why do........?

Question

upside down catfish swim upside down. i know he's not dead but its natural for him why?

Answer 1

In the wild, they normally eat aquatic insects from the bottom of exposed tree roots, fallen trees, floating leaves, or fly larvae (like mosquito larvae) that sit just below the water's surface.

As young fish they swim right-side-up (probably to feed on smaller organisms on the stream bottom), but switch over when they are large enough to eat the natural insect diet, aroung 8 weeks old:
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/default.aspx?pageid=264

Answer 2

I have one but I am not sure why they swim upside down.Mine does swim upright sometimes but I agree with the 2nd poster that they have evolved to swim that way maybe it is easier for them to get the food they eat in the wild upside down.

Answer 3

Hard to say "exactly" why. But if you look at their natural environment, it is very rocky, lots of "caves" and "cliffs" created by the rocks in the water. A normal fishes swimbladder would not allow it to turn itself completely upside down, but these guys have evolved over the years to allow them to hunt for food on the undersides of these rocky caves and cliffs....adapting to their environment.

You think these guys are cool? Check out their "cousins", the Synodontis eupterus! Crazy high dorsal fins with long filaments trailing....beautiful fish! And they also have the ability to do the "upside down" thing as well!

Answer 4

well if they are called upside down catfish then i guess its natural.

Answer 5

They do this because it is the way they evolved. Somehow in the wild this benefitted more than swimming regularly, so they do it naturally now. I personally luv them and plan to get one. They make a great addition to your tank.Hope this helps!!!