Synodontis Catfish

Five African Synodontis species — angelicus, eupterus, schoutedeni, soloni and the upside-down catfish — each listed three ways: Quarantined, Lightly Medicated, or Non-Quarantined. They are armored, nocturnal, and tough enough for a mixed African cichlid tank, where a Corydoras would get pushed off the food and waste away.

They are not a cleanup crew. Synodontis eat what lands on the sand and ignore algae entirely, so feed them directly after the lights go out or they slowly starve behind the rockwork. Angelicus and soloni are usually wild-collected and the two people lose in the first two weeks; on those, the quarantined listing is where the money is well spent.