Caqueta whiptail catfish
Sturisoma caquetae
The Caqueta whiptail catfish features a slender body, prominent dorsal fin, and striking dark brown to black coloration with lighter mottling.
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About the Caqueta whiptail catfish
Sturisoma caquetae is one of those sleek, sturgeon-bodied whiptails that just glides around like a little underwater paper airplane. It stays pretty slim and spends its time clinging to hard surfaces and grazing biofilm, so it does best in a mature, super-clean tank with good flow and oxygen.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
19.3 cm
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Advanced
Min Tank Size
55 gallons
Lifespan
5-10 years
Origin
South America
Diet
Omnivore (biofilm/algae grazer) - algae-based wafers, blanched veg, and small frozen foods
Water Parameters
22-26°C
6.5-7.5
2-15 dGH
Need a heater for this species?
This species needs 22-26°C in a 55 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give them a long tank with real current - a big canister or sump and a powerhead aimed down the length. They park on wood and rocks in the flow and sulk in dead, still water.
- Keep temps in the mid-70s to low-80s F (about 24-28 C) and aim for stable, clean water; they crash fast in a tank that is "fine most days" but spikes after feedings. Moderate hardness is usually easier than super-soft water, and they do best when pH is not swinging all over the place.
- Pack the tank with driftwood, smooth stones, and broad leaves (Amazon swords, Anubias on wood) so they have flat perches to graze and rest. Skip sharp gravel - fine sand saves their belly and fin edges.
- Feed like an herbivore that still wants protein: algae wafers, blanched zucchini/cucumber, green beans, and repashy-style gel foods, plus a little frozen (bloodworms, brine) 1-2 times a week. Do most of the feeding after lights-out because they are slow eaters and get outcompeted.
- Tankmates need to be calm: tetras, hatchetfish, peaceful cichlids, and other non-bully bottom fish work. Avoid fin-nippers (some barbs) and pushy eaters like big plecos or clown loaches that will hog food and stress them.
- Watch their belly - a pinched-in stomach usually means they are not getting enough food at night or they have internal parasites. Also keep an eye out for red or frayed fin edges, which is often from dirty water or rough substrate/decoration.
- Breeding is doable if you have a steady, oxygen-rich setup: males guard eggs laid on a flat surface (often a rock or wood) and fan them like crazy. If you want fry to survive, move other fish out or the eggs/fry will get picked off while the male is distracted.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Peaceful schooling tetras (cardinals, rummynose, lemons) - they stick to midwater and will not bother a whiptail that is grazing on wood and glass
- Corydoras groups - they share the bottom fine, just make sure there is enough floor space and food so the whiptail still gets its veggies and wafers
- Small, calm livebearers (platies, endlers) - they are usually too busy doing their own thing to hassle a Sturisoma
- Chill dwarf cichlids like Apistogramma or a mellow ram - generally fine if the tank has sight breaks and nobody is guarding a nest right next to the whiptail's favorite perch
- Other peaceful algae grazers like Otocinclus - good match in a mature tank with plenty of biofilm, just feed extra so they are not competing over the same scraps
- Calm surface and midwater fish like hatchetfish or pencilfish - zero drama, and they will not mess with the whiptail's long fins
Avoid
- Fin nippers like tiger barbs and many serpae-type tetras - they cannot resist those long whiptail fins and it turns into constant stress and shredded tails
- Big or pushy cichlids (oscars, green terrors, most large Central Americans) - they either bully it off food or treat it like a chew toy
- Hyper territorial bottom fish like some aggressive plecos (common pleco, some Panaque, any mean Hypancistrus in a tight tank) - they fight over caves and wood and the Sturisoma usually loses
- Goldfish - totally different temps and feeding style, and the whiptail ends up outcompeted and stressed in the long run
Where they come from
Caqueta whiptails (Sturisoma caquetae) come from Colombia, around the Caqueta River system. Think clear to slightly tea-stained flowing water, lots of wood, leaf litter, smooth rocks, and that constant current vibe. They are built for hanging in flow and grazing all day.
If you have kept other Sturisoma or Farlowella, the feel is similar, but Caqueta whiptails tend to be a bit more demanding about water quality and oxygen.
Setting up their tank
Give them space and flow. These fish look delicate because they are - long fins, long body, and they do best when they can park themselves in a steady current and graze without getting bullied.
- Tank size: I would not do them in anything under a 40 breeder, and 55+ is a lot nicer if you want a small group.
- Filtration: strong bio, plus real surface agitation. A canister plus a powerhead or wavemaker works great.
- Flow: moderate to high, aimed along a piece of wood or a rock face so they can sit in it.
- Oxygen: keep it high. If you see them hanging near the surface, take that as a red flag.
- Substrate: sand or smooth gravel. They spend time on surfaces, but you do not want sharp stuff if they get spooked.
- Hardscape: lots of driftwood, smooth stones, and broad surfaces. They love wide wood slabs and rock faces.
- Plants: optional, but tough plants (Anubias, Java fern, Bolbitis) tied to wood are perfect. They appreciate shade.
Skip brand-new tanks. These guys punish you for impatience. I have had the best luck putting them in a tank that has been running a few months and has that stable, seasoned feel.
Water numbers do not need to be extreme, but stability does. Neutral-ish pH is fine, soft to moderately hard is fine, warm-ish temps are fine. What they do not tolerate is dirty water, low oxygen, or big swings. I keep mine on the cooler side of "Amazon community" rather than super warm, and they stay more active and less stressed.
What to feed them
They are grazers, but they are not magically fed by the algae in your tank. If you only rely on whatever grows on the glass, they slowly get thin and you will wonder why they fade away after a few months.
- Daily staples: good veggie wafers, spirulina-based pellets, and high-fiber foods made for herbivorous plecos.
- Fresh veg: zucchini, cucumber, green beans, spinach, romaine. Blanch tough stuff so it sinks and is easier to rasp.
- Protein (small amounts): Repashy-style gel foods, quality sinking pellets, and occasional frozen (daphnia, baby brine, cyclops).
- Wood matters: they rasp on it constantly. It is not a substitute for food, but it helps digestion and keeps them busy.
Feed after lights out if you have faster fish in the tank. Whiptails are polite eaters and will lose out to pushy tetras, barbs, or greedy plecos.
Watch their body shape. A healthy whiptail has a gently filled-out look behind the head and along the belly. If the belly looks pinched or the top of the head looks bony, bump up the feeding and make sure they are actually getting it.
How they behave and who they get along with
Most of the time they are calm, almost shy. They like to perch and graze, then do little bursts of movement when something interests them. Males can get pushy with each other, especially if there is one favorite perch or a potential spawn site.
- Good tankmates: peaceful tetras, pencilfish, hatchetfish, small to medium rasboras, peaceful dwarf cichlids, Corydoras, small loricariids that are not aggressive.
- Avoid: fin-nippers (some barbs), super boisterous fish, big cichlids, and anything that competes hard for bottom food.
- Pleco caution: avoid mixing with aggressive Ancistrus/large Hypancistrus types in smaller tanks. The whiptails get stressed and can be outcompeted.
Do not keep them with fish that like to rasp slime coats (some larger plecos and oddballs). Whiptails have those big fins and sit still a lot, which makes them easy targets.
They do fine solo, but a small group can work if the tank has lots of surfaces and multiple flow zones. If you try a group, add them all at once and make sure there are several "favorite" perches so one fish does not claim the whole tank.
Breeding tips
Breeding is doable, but it is not a "throw them in and hope" fish. If you get a male and female that are comfortable, they will often pick a smooth surface in current - a flat rock, the aquarium glass, or a broad piece of wood.
- Sexing: males develop thicker odontodes (bristles) on the cheeks/pectoral area and look a bit more rugged. Females are usually a little fuller-bodied.
- Spawn sites: smooth vertical-ish surfaces in steady flow work best.
- What triggers it: heavy water changes, lots of oxygen, and consistent feeding. Cooler fresh water changes can help mimic rainy season.
- Egg care: the male typically guards and fans the eggs. Keep flow and oxygen up and do not mess with him too much.
If you want fry, keep other bottom scavengers to a minimum. Corys and other catfish will absolutely cruise by and snack on eggs if the male gets spooked off the nest.
Fry need constant access to food. Think biofilm, powdered foods, crushed wafers, and soft veg. Clean water with gentle flow is your friend here - you will be feeding a lot, so you will also be siphoning a lot.
Common problems to watch for
Most issues with Caqueta whiptails trace back to three things: not enough food, not enough oxygen, or water that is a little too dirty for too long.
- Slow starvation: they look "fine" until they suddenly do not. Watch the belly and head shape, and make sure they get food past faster fish.
- Stress from low oxygen: hanging near the surface, rapid gill movement, or being unusually inactive. Add surface agitation and flow.
- Damage to fins/snouts: usually from rough decor, getting chased, or getting sucked onto a strong intake. Use pre-filters on intakes.
- Bacterial issues after shipping: new imports can come in beat up. Keep the tank very clean, avoid aggressive meds unless you know what you are treating, and focus on stable water and good food.
- Ich/parasites: they can get it like anything else, but they do not handle sloppy treatment well. Raise oxygen during any treatment and follow dosing carefully.
Do not skip quarantine if you can help it. Whiptails are the kind of fish that can look okay for a week, then crash if they came in stressed and you hit them with a big community tank full of competition and pathogens.
My biggest "success switch" with this species was treating them like a river fish: strong aeration, steady current, mature tank, and regular small-to-medium water changes. Do that, feed them like the grazers they are, and they stop being fragile and start acting like they own the place.
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