False upside-down catfish
Synodontis nigrita
- Tank length
- 60 cm24 in
- Start with
- 1
- Temperature
- 21–26 °C70–79 °F
- pH
- 6–7.6
- Adult size
- 15 cm6 in
- Lifespan
- 10–15 yrs
Hardy and nocturnal but grows larger than the upside-down catfish it is sold as; give it caves and keep away from very small fish.Hardy and nocturnal but grows larger than the upside-down catfish it is sold as; give it caves and keep away from very small fish.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Irian Jaya rainbowfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat False upside down catfishAlligator gar may eat False upside down catfish
- Altum angelfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat False upside down catfishArapaima may eat False upside down catfish
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat False upside down catfishAsian arowana may eat False upside down catfish
- Australian pearl arowana
Australian pearl arowana may eat False upside down catfishAustralian pearl arowana may eat False upside down catfish
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat False upside down catfishBullseye snakehead may eat False upside down catfish
- Butterfly peacock bass
Butterfly peacock bass may eat False upside down catfishButterfly peacock bass may eat False upside down catfish
- Channel catfish
Channel catfish may eat False upside down catfishChannel catfish may eat False upside down catfish
- Chocolate zebra pleco
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Clown knifefish
Clown knifefish may eat False upside down catfishClown knifefish may eat False upside down catfish
- Common river stingray
Common river stingray may eat False upside down catfishCommon river stingray may eat False upside down catfish
Data used by the planner
| Temperature | 21–26 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
|---|---|---|
| pH | 6–7.6 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Hardness (dGH) | 5–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium confidence |
| Origin | Niger, Volta, Gambia and Chad basins, West Africa | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Beginner friendly | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Swimming level | bottom | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Temperament | semi aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Nips fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Long fins | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Territorial | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lives in groups | No | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Minimum group | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |
| Lifespan (years) | 10–15 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Months to adult size | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low confidence |
| Safe with plants | Yes | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium confidence |