Currently we have wonderful flounder whiptail catfish from Peru in stock. They are currently 10-13 cm long. These sizes give only the body length, as in Planiloricaria there is a filament on the upper lobe of the caudal fin that is as long as the body! Maximum length given in literature is 35 cm. Nevertheless, the sexes can be distinguished even in our halfgrown fish. The ventral fins in males are – compared with those of the females – longer and more pointed.
These whiptail cats normally do not swim, but “walk” with their ventral fins. One should offer them fine sand as gravel in the aquarium, so that the fish are able to bury themselves completely. These fish feed basically on meat. They love moscito larvae, bloodworm, daphnia etc., but accept also dried food (flakes, granules). These fish are somewhat stiff and need large tanks which should leave a lot of free space at the bottom. Against conspecifics of similar size Planiloricaria are usually peaceful, but smaller specimens are often mobbed. Fish of other species are simply ignored. However, one should never keep these catfish together with fin nibbling species. In that case the long fin filaments of Planiloricaria will be damaged for sure.
For our customers: the fish have code 280304 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexicon: Planiloricaria: Latin, means “flat Loricaria”; Loricaria is another genus of catfish. cryptodon: from ancient Greek, means “with a hidden tooth”.
Suggestion of a common name: Flounder whiptail catfish
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
