Thanks--he is a really great fish--very tame and gentle. Those red line tetras are constantly dive bombing his tail, and the most he will do is move. I pick him up and hold him at the surface and scratch his stomach with the tips of my fingers. He just lays there--relaxed---although a couple of times he was taken off and soaked me with that big tail! 
I just added peas to his diet, which he shells--eating only the inside! I am going to try and see if he will eat corn niblets as well.
These fish have different common names. I think it is called a talking catfish because certain ones make a sort of sound. Here is something I found on the internet about them:
The Mother of Snails Catfish belongs to the Family Doradidae, all of which originate from various locations throughout South America. Occasionally amongst imports of Oxydoras niger there are some slightly different specimens which tend to have black coloured fins and a grey coloured body. These so-called contaminants are Oxydoras holdeni. One of the main characteristics of the Doradids is the presence of thorn-like projections along the side of the body, which are known as scutes. These scutes are very sharp, so care should be taken when moving these fish. These razor sharp scutes give rise to another of the fishes common names - the ripsaw catfish. This name tends to me more commonly encountered in the US. Sometimes literature refers to the Doradids as "Talking Catfish" due to the fact that they can be heard to make audible noises, almost as if speaking to one another.
He has only spiked me once--by accident--when I was moving him to a larger tank. He clamped down one of his fins and it caught my finger between it and his scutes. Although it was just a tiny scratch, it didn't heal for months. I was also dumb enough to think I could put him in a large plastic bag while I set up the new tank. One swish of his body and the bag had small holes and water pouring out on all sides. It was almost comical!
I just added peas to his diet, which he shells--eating only the inside! I am going to try and see if he will eat corn niblets as well.
These fish have different common names. I think it is called a talking catfish because certain ones make a sort of sound. Here is something I found on the internet about them:
The Mother of Snails Catfish belongs to the Family Doradidae, all of which originate from various locations throughout South America. Occasionally amongst imports of Oxydoras niger there are some slightly different specimens which tend to have black coloured fins and a grey coloured body. These so-called contaminants are Oxydoras holdeni. One of the main characteristics of the Doradids is the presence of thorn-like projections along the side of the body, which are known as scutes. These scutes are very sharp, so care should be taken when moving these fish. These razor sharp scutes give rise to another of the fishes common names - the ripsaw catfish. This name tends to me more commonly encountered in the US. Sometimes literature refers to the Doradids as "Talking Catfish" due to the fact that they can be heard to make audible noises, almost as if speaking to one another.
He has only spiked me once--by accident--when I was moving him to a larger tank. He clamped down one of his fins and it caught my finger between it and his scutes. Although it was just a tiny scratch, it didn't heal for months. I was also dumb enough to think I could put him in a large plastic bag while I set up the new tank. One swish of his body and the bag had small holes and water pouring out on all sides. It was almost comical!
