• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Bettas 101
    • Acclimation
    • All About Water
      • Nitrogen Cycle
      • Ph & Ammonia
      • Water Changes
    • Betta Fish Anatomy
    • Betta Vases
    • Choosing a Tank
    • Feeding Bettas
      • Food Myths
      • Frozen & Live Betta Food
    • Tankmates for Bettas
      • African Dwarf Frogs & Bettas
      • Apple Snails & Bettas
      • Neon Tetras & Bettas
      • Otocinclus Catfish & Bettas
      • Quarantine New Fish
    • Plakat Betta
    • Rosetail Betta
    • Veil-tail Betta
  • Sick Betta
    • Diseases and Treatment
    • Aging Bettas
    • Bloating and Constipation
    • Cotton Wool Disease
    • Dropsy
    • Fin Rot and Fin Loss
    • First Steps
    • Gill Hyperplasia
    • Ich
    • Popeye
    • Septicemia (Infection)
    • Swim Bladder Disorder
    • Sick Betta Symptom Checker
    • Velvet Disease
    • Wounded Betta
    • Fish Tank Granuloma
  • Behavior
    • Bubble Nests
    • Skittish Bettas
    • Tail Biting
  • Breeding Bettas
  • Equipment
  • Q & A
  • Other fish
  • Contact

Fish Care

Everything You Need to Know About Betta Fish

You are here: Home / Breeding Bettas / Catfish / The Clown Squeaker (Synodontis decorus)

The Clown Squeaker (Synodontis decorus)

  • Common Names – Clown squeaker, Clown catfish, Clown Synodontis, Décor-Synodontis, Decorated Synodontis, Barredtailed squeaker.
  • Scientific Name – Synodontis decorus. Also known under the synonym names of Synodontis labeo and Synodontis vittatus.
  • Natural Distribution – The Congo basin (with the exception of the Luapula River system) of Africa. Many of the wild caught fish in aquaria originate from Cameroon.

    Size – 32cm. Can develop a wide body girth.
Synodontis decorus

I remember the awesome sight of my first fully grown clown squeaker, 1981, that was a ‘pet fish’ at Pickhill Aquatics (sadly closed) in North Yorkshire. A couple of years later my first ‘Sid’ arrived and I have kept clown squeakers ever since.

The background body colour of these beautiful fish changes with age from a muddy white in youngsters to light brown in adults. Several large black spots make-up the foreground colouration. The caudal is black-white barred. The caudal of the mail is extended in the form of a thin black membrane that sweeps backwards towards the caudal peduncle. With an ever increasing number of clown squeakers arriving in the U.K. from the commercial breeding of these fish in Eastern Europe we now have variants with a variety of body markings.

Youngsters are available in the hobby at a size of 4cm. These young fish are stronger than they look but may be difficult to get to start feeding (never purchase an emaciated looking clown squeaker). Through research I discovered that youngsters eat a lot of plant material in the wild and, through experience, found that if you have difficulty in feeding decorus of any size vegetable flake is their saviour. Once feeding they relish large sized flake food, catfish pellets, Thai crabstick and will play with algae wafers. Their rate of growth varies between individuals.

Clown squeakers need plenty of room to move around in so I recommend an aquarium of 5’x10″x10″. Decorate with fine gravel, bogwood, large pieces of coal and sturdy plastic plants. Temperature 27 C and a pH of 7. One important aspect of keeping these fish healthy is that they require a much greater volume of air in their aquarium than many other members of their genus do. Filtration can be minimal as long as regular water changes are carried out.

The clown squeaker is not a fish that will hide away. Keep in small groups (although feuding over food items and pecking order can cause minor disruptions) or in the company of other large Synodontis species. For their size these can be placid fish and I have kept them alongside large barbs, rasboras, cichlids, doradids and loricarins.

If conditions in their aquarium are not to their liking or if the water is ready for a change they will let you know by forming a white mucus film on the top of their heads. When conditions return to their liking this film falls away and although at times the area can be a little sore looking, soon heals over. The body of this Synodontis easily scratches. They signal illness, although it is rare to see them with the symptoms of velvet and white spot etc., and old age through a complete draining of body colour.

These fish can become tame and ‘house friendly’. When I moved the fish tanks out of the house and into the fish house, 2003, a large ‘Sid’ was one of many fish moved. He never fully settled and pined for the frenetic movements of a busy household.

Wild caught clown squeakers can live well over 10 years but, sadly, the inbreeding of aquarium stock has greatly shortened this life expectancy.

Please remember that the pectoral spines, although not as sharp as those of a number of fellow Synodontis, can cut through nylon and cause injury to the human hand so we never move a clown squeaker with a net, but lower the water level and coax them into a suitably sized plastic container.

In the wild these fish breed during the rainy season when rivers burst their banks spilling over grasslands. The mature adults, who form distinct pairs, scatter sticky dark coloured eggs over vegetation and the substrate. No egg care. The hatchling fry feed upon micro-organisms and decaying vegetation.

I know of no aquarists in the U.K. who have spawned this species under aquarium conditions. Fish breeders in Poland, using bare tanks and hormone stimulation, were the first to crack the code of reproducing this specie. Sadly they keep their secrets to themselves. Out of interest the Polish breeders used their young clown squeakers as an aquatic currency to barter for other fish species with Russian and Czech aquarists.

As mentioned earlier many of the clown squeakers seen in the U.K. now originate from breeding establishments in Eastern Europe. Shop around as prices vary greatly from one aquatic retail outlet to another.


Filed Under: Catfish Tagged With: Synodontis decorus

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search


Recent Posts

  • Cool Betta Fish Tank Ideas
  • How Long Do Betta Fish Live For? – 5 Helpful Tips For a Long and Happy Life
  • 3 Gallon Fish Tank for Betta
  • 10 Gallon Aquarium Stands and Cabinets
  • How Much Do Betta Fish Cost to Buy and Care For?

NippyFish Facebook Page

Visit the NippyFish Facebook Page

Featured Posts

Complete Guide to Betta Fish Diseases and Treatment

This complete guide on Betta fish illnesses and diseases from A-Z will help you pinpoint what is wrong with your Betta and how to treat it.

The 4 Most Common Signs of Illness in Betta Fish

This article focuses on the 4 most common signs of illness in Betta fish.

Betta Fish Tank Setup – A Detailed Guide For Beginners

This article will be providing a detailed beginners guide on how to setup a tank for your Betta fish.

Top 12 Betta Fish Toys

This article has a list of some of our favorite Betta fish toys. Don’t have a bored Betta.

Setup an Aquatic Plant Environment For Your Betta

Having a healthy plant in your tank will help to improve the water quality by filtering out waste and removing some of the CO2 that’s produced by your fish.

Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved | NippyFish | Privacy Policy

Nippyfish.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.