Common Loricaria (Loricaria simillima) Care Guide
Loricaria simillima is a slender, peaceful South American whiptail catfish that requires soft sand, driftwood and clean water.
Overview
Loricaria simillima is a slender loricariid catfish from South America, often imported as a whiptail. It is a quiet, peaceful bottom dweller that favours soft, sandy substrate and well-oxygenated water. The genus shows considerable taxonomic uncertainty, and specimens traded under this name may represent more than one undescribed species.
Taxonomy
- Family: Loricariidae
- Subfamily: Loricariinae
- Genus: Loricaria
- Scientific name: Loricaria simillima
Habitat
Recorded from Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, across both whitewater and blackwater streams. It is a bottom-oriented species associated with sandy beds and submerged wood.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 200 L
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Substrate: soft sand, with driftwood and cover
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
Diet
Primarily feeds on aquatic invertebrates. Suitable foods include bloodworm, Daphnia and chopped earthworm, supplemented with sinking pellets and occasional vegetable matter.
Compatibility
Very quiet and peaceful. It is best kept with small characins, peaceful cichlids and other catfish, and is amicable with its own kind. Other territorial or aggressive plecos should be avoided.
Breeding
Males exhibit lip-brooding behaviour, carrying the eggs attached to the lower lip for roughly 10-15 days while ventilating them. Fry begin feeding on brine shrimp nauplii a few days after hatching.