Catfish – Spotted Talking Catfish (Agamyxis pectinifrons) 5-6cm Spotted Raphael Catfish

A basic setup for the Spotted Talking catfish would be a not too brightly lit aquarium with driftwood or equivalent for them to hide away in the roots or in the crevices of carefully stacked stonework. Substrate is not a great issue with either rounded gravel or sand. Regular monthly water changes should keep this catfish happy for many years.

The Spotted Talking Catfish are dark brown to blue-black, with numerous pale blotches/spots on the head and body. Underside somewhat paler, similarly marked. Fins dark, with pale stripes and spots which may run together to form transverse bars. Old individuals are almost uniformly dark brown with white blotches on the belly.

It is very nocturnal as are most members of this family. If catching this species for any reason you must not use a net as their spines will get hopelessly entangled. A better method is to lower a container to scoop it up in. If you must handle this fish, make sure that you grasp it forward of the pectoral spines in the head area. They can lock their pectoral spines, so be careful as it can be very painful if you are spiked by these.

In common with most of the Doradidae family when out of the water, it can create a sound by grating its fin bones in each socket and amplifying the noise via the swim bladder, which is one reason why it commands the common name of the “Spotted Talking Catfish”.

It is a good community catfish although very nocturnal. It could eat very small fish or fry on night time forages. It is best to keep the catfish in tanks with large sized dwellers.