Upside Down Catfish - What do they eat?

I've got 2 upside down cats in a tank with 7 neon tetra and 8 harlequins.

I used to put in a sprinkle of King British Catfish pellets each evening and the 2 cats would come out and gobble them up.

Then recently, they don't seem to bother. I tried getting algae wafers instead, but still none getting eaten.

They are clearly not starving. SO what are they eating?

The tank currently has green hair algae, it this the food?

Every few weeks a neon tetra seems to vanish, are they eating them?

Any suggestions of food they might like to eat?

 

Synodontis are omnivores with a tendency towards carnivorous diet, eating a lot of detritus and mulm. They do not eat algae or any other aufwuchs!
A mix of meat leaning tabs and frozen foods (artemia, daphnia, tubifex, white mosquito larvae) is advisable.

As always "If it fits in the mouth" applies. I doubt the tetras are killed by the catfish, but if they die from anything the Synodontis will likely be the first to find the carrion.

Can you post a picture to make sure they are Synodontis nigriventris? Sometimes they are mistaken for related species.

 

My experience with them is they eat catfish pellets or any meaty dry food that finds its way to the substrate. quite readily.. Perhaps try a few different brands of sinking pellets and definately worth trying frozen foods. Algae wafers are left for the most part.

 

If they were readily eating these pellets, they are unlikely to suddenly find them distasteful. They will nibble on a dead tetra and they will also any leftovers from whatever you are feeding the tetras and harlequins, so as you noted, they are probably doing OK. Perhaps feed the whole tank a bit less for a short period and see if their appetite is more noticeable?

 

I feed shrimp pellets. All cats eat them.