Spotted raphael catfish

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Widespread in the Amazon River basin (Peru, Colombia, Brazil). Lives in calm waters and swamps, camouflaging itself by day among the dense forests of intricate roots or sneaking into rocky crevices sheltered from the light.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Known as the Spotted Raphael Catfish. Belongs to the Doradidae family (Thorny/Talking catfishes). "Barrel" shaped body, hyper-armored and equipped with thick sharp lateral scutes. Reaches 15 cm (6 inches) in the aquarium.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, inert and lazy night owl. Literally spends 95% of the day wedged in the dark. Enters full activity only when lights are out, scouring the bottom. If annoyed, it emits "croaking" or squeaking noises by rubbing the bone joints of the fins.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The livery is a real starry night sky: the black or intense chocolate brown background is richly studded with hundreds of yellow/white spots all over the body. Females are noticeably more swollen and wider than males when viewed from above.

Aquarium Setup: A 100 cm (40 inch) tank is sufficient given its zero movement. STRICTLY prepare PVC pipes, overturned terracotta pots or masses of hollow woods in which the animal will fit tightly (it loves physical contact with the walls of the hiding place). Soft sandy bottom.

Diet and Feeding: Easy and unexacting omnivorous detritivore. Will come out at night to clean the bottom of decaying scraps. Greedily accepts sinking tablets (wafers), pellets, frozen or freeze-dried tubifex, and blanched peas. Possesses a huge stomach and is prone to obesity.

Water Quality: Tolerant of a wide spectrum of conditions (pH 6.0-7.5, temperature 22-26°C / 72-79°F, GH 4-15), it proves to be one of the longest-lived and indestructible catfish in aquariums, easily exceeding 10-15 years of life in captivity if not excessively polluted.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Totally harmless towards mid and top water tankmates. Can happily cohabit in quiet Amazon tanks or with large Cichlids that will ignore its impregnable armor. However, being an opportunistic nocturnal predator, it licks fry off the bottom and could gobble up sleeping neocaridina and micro-rasboras.

Aquarium Reproduction: Not spontaneously documented in home aquariums; commercial production for the Asian ornamental market takes place almost exclusively via hormonal induction in huge outdoor earthen ponds.

Risks and Diseases: The spiny armor is a lethal magnet for aquarium nets: NEVER catch it with the green net (it will inevitably get tangled, breaking its fins), but use plastic cups. Hypersensitive to copper.