Three Catfish

On Pleasant Surprises and a Tenuous Connection to ZZ Top

“Three Catfish”, Photo Credit: Scott Houston
Introduction
I’m going to chronicle the excitement of planning a new fish tank, the anticipation of discovering how the new fish get along, the experience of sitting back and enjoying the results, and then I’ll try to explain how this has anything to do with the band ZZ Top.
I’ve been keeping fish in my 55 gallon freshwater Oceanic Systems Tank since the late 1990s. My first collection of fish were Comet Goldfish. After a few years, we graduated to freshwater tropical fish. Several collections of fish have taken up residence in my tank. I’ve had a lot of successful experiences.
Planning a New Fish Tank
At the time, I wasn’t pleased with the previous residents of my tank, a school of Silver Dollar Fish, who gained fame and notoriety in an earlier story. Nonetheless, I took good care of them while I waited for them to expire. I’ve always felt a strong sense of responsibility to take care of the fish I bring home.
After a few years of waiting, I was eager to return to an enjoyable collection of fish who would provide a peaceful experience to our family room. I chose this particular group of fish in August 2019, so I’ve had almost 4 years of experience with them now.
This time around, my requirements were:

• Community fish — I didn't want any trouble. I wanted a collection of fish who would swim in the upper, middle, and lower level of the tank. I wanted them to get along. I didn't want a lot of conflict and drama.
• Active — I wanted a reasonable amount of activity, but I didn’t want them to be skittish.
• Resilient —It would be a big plus not to have a bunch of them die in the first few weeks.
• Amicable — It would be nice to have some friendly, personable fish.
• Small — I preferred to have fish that were small, perhaps 2–4 inches in length. Fifty-five gallons of water sounds like a lot of room, but if you have a few fish that grow larger than expected, you’ll have to make decisions that may include getting another tank, or giving some of them away.
• Keeping it under capacity — I wanted to use only about 50% of the fish that the tank would support. This would help keep the fish healthy and happy. You can figure out the maximum capacity of a tank based on the top surface area of the water and the type of fish.
• Discovering what’s in stock — It has always been fun to bring something home you didn’t expect, but to do this, you have to have some criteria for those decisions. One bad selection could create unforeseen problems. A knowledgeable tropical fish store employee can help you with this.

With these guidelines, and some help from the tropical fish store, I selected the first new residents:

• 6 Zebra Danios
• 3 Snails
• 6 Black Neon Tetras
• 6 Cherry Barbs
• 3 Corydoras, or “Cory Catfish”, but there’s a lot more on these later!

Discovering how the new fish get along
I brought them home, acclimated them to their new home, and released them into the tank. This is really fun. I was able to use some new tank lighting that I wasn’t able to use with the previous residents. This was my first set of adjustable LED lights, where I was able to set the color and intensity. I really liked the moonlight setting and the fish seemed to like it too.
Unfortunately, the snails didn’t make it past the first few weeks. I liked the snails a lot, but I would have to do more research before I attempted to add them back in again.
As expected, the fish got along well. The combination of planning and consultation with the tropical fish store experts paid off. However, there was one big surprise that was going to take a few months to discover, and a few years to define.
Enjoying the results
I was enjoying my new resident fish. They all got along, there was a lot of room for swimming around, and the tank was almost a bit boring. That’s what I wanted, and I got it. Success.
After 4 months, the fish that I believed were Corydoras, which in my experience had never exceeded 2 inches in length no matter what, had become about 4 inches in length, and they didn’t exactly look like Corydoras. I thought they may have been a species that grew larger than the ones I had past experience with. I liked them, they had a pleasant temperament, and didn’t pose a threat to the other fish in the tank. They would chase each other at times, but were very well behaved.
As time marched on, all three catfish thrived and grew to 7 inches in length. Interestingly, the fish developed a metallic-toned badging down their flanks. Two of the fish were a little bit larger and darker than the other. Corydoras were not supposed to grow this large. Fortunately, there was still enough room in my fish tank and it didn’t cause overcrowding.
After 3 years, I did some online research and discovered that these three fish were most likely Featherfin Squeaker (Synodontis eupterus) Catfish. These Featherfin Catfish possessed the personality that I was craving in my tank. They were always friendly, swimming upside down and doing spiral spins, and dwelling vertically in the plantings, either upside down or right side up. The three of them, in idle moments, would line up in the front of the tank in a way that reminded me of ZZ Top during a live performance. In particular, when the drummer came up front and the three of them would play guitar, showing off their beards (if present), talent, wardrobe, and bravado. What a pleasant surprise.
I’ve been known to call one of them Billy Gibbons. Sorry, Billy.
How did I walk out of the tropical fish store with these fish? The tropical fish store hadn’t mislabeled them or put them in the wrong tank. I must have selected them by sight, just pointing towards the tank, located near the floor, “… and I’ll take three of those too”. It’s very strange that I didn’t look at the label, but I’m glad I didn’t.
Conclusion
Well that’s my story. Planning a new fish tank, discovering how the new fish get along, enjoying the results, and experiencing serendipity. I’ve also tried to explain the tenuous link between these three Synodontis eupterus and the band ZZ Top. You may think I’m a nut, but I’m sticking with my story.
For your amusement, here’s a snapshot I took at a ZZ Top concert ten years ago. I could have found a photo online of the three of them, up front, each with a guitar, but I wanted to use one of my own photos.