🐟 Clown Squeaker Catfish (Synodontis decorus)
Spotted Squeaker With a Flowing Dorsal Filament • A Social Group Fish • Happiest in Groups of Five or More
 
📋 The Clown Squeaker Catfish, also called the Decorated Catfish or Clown Synodontis, is a striking African catfish with a bold spotted pattern and a long, flowing dorsal filament that develops with age, native to the Congo River basin. Unlike many Synodontis, it's a social species that's happiest in a group of five or more, where a school of these characterful catfish becomes a real feature of a large tank.
Like other squeakers, it can produce an audible squeak with its pectoral spine, and those spines can snag in nets, so handle with care. It likes to rest against warm surfaces and in dark crevices, including heaters, so a heater guard is a sensible precaution. It's a hearty, greedy eater that's a little prone to bloating, so portion control keeps it in top shape. Much of the stock in the trade today comes from commercial breeding programmes that involved hybridisation, so it can differ somewhat from the increasingly rare pure wild-type fish.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Bold Spotted Pattern: With a flowing dorsal filament that develops with age
👥 A Social Group Fish: Happiest in groups of five or more
🔊 It Squeaks: Via pectoral spine stridulation
🔥 Heater Guard Recommended: It likes to rest against warm surfaces
🍽️ A Hearty Eater: Measured portions keep it in top shape