cichlid tanks and ordinary hard-water communities; a lone specimen turns pushy, a group stays out in the open and squeaks contentedly.

Diet

An omnivorous bottom forager that accepts everything from sinking wafers to frozen invertebrates and needs a little vegetable matter each week.

Tankmate compatibility

Gets along with (20)

Possible with care (121)

Acei Cichlid Agassiz's Cory Amano Shrimp Assassin Snail Auratus Cichlid Bamboo Shrimp Banjo Catfish Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish)Bladder Snail Blood Parrot Cichlid Bloodfin Tetra Blue Acara Boesemani Rainbowfish Bolivian Ram Bristlenose Pleco Bronze Corydoras Buenos Aires Tetra Buffalohead Cichlid Bumblebee Cichlid Bumblebee Goby Butterfly Hillstream Loach Celebes Rainbowfish Chinese Algae Eater Clown Pleco Cobalt Blue Zebra Colombian Ramshorn Snail Convict Cichlid Demasoni Cichlid Denison Barb Doctor Fish Dogtooth Cichlid Dojo (Weather) Loach Duboisi Tropheus Dwarf Chain Loach Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish Dwarf Orange Crayfish Dwarf Pea Puffer Electric Blue Ahli Electric Yellow Lab Ellioti Cichlid Elongate Mbuna Emerald Cory Endler's Livebearer Figure-8 Puffer Firemouth Cichlid Five-bar Cichlid Flame Tetra Forktail Rainbowfish Freshwater Clam Ghost Shrimp Glowlight Danio Gold Barb Golden Dwarf Cichlid Golden Wonder Killifish Guppy Hongi Cichlid Jack Dempsey Japanese Trapdoor Snail Jewel Cichlid Johanni Cichlid Kenyi Cichlid Kissing Gourami Least Killifish Leopard Danio Maingano Cichlid Malaysian Trumpet Snail Medaka Ricefish Molly Mystery Snail Nerite Snail Odessa Barb Paradise Fish Paraguay Eartheater Peacock Cichlid Pearl Danio Penguin Tetra Peppered Corydoras Pictus Catfish Platy Port Cichlid Powder Blue Cichlid Rabbit Snail Rainbow Cichlid Rainbow Shark Ramshorn Snail Red Empress Red Rainbowfish Red Zebra Cichlid Red-Tail Shark Redhead Cichlid Regan's Julie Rosy Barb Rubber Lip Pleco Rusty Cichlid Sailfin Molly Salvini Cichlid Saulosi Cichlid Scissortail Rasbora Siamese Algae Eater Silver Tip Tetra Spotted Hoplo Star Sapphire Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp Sunshine Peacock Swordtail T-Bar Cichlid Threadfin Acara Threadfin Petrochromis Three-spot Gourami Tiger Barb Tropheus Turquoise Rainbowfish Umbrella Dwarf Cichlid Upside-down Catfish Vampire Shrimp Venezuelan Cory White Cloud Mountain Minnow Wrestling Halfbeak X-ray Tetra Zebra Danio Zebra Mbuna

Avoid (130)

Adonis Pleco African Butterfly Cichlid African Butterflyfish Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid Altum Angelfish Angelfish Bala Shark Black Moor Goldfish Black Neon Tetra Black Phantom Tetra Black Ruby Barb Black Skirt Tetra Blackline Rasbora Bleeding Heart Tetra Blue Tiger Shrimp Blue Velvet Shrimp Borneo Sucker Brichard's Teleogramma Cardinal Tetra Celestial Pearl Danio Checkerboard Cichlid Checkered Barb Cherry Barb Cherry Shrimp Chili Rasbora Chocolate Cichlid Chocolate Gourami Clown Killifish Clown Loach Cochu's Blue Tetra Cockatoo Dwarf Cichlid Comet Goldfish Common Goldfish Common Pleco Congo Dwarf Cichlid Congo Tetra Crystal Red Shrimp Demon Eartheater Diamond Tetra Discus Dwarf Flag Cichlid Dwarf Gourami Dwarf Rasbora Elephantnose Fish Ember Tetra Emperor Tetra Endlicheri Bichir Fantail Goldfish Featherfin Squeaker Festivum (Flag Cichlid)Frontosa German Blue Ram Glass Catfish Glowlight Tetra Golden Pencilfish Golden Tetra Green Discus Green Neon Tetra Green Spotted Pufferfish Green Terror Harlequin Rasbora Head-and-Tail-Light Tetra Heckel Discus Honey Gourami Iridescent Shark Jaguar Cichlid Julii Cory Keyhole Cichlid Koi Kribensis Kuhli Loach Lambchop Rasbora Lemon Tetra Little Corydoras Livingstoni Macmasteri Dwarf Cichlid Malawi Eyebiter Malawi Hawk Marble Hatchetfish Moonlight Gourami Neon Tetra Oranda Goldfish Ornate Bichir Oscar Otocinclus Panda Corydoras Peaceful Betta Peacock Bass Pearl Gourami Pike Cichlid Polka Dot Loach Purple Emperor Tetra Pygmy Corydoras Ranchu Goldfish Red Devil Red Terror Red Whiptail Catfish Reticulated Flying Fox Reticulated Hillstream Loach Rostratus Rosy Red Minnow Rosy Tetra Royal Pleco Rummynose Tetra Ryukin Goldfish Sailfin Pleco Salt and Pepper Cory Scarlet Badis Serpae Tetra Severum Shubunkin Goldfish Silver Arowana Silver Moony Skunk Cory Sparkling Gourami Sterbai Corydoras Strawberry Rasbora Striped Kribensis Striped Raphael Catfish Sveni Eartheater Telescope Goldfish Texas Cichlid Thai Micro Crab Thick-lipped Gourami Threadfin Rainbowfish Uaru (Triangle Cichlid)Venustus (Giraffe Cichlid)Wolf Cichlid Yoyo Loach Zebra Pleco

Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.

Telling males from females

What works for this species, most reliable first.

Adult sizeA hint only · only across animals of the same age
In many cichlids, catfish and loaches one sex simply grows larger — usually the male, though there are well-known reversals.

All the methods, with diagrams

Also in these lists

Fish for hard water Fish for a first aquarium Bottom dwellers Peaceful community fish

Frequently asked questions

What tank size does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?: A Dwarf Petricola Catfish needs an aquarium of at least 100 litres (26.4 US gallons) with a footprint at least 80 cm (31.5 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
What water parameters does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?: Dwarf Petricola Catfish does best at 22–27 °C (71.6–80.6 °F), pH 7.5–9 and a general hardness of 8–25 °dGH.
What group size does a Dwarf Petricola Catfish need?: Dwarf Petricola Catfish is a social species — keep a group of at least 5 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
Is the Dwarf Petricola Catfish suitable for beginners?: Yes — Dwarf Petricola Catfish is one of the easier species to keep and forgives typical first-tank mistakes, as long as the aquarium is cycled and maintained.

Sources

Water & tank

Temperature22–27°C

Optimal temp.24–26°C

pH7.5–9

Hardness (GH)8–25°d

Carbonate (KH)8–20°d

Adult size8 cm

Min. volume≥ 100 L

Min. tank length≥ 80 cm

Group size≥ 5

Swimming zoneBottom

TemperamentPeaceful

Water typeFreshwater

FlowModerate

Lifespan~10 yrs

Try in the calculator