Gold-spotted doradid

Care at a glance

Overview

The gold-spotted doradid is a large, calm, slow-growing armored catfish for a spacious, cool-leaning community tank. It suits keepers who have a little experience.

Caring for the gold-spotted doradid

Give the gold-spotted doradid a tank of at least 106 gal (400 L). Lay a soft, open bed of sand or fine gravel for it to forage across. Add sturdy driftwood for cover and a shaded retreat.

Run the tank on the cooler side, at 68 to 79°F (20 to 26°C). Keep the water soft to neutral at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, flowing and well oxygenated. The current should be gentle but present.

Feed sinking pellets, wafers, mussel and earthworm. Remember that it does most of its eating after dark.

The gold-spotted doradid is peaceful and gregarious, comfortable on its own or with a few of its kind. It ignores tank mates it cannot swallow, but small fish and shrimp are fair game at night. Its breeding is not recorded in aquariums.

Good to know

Wertheimeria maculata is the sole species in its genus and one of the most ancient lineages in the family Doradidae. Studies place it, with its relative Kalyptodoras, as the sister group to all other thorny catfishes, set apart in its own subfamily Wertheimerinae. It carries the usual doradid armor and spine-stridulating sound.

In the wild

Wertheimeria maculata is found only in two small rivers of eastern Brazil, the Jequitinhonha and the Pardo. These coastal drainages sit entirely outside the Amazon system and run cooler than most catfish rivers.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Black-top mouse catfish

  Hassar orestis

  11.8 in (30 cm) · 106 gal (400 L)

  11.8 in (30 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Wilder's mouse catfish

  Hassar wilderi

  9.8 in (25 cm) · 106 gal (400 L)

  9.8 in (25 cm)106 gal (400 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Striped raphael catfish

  Platydoras armatulus

  8.7 in (22 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)

  8.7 in (22 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Orinoco talking catfish

  Orinocodoras eigenmanni

  7.9 in (20 cm) · 70 gal (265 L)

  7.9 in (20 cm)70 gal (265 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Fog talking catfish

  Rhinodoras boehlkei

  6.7 in (17 cm) · 79 gal (300 L)

  6.7 in (17 cm)79 gal (300 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)

• 

  Green turushuki catfish

  Hemidoras morrisi

  6.3 in (16 cm) · 53 gal (200 L)

  6.3 in (16 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)