All fish / Loricariidae

Maquiné Whiptail Catfish

Rineloricaria maquinensis

Also known as maquine whiptail, whiptail catfish, whiptail pleco, rineloricaria sp.

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This is a slender, flattened whiptail catfish from southern Brazil, mottled in browns with darker saddles and a long tail ending in a thin upper filament. Keepers like it as a calm, well-camouflaged bottom dweller for subtropical, clear and well-oxygenated aquariums with sand and smooth stones.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

10 cm

Temperature

18 to 24 °C

pH

6.5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Small group of 3 or more

Diet

Omnivore: sinking pellets, algae wafers, blanched vegetables, bloodworm and other small frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Brazil: Maquiné River basin and nearby coastal drainages of Rio Grande do Sul

Breeding

Males guard egg clutches laid in tubes, caves or on flat surfaces, fanning them until they hatch. Related whiptails breed fairly readily in captivity, but this species is rarely kept, so breeding reports are scarce.

Good to know

It comes from cooler, fast-flowing streams, so it does poorly in warm, stagnant tanks. Many similar Rineloricaria species are hard to tell apart, and fish sold under this name may be wrongly identified.