Now that Mongo has personally made me a Synodontis devotee, I find myself drawn to them in LFS's. My S. Eupterus and S. Nigrita started the process.

S. Decorus was in a local shop -- the same one where I got my Nigrita -- but I read online that they get really huge. (OK, OK, the Eupterus does, too.)

I've recently seen S. Alberti and S Greshoffi in another LFS, both expensive and probably WC.

PlanetCatfish says nothing at all about Greshoffi. Re Alberti they say: "Will investigate and likely stress timid species with its unusually long barbels during the night."

Anyone have any experience with these guys? Any reason to risk the Decorus outgrowing my tanks? Is the idea of a different Synodontis in every tank nuts when a Eupterus in every tank would serve better?

Thanks!

Don, I am not a huge friend of catfish and the only Synodontis species I have are the Multipunctatus and the Petricola. I have these not because I think they are pretty but because of the challange to breed them. That's where my experience ends with these........fish.

Hopefully there are some others that will be able to answer you question.

I have kept the greshoffi before and I really liked them. They have a unique look and they did well in a group of 4 and were out and about constantly. They were very peaceful. I no longer have them. A friend of mine is into catfish hardcore and this was a species he didn't have so I gave them to him.

Would a single be happy or do they need company?

The one in the LFS is a single in a TINY compartment in a Chinatown mass-volume LFS. Those stores have great prices, but this one in particular is incredibly aggressive on how they pack fish in together and subdivide tanks into the tiniest spaces to maximize capacity.

Most catfish are social creatures, and would probably benefit with more than one of its kind in a tank.