1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful, graceful and slow; needs plenty of space.
378 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful, graceful and slow; needs plenty of space.
Sinking algae wafers, blanched vegetables, bloodworms, and plenty of leaf litter or wood to graze on.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Sexually active males grow bristles (odontodes) along the sides of the head and snout and have slightly longer fin extensions; females are usually smaller. Not always easy to tell.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Cave spawner · Hard
An open spawner that usually lays its eggs on the aquarium glass; the male guards the clutch until it hatches.
Keep 2-3 males with several females; the male guards the eggs.
80-100 L tank with sand, smooth bamboo or pipe caves, and cool, well-oxygenated water.
A cool water change and good flow often triggers spawning.
Eggs are laid on open surfaces, usually the tank glass, not in a cave; the male guards and fans them and they hatch in 7-9 days.
Fry are tiny; feed biofilm, crushed spirulina flake, and microworms. Keep the water very clean.
A slender golden whiptail catfish from the Magdalena basin of Colombia, about 20 cm long. Peaceful, mostly vegetarian, and easy to keep and breed in a large, well-maintained tank. Often confused or crossed with the very similar S. festivus.
Franz Steindachner described this whiptail in 1900 from Colombia's Magdalena basin. It is known for its golden body and the very long filaments on its tail. It is a large, graceful algae grazer that needs clean, flowing water.
First described by Franz Steindachner in 1900. Named for 'aureum' means golden.
16 facts checked with sources
Moved from Sturisoma to Sturisomatichthys (Covain et al. 2016; Londoño-Burbano & Reis 2019); the ending changes to aureus because the genus is masculine. Often confused with S. festivus (Colombia too), which has clearly elongated first rays on the dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins; Glaser says old aquarium strains have probably been crossed, so only wild-caught fish are surely pure.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summary · Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusLegacy has no family; value is new. Subfamily Loricariinae.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryFishBase 20 cm SL (standard length); Scotcat and Glaser agree.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summary · Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusScotcat and Glaser 24-28 °C; FishBase 25-29 °C. No Seriously Fish page.
Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureus · FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryMatches Scotcat; within FishBase 6.0-8.0.
Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryLegacy has no hardness; value is new. Glaser says water values are of no great importance.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryFishBase gives only a minimum tank length of 120 cm, no depth or height. As an example, 120 x 40 x 35 cm would be 168 L, but that footprint is not sourced, so no value is recorded. Legacy 150 L is in the right range.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryNo group size given. Glaser notes two juveniles placed together regularly develop into a pair; legacy 3 is unsourced.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusAdult males do not get along with each other.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusDemersal = lives on/near the bottom.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summaryGlaser says care and breeding are not difficult; Scotcat stresses regular water changes and enough food for these slow eaters. Legacy 2 (moderate).
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusLegacy has no range field; its story says Colombia, which is correct.
FishBase: Sturisomatichthys aureus summary · Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference)Legacy cheek bristles agree; pectoral-spine bristles not mentioned. Glaser warns old females can look like males and vice versa.
Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusLegacy breeding.type "cave spawner" is wrong; the legacy breed text (vertical surfaces, male guards) is right.
Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureusLegacy cave/tube placement corrected; "around a week" hatch time roughly agrees. No egg count found.
Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference)"Golden", "Colombia" and "peaceful" hold. "Long-lived" is not sourced. "Good algae eater" is close: Scotcat says mostly vegetarian (vegetables and algae wafers), not specifically an algae cleaner.
Scotcat: Sturisomatichthys aureus (hobby reference) · Aquarium Glaser (F. Schäfer): Sturisomatichthys aureus