Whiptail Catfish 5cm

Whiptail Catfish

For the catfish aquarists looking for a new and unique breeding project or oddball display fish, the whiptail catfish would be a perfect option. These fish make for a great alternative to Bristlenose plecos and have the oddball flare to them as well with the unconventional body shape and camo colours. They are relatively easy to breed but there is a niche and in-demand market for these fish hence their relatively high cost but the reward and satisfaction of breeding or keeping these elusive fish is absolutely worth it.

Whiptail catfish are honestly one of the weirdest-looking species in the aquarium hobby. They have quite slender bodies that narrow into basically a twig for the tail. Their tall dorsal fin long, filament-like tails and lizard-like flattened body give this fish an almost alien vacuum cleaner look. The oddness of them never fades away no matter how long you keep these fish. To go along with that, the whiptail catfish have a range of brown shades through the body which are like camp patterning. In the wild, these fish are found on decaying fallen branches in the river and this colour allows them to perfectly blend in.

Trying to find the males and females in this species is fairly easy. Males will have bristles on the side of their face which are referred to as a beard. The female will often lay a clutch of eggs right on the aquarium glass which the male guards until the eggs hatch. The eggs can be removed and artificially raised however most aquarists wait until the eggs hatch
naturally and move the fry to a grow-out system. The habitat of the common whiptail catfish is South America.

Tank Recommendations for your Whiptail Catfish
The whiptail only needs a tank of around 75 litres as they are a fairly inactive species. Though the whiptail can reach around 20 cm, their fins are probably 5-6 cm of this length. The best way to look at their care is by comparing them to a bristle nose pleco. A sand or gravel substrate is perfectly fine but most importantly they will love hiding areas around small pieces of driftwood, and rock caves and they will love a densely planted aquarium as well. This species is mostly active when lights are turned off.

Suitable Tank Buddie
The whiptail catfish is extremely peaceful with aggression only ever coming out during breeding between males but this is always harmless bickering. These reclusive species will get along with a wide range of community fish.

Usually Compatible
Tetras, gouramis, corydoras, angelfish, barbs dwarf cichlids such as rams, and large peaceful cichlids such as geophagus.

Sometime Compatible
Fin nipping species like banded leporinus and small schools of tiger barbs should be avoided as they can make short work of the long fins on the royal whiptail. This can lead to infection and unwanted stress for the catfish.

Rarely Compatible
With large aggressive species such as African cichlids, Oscars, and Jaguar cichlids. These species may try to eat the whiptail which could end in death for both fish. Because of the dense bone and armour plating the whiptail often gets lodged in the predator fish’s throat.

Feeding your Whiptail Catfish
Whiptails will easily take to a wide range of food and are arguably one of the easiest fish to feed. They are regarded as ‘wood eaters’ meaning they can easily sustain themselves eating aquarium driftwood. The best type of wood is Malaysian bog wood as this is a softer type and breaks down fairly easily.

Do keep in mind that whiptails feeding exclusively on wood can lead to a lot of wood dust floating around in the water so some added mechanical filtration may be required. Aside from this they will eat algae and decaying plant matter but will also eat sinking aquarium foods like sinking pleco wafers. This can be supplemented with blanched veggies like zucchini and pumpkin.