Orinoco talking catfish

Orinocodoras eigenmanni

Also known as Long-nosed raphael

FreshwaterFish

Orinoco talking catfish (Orinocodoras eigenmanni) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 7.9 in (20 cm)
Minimum tank: 70 gal (265 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Orinoco basin, Venezuela and Colombia
Family: Doradidae

Overview

A striped, raphael-like catfish that stays peaceful and secretive, hiding by day and working the bottom for food at night. It is gregarious rather than solitary, so it keeps well alone or in a small group, and it will not trouble tankmates too big to swallow. Give it driftwood, pipes, or caves to shelter in and a soft substrate that will not wear its barbels. Feed sinking pellets, wafers, and frozen foods once the lights dim. A tank of around 265 liters suits this 20 cm fish and its slow nightly rounds.

In the wild

Orinocodoras eigenmanni lives in the Orinoco basin across Venezuela and Colombia, including the slow, wood-filled rivers of the llanos. Set up a tank with a sand bed, plenty of driftwood for daytime cover, and subdued lighting. Keep the water warm at 23-28 C and soft to neutral, about pH 6-7.5, with gentle flow and regular maintenance. Blackwater touches such as leaf litter reflect its natural surroundings.

Good to know

Reaching about 20 cm, this is the only species in the genus Orinocodoras, a thorny catfish that looks much like the striped raphael but wears a noticeably longer snout. It was described by George Myers in 1927. It carries the family's armored scutes and spine-stridulating call. No aquarium breeding has been recorded for it.

Did you know

The entire genus contains just this one fish; the easiest way to pick it out of a mixed shipment of raphael catfish is its longer, more tapered snout.

Tank mates

Orinoco talking catfish is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.