Chocolate Doradid

It’s a shy, nocturnal species so it’s best to keep the tank dimly lit. Provide plenty of hiding places in the form of clay flowerpots, lengths of plastic piping, tangles of driftwood etc. Plants aren’t essential but are useful in cutting out the amount of light hitting the bottom of the tank and providing extra cover.

If you buy one of these for your community tank you’ll probably find it will head straight for an area of cover and remain there during the hours of daylight. If you want to see it more often, consider installing a red light above the tank. It can’t see red lightwaves, so if you switch this on at night you should be able to observe it foraging for food. It usually becomes much bolder as it grows, and adult specimens will often cruise the tankwhether the lights are on or not.

The maximum length for Chocolate Doradid is 9.6″ (24cm). Captive specimens of this size are rare, but it’s easily capable of reaching 6″ (15cm).

Totally unaggressive but it will eat smaller fish so isn’t really suitable for the general community. It can be kept with most peaceable species that are too big too be considered food, including medium-sized characins, cyprinids, anabantoids, livebearers, cichlids and other non-territorial catfish.

It’s tolerant of conspecifics and a group can usually be kept without any problems. If several are present they’ll often share the same refuge during the day. While some jostling for position might occur, no physical damage is usually done.

Omnivorous and easy to feed. Use a good quality sinking pellet or tablet as the staple diet. Supplement this with live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, small earthworms and similar. It’s best to add food after lights out to ensure it gets its share.

Size: Approx. 2″

Minimum Tank Size: 30 Gallons (114 Litres)
Temperament: Peaceful
Temperature: 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C)
pH: 6.0 to 7.5
Hardness: 5 to 20°H
Max Size: up to 5″
Color: Dark brown to black body with a metallic sheen
Tank Compatibility: Peaceful community fish
Diet: Omnivorous
Origin: Indonesia
Familt: Doradidae
Lifespan: Up to 10 years
Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner