Hancock's Amblydoras

About

Hancock's Amblydoras (Amblydoras hancocki) is a small-to-medium armored catfish from the flooded river margins, coastal swamps, and seasonally inundated habitats stretching across Guyana, eastern Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Like other doradids, it carries rows of bony scutes along its flanks that give it a prehistoric, segmented appearance, and it stays fairly compact at a few inches long. In the wild, this species is genuinely gregarious, groups of several hundred individuals are not unheard of, so keeping a decent-sized group in the aquarium is the right call, not just a preference. Expect them to spend most of their daylight hours tucked under driftwood, leaf litter, or any other cover you provide, becoming more active once the lights go down. Juveniles tend to be bolder during the day, which can make a young group more entertaining to watch. They scavenge algae and organic debris, which makes them useful citizens in a community tank, though they'll readily take prepared sinking foods. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this species is its reported ability to survive drought conditions by retaining moisture and moving overland to find water. A testament to how tough these fish actually are. They suit an intermediate keeper comfortable with nocturnal, social catfish.