Giant whiptail catfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep them in a small group in a tank of 200 liters or larger with a long footprint and gentle flow. They are peaceful, social, nocturnal grazers that spend their time on the bottom picking at algae and biofilm. They do not tolerate warm water, so hold the temperature at 23 to 27 C with a pH of 6 to 7.5 and keep the water clean and well oxygenated. Feed a vegetable-based diet, things like algae wafers, blanched vegetables, and the biofilm on bogwood. Pair them with other calm, similarly peaceful tankmates.

In the wild

Giant whiptail catfish come from the Magdalena, San Jorge, and Cesar river basins of Colombia, where they graze along the bottom over sand and submerged wood. Much of their length is the trailing tail filament, so give them a long-footprint tank of at least 200 liters with plenty of open floor space. Lay down fine sand and add bogwood for them to graze on. Keep the water clean, well oxygenated, and on the cooler side, 23 to 27 C, with a pH of 6 to 7.5 and gentle flow.

Good to know

This is a whiptail catfish in the family Loricariidae, reaching about 20 cm including the long tail filament. Breeding is doable but takes some work, and the male guards the eggs until they hatch. It's a slow-growing, long-lived bottom dweller when kept in stable, well-oxygenated water.

Did you know

Most of what looks like body is actually tail. The filament trailing off the end can make up a good share of the fish's total length, which is why a long tank matters more than a tall one. When the lights go out is when they come alive, working the sand and wood for algae through the night.

Related species

• Royal whiptail catfish

  Sturisoma panamense

  7.9 in (20 cm)40 gal (150 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Sturgeon Catfish

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• 

  Twig catfish

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• Medusa Pleco (L034)

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• 

  Butterfly Pleco (L168)

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• Starlight Bristlenose Pleco (L183)

  Ancistrus dolichopterus

  5.5 in (14 cm)30 gal (115 L)79–84°F (26–29°C)