FEATHER-FACED TALKING CATFISH
6Scientific name: Ossancora punctata
6Pronunciation: Oh-san-koh-rah punk-tah-tah
6Size: To 12cm
6Origin: Widespread across South America from Colombia to Argentina
6Habitat: All manner of riverine habitats from blackwater to clear and
turbid water
6Tank size: 90x45x30cm
6Water requirements: Slightly soft and acidic to
slightly alkaline water; 6.0-7.2pH, 2-12°H
6Temperature: 22-26°C
6Temperament: Peaceful community species
6Feeding: Offer small foods including sinking pellets,
live and frozen Daphnia, bloodworm
6Availability and cost: Surprisingly rare despite all the many virtues of this fish, when available expect to pay £12-£15 each
Instead, I use plastic jugs to scoop them out, but sometimes they’ll just conveniently go into a cave which I can cover and gently lift out of the aquarium with them still inside.
Take care when you handle O. punctata (or any catfish for that matter). Keep your fingers well away from their ‘armpits’ (the inner arc of their pectoral fins) — these fins are both sharp and serrated, will quickly clamp down on your finger, and inflict a lot of pain!
Spitting feathers
One feature that’s unique to this genus of catfish is the whiskers. Often described as feather-like, you might see Ossancora listed under the common name of ‘Feather barbel catfish’ or ‘Feather-faced talking catfish’.
The long maxillary barbels (the ones either side of the mouth), as well as being rather splendid, have hair-like offshoots all the way down, giving the appearance of a wellgroomed moustache. As with many other catfish, these highly sensitive organs are packed with a sensory array of taste buds that they glide over the substrate as they swim in order to find their next meal. Inhabiting silty river margins or tannin-stained blackwater pools with low visibility, it becomes crucial to the fish’s survival to be able to find food without relying solely (or even at all) on eyesight. The colour intensity of O. punctata can vary depending on the substrate they’re kept on, with individual fish ranging from light to dark brown with black freckles all over, though variations in colour may also be down to catch location. My own established fish have an almost silvery appearance along their body, with a white stomach and a subtle purple sheen as they catch the light. Look closely and you’ll also see a pink hue to the armour plating behind their eye, making it look as though the fish is blushing.
Regarding telling the males from the females, O. punctata seems to display sexual body size dimorphism
The long maxillary barbels (the ones either side of the mouth), as well as being rather splendid, have hair-like offshoots all the way down, giving the appearance of a well-groomed moustache.
— my largest three catfish are between 11-12cm, while my smallest three are closer to 8-9cm. Sexually mature female catfish tend to be larger than the males but there are no breeding reports in the hobby as of yet.
Common, not common
While infrequently imported, O. punctata is widely distributed through the Amazon river in South America, and reportedly found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, so it would be fair to ask why it’s so rare in the hobby.
Unfortunately, it’s a case of low demand. Even though catfish in general have a steadily growing fanbase, it is all too often the suckermouths of the Loricariidae and the cute, snuffling armoured catfish of Corydoras that hog the limelight. Fishermen want to catch and sell what is most profitable for them, so
O. punctata just isn’t collected and offered up in the same quantities. Nevertheless, I think if more people were made aware of this fish, demand would be higher. With its small mouth and laid-back demeanour, it could be the perfect addition to any peaceful softwater community tank, or the missing piece in your South American biotope that you just didn’t know you needed — until now.
Captive considerations
In my experience O. punctata is a relatively straightforward catfish to keep as long as you’re not a total novice. If you’ve mastered your weekly water changes, understand your water parameters and have an established aquarium, it’s a fairly resilient fish. However, hardiness should never be used as an excuse to put any fish in uncycled aquariums, skip tank maintenance or have generally poor husbandry.
Originating from softer waters, it still does well in moderately hard water — mine even seem unperturbed from living in my Kentish liquid rock for short periods. On the flipside, I don’t know what the ramifications of keeping it in very hard water would be in the long-term, so I definitely don’t recommend it. Stick to soft to moderately hard water and a neutral to slightly acidic pH to suit them best. For temperature I suggest the cooler side of your typical tropical set-up, between 22°C and 26°C. I keep mine at 24°C simply to accommodate their tankmates’ requirements.
Keeping this catfish in groups is a must; four is the arbitrary minimum we often use for schooling fish but six or more is better if you can find them. Active during the day and appreciative of swimming space, an aquarium with a 90x45cm footprint is what I would suggest as a minimum for a species set-up alongside some small dither fish. If you are looking to put them in a community or biotope style aquarium, I recommend a 120cm aquarium as they can have bursts of speed when startled and this might lead to injury in a confined space.
I think this is the catfish’s only downside and despite the armour plating, spikes and size, it won’t fare well in with boisterous or aggressive tank mates.
To see it at its best and most relaxed, either avoid bright lighting or subdue it with floating plants. Plants, driftwood and caves also go a long way to helping it feel secure in its surroundings.
As foragers, mine are notably unfussy feeders and relish any quality dry food I’ve tried them on as well, as frozen and gel type foods. O. punctata has a deceptively small mouth and isn’t well equipped to compete against voracious eaters so stick to sinking, bite-sized portions to allow it to cruise along the substrate hoovering everything up. What we know of the typical stomach contents for a similar fish, Ossancora eigenmanni, leads me to believe that O. punctata would predominantly feed on insect larvae, aquatic insects and invertebrates, general detritus and vegetable matter in the wild. Try to offer a varied diet that isn’t purely fishmeal based; something along the lines of Repashy’s ‘Bottom Scratcher’ would make a great choice.
Make it natural
As Ossancora punctata doesn’t exclusively come from one specific location or habitat, it tends to do well in an array of Amazon themed aquariums. If I were to set up a biotope inspired aquarium, I’d use the type locality, the Rio Guaporé; a clearwater river that stretches over 1,000 miles forming the border between Bolivia and Brazil. Often found in floodplains and river banks, I’m picturing fallen branches, tangled roots and dropped leaves on a bed of white sand.
The Rio Guaporé is probably the most aquatic plant rich river you can find in the Amazon, boasting many species of Echinodorus as well as
Hygrophila, Cabomba, Hydrocotyle, Eleocharis, Sagittaria and more.
Helanthium tenellum would be a lovely low growing plant to break up the wood and leaves at the bottom level, and any tall Echinodorus species would work well to give some background height (and shade) to the aquarium. Keeping in mind that Ossancora punctata don’t appreciate bright lights you’ll want
to judge which plants will do best but ultimately you can make the planting as simple or as complicated as you like. The very densely planted areas of the river tend not to have any wood, rocks, or gravel, but you can use a bit of creative licensing if not going for absolute authenticity.
Since Ossancora punctata is the star here my goal is to choose sympatric species that compliment aesthetically and will live harmoniously in the home aquarium. You can keep this catfish with all but the most diminutive of fish or fry, thanks to the petite mouth. Smaller schooling fish provide a sense of scale and movement, mirroring the busy
Rio Guaporé. One paper I read recorded no less than an amazing 619 species there!
However, when I think Amazon aquarium, I think tetra and the one I’m going for is Hyphessobrycon megalopterus, aka the Black phantom tetra. Originally hailing from the Madeira basin, (including the Guaporé river which branches off from it) it’s widely available as tank-bred stock. It’s a lovely undervalued tetra; the bold black of the males and hint of red on the females should complement the black freckles and subtle colour of the Ossancora punctata beautifully. A school of at least 8-10 allows them to busy themselves with each other as they are quite hierarchical and will be more interesting and colourful in groups.
A peaceful cichlid like Mesonauta festivus would do well in this biotope too; favouring dim lighting, branches and plants for cover, these gentle cichlids keep to themselves unless breeding. There are so many fish to choose from, with endless combinations and species to suit all tastes so why not look into a specific region and design your own slice of the Amazon?
If nothing else, I hope this article will entice some of you to give this catfish a try if you find some. Finding a manageable sized catfish that won’t eat its tank mates isn’t always easy, but this is one species that you can rely on to tick that box.
Beautiful in its own way, peaceful with tank mates, active during the day and such a pleasure to watch interacting with one another — in particular I love sitting with breakfast on my sofa to watch the morning ritual of several O. punctata dancing up and down the glass together, playing whatever their aquatic version of ‘leap frog’ might be. They really are a tough catfish to beat.