Pseudohemiodon laticeps Breeding Guide

Breeding the Giant Whiptail (Pseudohemiodon laticeps): a remarkable paternal lip-brooder where the male carries the egg clutch on his labial barbels for 12-14 days.

Overview

Pseudohemiodon laticeps, the Giant Whiptail, is a sand-dwelling loricariid distributed through the rios Uruguay, Parana and Paraguay, with records from southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, per Seriously Fish. It reaches 250-300 mm standard length. Most remarkably, it is a paternal 'lip brooder' that has been bred in aquaria: the male carries the egg clutch attached to his lower lip until hatching.

Sexing

Tropical Fish Hobbyist notes that in these lip-brooding whiptails males have larger lips than females, a useful sexing tip. A conditioned female also fills out noticeably with eggs.

Conditioning

Seriously Fish describes the species as an opportunistic omnivore that, in captivity, needs regular meals of live or frozen Daphnia, mosquito larvae and chironomid (bloodworm) larvae alongside sinking dried foods. A meaty, varied diet brings adults into spawning condition.

Breeding Setup

This is a sand specialist that buries itself by day and feeds at night, so a soft, fine sand bed is essential, per Seriously Fish. Provide a spacious tank with sand, clean water at 18-24 °C, pH 6.0-7.5 and moderate hardness (around 36-215 ppm), with open feeding space at night.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

After spawning, the male gathers the small clutch and holds the eggs attached to his labial barbels, as described by Seriously Fish and Tropical Fish Hobbyist. Remarkably, his behaviour is otherwise unaffected and he may burrow into the substrate with the eggs still attached. Lip-brooding clutches are small, typically only a few dozen eggs.

Egg & Fry Care

The male carries the eggs for 12-14 days, after which the fry hatch with a large yolk sac that is absorbed over roughly the next 48 hours, per Seriously Fish. Fry then accept Artemia (brine shrimp) nauplii, with a yield of 15-20 fry considered good. Successful breeders have tended to move the eggs to a separate tank just before hatching.

Common Challenges

Maintaining a soft, fine sand bed and clean water for a burrowing whiptail is essential; coarse substrate is unsuitable. Clutches are small, and the delicate timing of separating eggs before hatch makes consistent success difficult.