# Best food for Synodontis



## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

What's the best food for Synodontis petricola? 
Ι've tried NLS cichlid formula pellets, NLS grow, different flakes and grindal worms but i have never seen them eating. 
They do not look hungry or weakened. 
I have them for about two months.


----------



## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

I feed my syno sinking tablets or pellets. I drop some in late evenings.


----------



## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All my Synodontis eat NLS sinking pellets.

How many do you have? A group of five that has been in the tank a while...I see mine eat every time. But it's fine to judge by their bellies...as long as they are not concave you are fine.


----------



## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

I have only three (I lost one that jumped out from a small hole in the lid) but i am waiting another five young.
I want try breeding them.








I made this for breeding nest 

















Thank you for your replies.


----------



## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Mine eat NLS cichlid pellets and the green flake (spirulina) that my Tropheus get.


----------



## wharfrat (Sep 9, 2013)

In my Troph, and mbuna tanks my S.Petricolas & S.Lucipinnis have done well even with the Dainichi veggie FX & Deluxe pellets. My WC S.Polli have been eating Dainichi Ultima and NLS Thera A. IME I think Synodontis will eat just about anything that hits the bottom and I never overfeed the tank in particular to specifically feed them. I hardly ever saw my S. Lucipinnis eat, but they thrived for several years when I had my Mbuna tank and grew from fry. I believe if you have an omnivore or carnivore tank they would definitely be happier with a higher protein food; however, if I had a fish species that needed a strict veggie dominated diet I wouldn't alter it to specifically feed the Synos d/t risk of harming the other fish. I think that most higher quality pellets and flake foods are appropriate enough for Synos. I think stable water chemistry is more important than diet in regards to successfully keeping them.

I have only been keeping Africans for ~16 years and I believe there are some fish-keepers here with much more practical experience who give really good insight into optimal fish husbandry. If you are a fish nerd like me you get most of your info through research; however, I don't think there is a substitute for actual experience either. I believe this a true for any profession or hobby. There are some things you find in fish husbandry research that tell you something should be avoided at all costs, and then the fish-keeper with 40 years said they do that "something" with great success. That being said, I think it is a balance d/t the fact that I don't have that 40 years of experience I tend to stick with the data and research.


----------



## Kleovoulos (Jan 6, 2011)

Thank you for your help!


----------



## hcarr1234 (Dec 13, 2012)

When I had mine I would feed them Tetracolor granules.


----------



## Jonesab7 (Feb 7, 2013)

I have multipunctatus, and they just eat the NLS that hits the ground. They are very active, and swarm during feeding time.


----------



## des (Mar 30, 2011)

They are great scavengers and will find any uneaten fish food. They swim by on pick up food like vacuums.


----------



## bmcmpe07 (Nov 5, 2016)

Mine swim upside down at the top fighting for pellets like the mbuna. I also drop a sinking veggie tab and they swarm that with the others.


----------

