Royal Whiptail Farlowella
Royal Whiptail Farlowella
Currently unavailable
We do not take backorders on live fish, invertebrates or plants. Livestock arrives on the shipping schedule our suppliers and the weather allow, so we will not promise a date we cannot keep.
What is in the tanks changes from week to week. Ask us and we will tell you what is in and what is coming, or check back shortly. Visit us or get in touch.
Free local pickup at our Lethbridge store. Livestock guarantee
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The royal whiptail (Sturisoma panamense) is an extremely elongated loricariid from the rivers of Panama and Colombia. Brown above with a dark stripe along the flank, it looks more like a submerged twig than a fish until it moves, and mature specimens trail long filaments from the top and bottom of the tail. It is one of the gentler large catfish in the hobby and does not bully anything.
Aquarium care
- Reaches around 20 cm including the tail filaments.
- A grazer rather than a predator — vegetable matter must form the core of the diet.
- Offer algae wafers, blanched courgette and spinach, and provide driftwood.
- Needs clean, well-oxygenated water with real flow; it does poorly in stagnant tanks.
- Males guard eggs laid on the glass or on wood and make attentive parents.
- Freshly imported fish are often thin. Choose a settled, well-fed individual.
It suits a planted community with tetras, corydoras, dwarf cichlids and other calm fish. Avoid aggressive cichlids, and avoid fast competitive feeders that will clear the vegetable food before it gets there. Feed after lights out if it is being outcompeted.
Stock rotates with each shipment, and livestock is available for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. See the catfish collection.
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