Talking catfish

Armored or Talking catfish, the scientific name of the family Doradidae. Native to South America from the vast Amazon and Orinoco basins, where they are found in swampy reservoirs. They are nocturnal and spend most of their time in shelters at the bottom under snags.

The natural habitat is subject to seasonal changes (droughts and floods) and catfish have developed amazing abilities to adapt to changing conditions. If the reservoir dries up, they can start a “journey on the ground” in search of a new place, moving with the help of hard pectoral fins on damp soil, or burrow into the ground for a while and stay in it until it starts to rain. The wait sometimes lasts a couple of months, during which time they fall into a special physiological state in which the metabolism slows down greatly. Another adaptation to the environment is associated with their ability to “breathe” atmospheric air when the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water becomes critically low.

This group of catfish is also distinguished by its appearance, being a kind of living knight in the world of fish, clad in armor made of bone plates. Numerous sharp thorns with which the entire body is dotted act as additional protection. The first rays of the fins turned into sharp spikes, sometimes containing a slightly toxic poison. The mucus produced is also toxic, so they are exported separately, in small volumes of water there is a high probability of poisoning other aquatic organisms.

Armored catfish are easy to keep, unpretentious to the diet and get along well with other fish, even with aggressive species. However, they are not very popular in the hobby aquarium hobby. It’s all because of the nondescript appearance and hidden lifestyle. The potential danger of poisoning the inhabitants of the aquarium does not make them more attractive. For example, during maintenance (cleaning the soil, changing water, etc.), catfish may experience stress and actively secrete poisonous mucus in an attempt to defend themselves.