Edit Rineloricaria parva

You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.

Name

Scientific name

Rineloricaria parva

Described by

Not recorded

Family

Loricariidae

Common names

Whiptail Catfish

Photograph credits

All 1 credited

Summary

Rineloricaria parva is a whiptail catfish from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, found among leaf litter over sandy substrates. Commonly sold…

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

110mm, standard length

Aquarium size

Minimum length 75 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Minimum height 30 cm

Water

Water conditions

Temperature 20–25°C, pH 6–7.5

Hardness

2–15dGH

Conductivity

Not recorded

Behaviour

Temperament

Peaceful

Community suitability

Not recorded

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Not recorded

Writing

Etymology

Not written yet

Distribution

Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

Habitat

It's almost always found living amongst leaf litter over sandy substrates, in both clear and whitewater habitats (whitewater meaning water containing a lot of …

Aquarium size

Largely inactive and a small group can can be kept in a tank of around 75 ∗ 30 ∗ 30 cm - ~68 litres in size.

Maintenance

A biotope setup can consist, very simply, of a layer of sand over which is scattered a layer of dried leaves (oak and beech are non-toxic and work particularly…

Water conditions

Temperature: 20 – 25 °C pH: 6.0-7.5 Hardness: 2-15°H

Diet

Feeds on aufwuchs and small aquatic crustaceans in nature. In the aquarium it proves omnivorous and will accept both sinking dried foods, vegetable matter incl…

Behaviour and compatibility

One of the most peaceful catfish around, these can be combined with many other species. In a biotope setup good tankmates include small characins, Apistogramma…

Sexual dimorphism

Mature males develop odontotes on the head and pectoral rays, which are lacking in females.

Reproduction

If kept in suitable conditions and fed well, the fish will breed quite easily, although the fry can be a little tricky to raise. Try starting with a group of 6…

Notes

One of the most common of the numerous species sold as 'whiptail catfish', R. parva is an excellent species for the newcomer to Loricariids or catfish breeding…

One of the most common of the numerous species sold as 'whiptail catfish', R. parva is an excellent species for the newcomer to Loricariids or catfish breeding. It's certainly not the most active species, but when settled and housed with the correct kind of tankmates is by no means shy either.

In 2002, it was briefly placed in the resurrected genus Hemiloricaria, but this lasted less than twelve months, at which point it was transferred back to Rineloricaria. Currently only Rineloricaria is valid, but you'll still see it being referred to as Hemiloricaria quite often.

Not only this, but it's a diificult fish to identify correctly. The true R. parva should show a combination of dark bands across the top of the body only and filaments on the top and bottom of the caudal fin. There are also differences in the arrangement of the ventral scutes between members of the genus. It's still not easy, though, and some of the fish seen for sale may even be hybrids with other species.

Editing needs JavaScript. This is the text as it was last saved.

Where does this come from?

My own experienceFor example, I've kept twelve in a planted 60 cm tank since March 2024.A website I sawFor example, an IUCN Red List assessment, a museum catalogue or a FishBase page.A paperFor example, Marshall et al. (2011), Water temperature differences in interfluvial palm swamp habitats of Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. simulans.A book, or something not onlineFor example, Tappin (2010), Rainbowfishes: their care and keeping in captivity.Something already on the pageFor example, the Behaviour and compatibility section already says this.

Web address

Paste the address of the page that says this. What counts as a source

DOI

Paste a DOI and we will look up the rest of the reference. A DOI looks like 10.11646/zootaxa.4694.4.1, and most papers print it on the first page.

Title

Enter the title of the paper, book or page. If you leave it empty, we will use the website's address.

Authors

Separate authors with semicolons, e.g. Tan, H.H.; Ng, P.K.L.

Year

Journal or publisher

Pages

Enter the page that says this, e.g. 218 or 218–221.

Anything worth adding

Describe what you saw, or which part of the source says this.

References

No references

Name

Scientific name

Described by

Family

Common names

Photograph credits

Summary

Size and aquarium

Maximum size

Aquarium size

Water

Water conditions

Hardness

Conductivity

Behaviour

Temperament

Social needs

Community suitability

Where it lives

Countries, regions, rivers and lakes

Writing

Etymology

Distribution

Habitat

Aquarium size

Maintenance

Water conditions

Diet

Behaviour and compatibility

Sexual dimorphism

Reproduction

Notes

References

References