Article © Nathan Hill, uploaded April 27, 2024.

Did you know that Amaralia catfish slough off their skins? Or that female Platystacus develop cotylephores - sticky tentacles on the abdomen - to carry their eggs? Or that Acanthodoras are referred to as 'milkmaids' in Spanish, because of their white venom? Or that Doras can 'toot?' These are but a few samples of the fascinating hooks that keep you turning the pages of Steven Grant's comprehensive new book, Banjos, Dorads and Woodcats, Aspredinidae, Doradidae and Auchenipteridae Catfishes.

Exhaustively researched, Grant has left no stone unturned in his search for data, and presumably found more catfish lurking under each. Despite 'only' focusing on those species popular amongst aquarists (here's an author who knows his audience), and tossing in a few rarities for our viewing delight, he has constructed an enviable tome that explores over 100 different catfish species from 52 genera, and spread over some 300 pages.

It's not rushed or condensed in the way some older fish books can be. Unlike the Herbert R. Axelrod atlases (and their many copycats) from the 90s, where the aim was to cram as many species as possible onto a page and give each a rebus of meaningful glyphs instead of a written description, here Grant allows every fish to breathe, furnishing it with sizeable photos and as much accurate, descriptive long-form copy as can be regaled.

As evidenced in the title, this book revolves around three different families of catfish, all of which fall outside of the mainstream, everyday offerings of Corydoras and suckermouths. There's an introductory section, which provides a warming overview of both the trials and rewards of keeping these catfish, and something that strikes me right from the start of reading this work is just how invested the author is in the wellbeing of the animals he writes about. I'm equally taken with the subtlety with which he relays it. There's a 'gently gently' subliminal text throughout that translates into something like 'hey, I'm really enthused about caring for these, and you should be too...'

And the author is invested in these fish. He's collected them, researched them, written about them, described them. Two of the genera in here - Balroglanis and Duringlanis (Tolkein fans might see the references here, but the names are explained in the book) - are his own, and the chances are that you've encountered little Duringlanis perugiae in stores.

The book has a bottom-up approach in catering to nerdiness, and no matter where you are on the fish nerd scale, you'll get your fix. If you're a beginner nerd just dipping your toes into the catfish world, there are scores of visual treats that'll get you scouring under every piece of wood and inside every cave the next time you visit your local fish shop. If you're a mid-tier nerd, looking to set up biotopes or getting into breeding some whiskery oddball, then the water chemistry guidelines and firsthand spawning accounts and reports will set you in the right direction. If you're an alpha nerd, you'll love the immaculately detailed identification notes and etymology. Whatever level you're at, you'll likely want to make use of the abbreviations, definitions and methods section near the front of the book, offering a glossary of some of the lesser-known terminology you'll encounter.

The species mentioned are a mixed bag when it comes to real world availability. Some fish will seem familiar (perhaps more so to some of the old guard, as a few have dropped a little out of vogue over theyears), but many of us will have encountered Agamyxis, Bunocephalus or possibly a Gulper catfish, Asterophysus batrachus. Those of us who scour social media for the latest catfish arrivals in specialist stores might recognise faces like Ageneiosus, Ossancora or Tocantinsia. Fewer of us will have encountered Wertheimeria or Leptodoras before, but they are out there, and so they are included.

Photography is first rate and flawless throughout, and by working with the many trusted sources the author has to hand, species identification is right on the money. The photographs are mostly side-on profile shots, allowing the viewer to visually identify all and any features as mentioned in the copy, though other relevant (and aesthetically pleasing) images appear from different angles as required.

Where possible, the author has supplied information including scientific names and synonyms, etymology, common names, distribution details, identifying characteristics, species numbers, ecology, breeding details, aquarium care essentials and dietary requirements. With the obscurity of some of the fish included, and the sheer absence of hard data in several cases, that means that some profiles are shorter than others. But even in these instances, there's still enough information for the reader to equip themselves to meet the bare basics of a fish's needs. There's even some trivia of how they are used by humans - reading through the notes on Pterodoras I learn that they are 'eaten by humans as fillets, burgers and a meat paste.'

Don't approach the book as a field guide, even though it would function perfectly well in that role. Instead, approach it as a fusion of practical advice, species compilation, and aquarist inspiration, aimed at those hobbyists lurking loudly in the catfish fringes, looking to keep unusual species at home, and wanting to know how.

This review was first published in Practical Fishkeeping Magazine. Thanks to Practical Fishkeeping Magazine / Nathan Hill for enabling publication here.

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