Up side down swimming fish at my LFS and not a Cory what is it?

Question

I saw what looked like swimming upside down catfish or corys. They were small and brown with white spots in my LFS. I have never seen this kind of fish. They were not sick they literary swam upside down and looked like corys, but they weren't corys.

Do you guys know what kind of fish this is? Why does it swim upside down? and what does it do? (looks like your typical bottom dweller except it was only in the surface).

Are there fish like that in nature or is this fish "man made"?
I don't know, but I would be lying if I said those fish are not cool.

Thanks :)

Laurenzo · Accepted Answer

It could have been a natural species known as Synodontis angelicus who has the potential to growing really huge. I had one of these fellas who enjoys hiding in dark spots. They can be pretty skittish so if you intend on rearing them, I suggest having a tank lid or wire mesh to prevent it from jumping out of the aquarium. 

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way when mine committed suicide one day while I was away from home. My parents replaced it into the tank but it died from injuries and a fatal concussion. It had grown to about 8 inches in length. 

Here is an online bio data of the species :http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=278

Anonymous · Answer

They are literally called "Upside-down catfish."  They do not get very large, about 3 inches total.  You are right, they are not corydoras; they are in the synodontis family of catfish.  This is a natural occurrence, not man-made.  They are fairly easy to care for and can live in a community aquarium.

Anonymous · Answer

Upside Down catfish of some sort.

http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=334

Ian

PSOs gal · Answer

Upside down catfish yep that's what they are. I used to work with them but be careful when and if needing to net them. Their spines things get caught on the fibers of the net it's so hard to remove them from the net.

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Up side down swimming fish at my LFS and not a Cory what is it?

4 Answers