Red lizard whiptail

Rineloricaria lanceolata

Also known as Red whiptail catfish

FreshwaterFish

Red lizard whiptail (Rineloricaria lanceolata) — 5snake5 · CC0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 77–82°F (25–28°C)
pH: 6.0–8.0
Adult size: 3.9 in (10 cm)
Minimum tank: 24 gal (90 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Common
Origin: Upper Amazon basin, Peru and Brazil
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

Keep them in a group of six or more in a tank of 90 liters or larger, since they are social bottom-dwellers and do better with their own kind around. They are very peaceful and spend their time grazing along the substrate and wood, most active once the lights dim. Hold the water at 25 to 28 C with a pH from 6 to 8, and keep the current gentle rather than blasting them with a strong powerhead. Feed algae wafers, sinking foods, and blanched vegetables, with the odd meaty or frozen item mixed in. Good tankmates include small characins, Apistogramma, Corydoras, and other quiet loricariids.

In the wild

Red lizard whiptails come from the upper Amazon basin in Peru and Brazil, where they sit on the bottom of slow, shaded waterways among wood, roots, and fallen leaves. Give them a mature tank of at least 90 liters with sandy substrate, driftwood, slate caves, and a few lengths of PVC pipe for shelter. They are largely nocturnal, so keep the lighting dim and the flow low to moderate. Water runs warm at 25 to 28 C, with a pH anywhere from 6 to 8 and on the soft, slightly acidic side if you can manage it.

Good to know

This is a slender whiptail catfish in the family Loricariidae, reaching about 10 cm as an adult. It is a cave spawner, and the male guards the clutch on his own while the female takes no further part. Note that the trade name Red Lizard Whiptail, sometimes sold as L010a, is often an undescribed red Rineloricaria distinct from the wild-type R. lanceolata, though care is the same either way.

Did you know

They breed readily in PVC caves, and the male does all the parenting. Once the female lays inside, he stays with the eggs, fanning fresh water over them and chasing off intruders until the fry hatch. Raising those fry is the fiddly part, which is why breeding sits at a medium difficulty rather than easy.