Painted talking catfish

Acanthodoras cataphractus

Also known as Chocolate talking catfish

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–82°F (23–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 4.5 in (11.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 30 gal (112 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Amazon and coastal Guiana drainages
Family: Doradidae

Overview

A small, stocky, nocturnal doradid that hides through the day and forages along the bottom once it is dark. It is peaceful and sociable, fine singly or in a small group, and community-safe with calm fish it cannot eat. Provide leaf litter, driftwood, and caves over a soft floor, and keep lighting low so it will come out to feed. Offer sinking pellets, wafers, and frozen foods such as bloodworm in the evening. A tank of around 112 liters suits this 11.5 cm fish; handle it gently, because its stiff spines snag in nets.

In the wild

Acanthodoras cataphractus is widespread in the Amazon and coastal Guiana drainages, living in slow, shaded water among leaf litter and sunken wood. A suitable tank has a soft sand base, a layer of botanicals, plenty of cover, and gentle filtration. Keep it warm at 23-28 C and soft and slightly acidic to neutral, around pH 6-7.5. Dim light and abundant hiding places bring out its natural behaviour.

Good to know

This thorny catfish reaches about 11.5 cm and was one of the fishes named by Linnaeus in the founding 1758 edition of his Systema Naturae. Its species name, cataphractus, means clad in armor, after the mailed cavalry of the ancient world, a nod to the heavy bony plating typical of Doradidae. It clicks audibly by grinding its pectoral spines. Breeding is not recorded in aquaria.

Did you know

It has been on the scientific record since 1758, one of the original catfishes catalogued by Linnaeus, and it still protests being handled with an audible creak made by its locking pectoral spines.

Tank mates

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