[Cboss]

My mother is a teacher and I recently helped her set up a tank in her classroom. It's planted and has some nice bits of wood, but it should be very low maintenance. She currently has a few platties, mollies, endlers, and RCS. Since she teaches 1st/2nd grade students she wants to get some upside-down catfish because the kids would think they are fun and more interesting than other catfish.

So, I would like to know if anyone has experience with upside-down catfish and RCS. I feel like the RCS could be eaten quickly, but they seem to be doing fine with the mollies/platties and I know nothing about these catfish.

 

[jdm68]

I've got three of these fish. Very cool! I'm sure they'd eat baby RCS if given half a chance, but they wouldn't be able to snack on an adult. They also swim upside down(go figure) so they probably wouldn't come into contact with the shrimp too often. They are a bit territorial with their hiding spaces, and will chase cousins and corys(a good tank mate, IMO) away. Make sure the tank has lots of places for them to just hang out by themselves and you should be fine.

 

[HolyAngel]

I've read that they pillage shrimp populations but I have no experience with them :/

 

[toddnbecka]

The livebearers may opportunistically pick off a few shrimp, particularly the baby ones, but any Synodontis catfish will actively hunt them all down in a short time.

 

[10gallonplanted]

Get some pygmy cories.

 

[Cboss]

Yeah, I figured they might get eaten. But, I've got a tank full so losing a couple isn't a huge deal. Pygmy cories are nice, but the kids really like colorful or unusual looking fish.

I guess she'll just have to choose between the shrimp and the upside-down catfish. Maybe she'll be lucky and have a few RCS survive.

 

[jdm68]

I haven't kept the UDC with RCS, but I do have them in a tank with a bunch of ghost shrimp and they haven't touched them. Their mouths are not very big, no bigger than a mid sized cory's, so I just can't see them being able to eat an adult RCS. Maybe the males I guess, but not a female.

 

[toddnbecka]

The common upside-down catfish, Synodontis nigriventris, is a social fish best kept in groups of 5 or more. They're also nocturnal, though a group will at least be active/visible at feeding time. A single will simply stay hidden by day, similar to a clown pleco.

 

[Ichthyologuest]

my upside down cats never ate any of my adult cherries, but im sure they would ravage the juvenile population. They also hide at all times other than feeding time, and even then stick to cover, I wouldn't recommend them for a child-centered tank.