All fish / Doradidae

Spotted Talking Catfish

Agamyxis pectinifrons

Also known as spotted raphael catfish, white-spotted doradid, talking catfish, spotted talking cat, whitebarred catfish, spotted raphael, agamyxis, アガミクシス・ペクティニフロンス, 白点皇冠豹鼠, 白点会说话的鲶鱼

A stocky, heavily armoured catfish with a dark brown to black body scattered with small white spots and a row of spiny bony plates along each flank. It is hardy, long lived and mostly peaceful, and it is known for the grunting or croaking sounds it makes with its pectoral spines and swim bladder. It is mostly active at night and spends the day hidden in caves, roots or wedged into crevices.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

14 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

5.8 to 7.5

Smallest tank

150 litres

Keep as

Alone or in a small group of 3 or more

Diet

Omnivore: sinking pellets and wafers, bloodworm, earthworms, shrimp and other meaty foods fed after lights out

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 20 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Upper Amazon basin in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil

Breeding

Spawning has seldom been recorded in home aquariums, and almost all fish in the trade are caught in the wild. Little is known about how it breeds, though it is thought to scatter eggs or lay them among plants or debris.

Good to know

It will eat very small fish and shrimp, so keep it with tankmates too big to swallow. Do not net it, because the serrated pectoral spines snag easily, and handle it carefully. It is often confused with the striped raphael catfish, Platydoras armatulus.