Crying Whiptail - (Loricaria nimairaco)

Fish Details, Description and Information Below:

😢 Crying Whiptail – (Loricaria nimairaco) – Wild-Caught Colombian Amazon Whiptail Catfish

The Crying Whiptail (Loricaria nimairaco) is a distinctive South American whiptail catfish known for its extremely flattened body, broad triangular head, elaborate fringed lips, dark fins, long whip-like tail, and unusual male lip-brooding behavior.

For many years this aquarium fish circulated under informal names such as:

Crying Whiptail
Colombian Whiptail
Loricaria sp. “Colombia”
Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”

In 2023, scientists formally described the aquarium fish as:

Loricaria nimairaco

The species is native to the upper Amazon drainage of Colombia, including the Orteguaza / Caquetá system, Putumayo River, and Amazon River around Leticia.

One especially important correction is that the old aquarium name:

“RIO ATABAPO LORICARIA”

should not be interpreted as its confirmed natural locality. Current scientific and specialist records do not confirm L. nimairaco from the Rio Atabapo.

This listing is for:

WILD-CAUGHT CRYING WHIPTAILS

🔎 Quick Facts – Crying Whiptail

📛 Common Name: Crying Whiptail
📛 Older Trade Names: Colombian Whiptail, Loricaria sp. “Colombia,” Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”
🔬 Scientific Name: Loricaria nimairaco
📅 Formally Described: 2023
🐟 Family: Loricariidae
🧬 Subfamily: Loricariinae
🧬 Tribe: Loricariini
🌿 Stock: Wild Caught
📏 Current Listed Specimen Size: Approximately 12 inches
🇨🇴 Confirmed Country: Colombia
🌎 Region: Upper Amazon Basin
🌊 Confirmed Drainages: Orteguaza / Caquetá, Putumayo, and Amazon River around Leticia
📍 Type Locality: Amazon River at Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia
❌ Rio Atabapo: Historical trade name; not a confirmed locality for this species
💧 Water Type: Freshwater
📏 Largest Scientific Specimen: 190.9 mm / approximately 7.5 inches standard length
📏 Specialist Total-Length Estimate: Approximately 22 cm / 8.7 inches
🪶 Tail: Upper caudal ray develops a long trailing filament that can increase tip-to-tip measurement
🏠 Recommended Aquarium: Approximately 75 gallons or larger for a large adult
📐 Recommended Aquarium Length: Approximately 4–5 feet or longer
🏖️ Substrate: Soft sand strongly recommended
🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 77–82°F
💧 pH: Approximately 5.5–7.5
💦 Water: Soft to moderately mineralized
💨 Oxygenation: Good to High
🌊 Water Movement: Moderate, with both moving and sheltered areas
🍽️ Diet: Omnivorous Benthic Feeder
🦐 Animal / Invertebrate Foods: Important
🌿 Plant-Based Foods: Supplemental
🚫 Algae Cleaner: Should not be purchased solely for algae control
😌 Temperament: Peaceful
👥 Social Behavior: Can be maintained singly or in compatible groups
🌙 Activity: Primarily crepuscular / nocturnal
🥚 Breeding: Lip-Brooder
👨‍👧 Parental Care: Male carries and protects the eggs with his lips
🥚 Reported Clutch: Up to approximately 60 eggs
🐣 Reported Hatching: Approximately 16 days
♂️ Scientific Male Trait: Thickened pectoral-fin spine
⭐ Care Level: Intermediate
🌎 Conservation Status: Least Concern

🧬 Formally Described in 2023

The Crying Whiptail was known in the aquarium hobby for many years before scientists formally determined its identity.

The valid scientific name is now:

Loricaria nimairaco

The species was described in:

2023

by:

Alejandro Londoño-Burbano
Alexander Urbano-Bonilla
Matthew R. Thomas
Marcelo R. Britto

Modern taxonomic catalogs recognize:

Loricaria nimairaco

as a valid species.

⚠️ Important Origin Correction

Older aquarium literature frequently called this fish:

Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”

That name should now be treated as:

AN OLD AQUARIUM TRADE NAME

rather than a scientifically confirmed locality.

Specialist records specifically note that:

THE SPECIES HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED FROM THE RIO ATABAPO

The formally described species comes from Colombia's:

UPPER AMAZON BASIN

not the Orinoco / Atabapo system.

🌎 Confirmed Native Distribution

Scientific specimens of Loricaria nimairaco are known from Colombia within three major upper Amazon-associated drainage areas:

🌊 Orteguaza River

The Orteguaza is a major tributary of the:

RIO CAQUETÁ

which eventually becomes the:

RIO JAPURÁ

in Brazil before entering the Amazon.

🌊 Putumayo River

The Putumayo flows eastward and becomes known as the:

RIO IÇÁ

in Brazil.

🌊 Amazon River at Leticia

The species is also documented from the:

MAIN AMAZON RIVER

around:

LETICIA, COLOMBIA

📍 Type Locality

The scientific type locality is:

AMAZON RIVER – LETICIA, AMAZONAS, COLOMBIA

This should replace vague older descriptions such as:

“South America, primarily Brazil.”

🇨🇴 Colombia Is the Confirmed Scientific Range

Some aquarium databases extrapolate the range into:

Peru
Brazil

because the connected rivers continue across international borders.

However, the original scientific description specifically states that the species is currently documented from:

COLOMBIA

and notes that its presence farther downstream remains uncertain because of insufficient sampling.

Therefore, for the product page:

COLOMBIAN UPPER AMAZON BASIN

is the most accurate origin.

🧠 What Does nimairaco Mean?

The scientific name:

nimairaco

comes from the:

UITOTO-MUINANE LANGUAGE

and means:

“HOUSE OF A WISE MAN”

The species was named in tribute to the late Colombian ichthyologist:

JOSÉ IVÁN MOJICA

for his contributions to:

Fish biology
Ecology
Systematics
Biogeography
Conservation of Colombian freshwater fishes

😢 Does “Nimairaco” Mean Crying?

No.

The popular aquarium name:

CRYING WHIPTAIL

should not be confused with the meaning of the scientific species name.

Nimairaco does:

NOT

mean “crying.”

It means:

HOUSE OF A WISE MAN

The common name Crying Whiptail predates the formal 2023 scientific description.

🎨 Appearance

The Crying Whiptail has the unmistakable flattened body form of the genus Loricaria.

Typical coloration includes:

Tan
Medium brown
Dark brown
Charcoal
Blackish areas

The fish may display:

Dark longitudinal markings
Dark posterior body bands
Strongly dark fins
Subtle spots toward the caudal peduncle

⚫ Dark Head & Front Body

One of the important scientific characteristics of L. nimairaco is the dark coloration from the:

Snout
Head
Front portion of the body

The upper surface may be:

UNIFORMLY DARK BROWN / BLACK

or display:

TWO LONGITUDINAL DARK STRIPES

extending from the snout toward the dorsal-fin region.

⚫ Dark Dorsal & Pectoral Fins

The:

DORSAL FIN

and:

PECTORAL FINS

are typically:

SOLID DARK BROWN TO BLACK

without the obvious bands, blotches, or spotting seen in several related Loricaria species.

This is one of the characters used in the formal scientific diagnosis.

🦓 Posterior Body Bands

Behind the dorsal-fin region, the body may display approximately:

THREE TO FOUR DARK TRANSVERSE BANDS

along the rear portion of the body.

The pattern is generally more subdued than that of strongly zebra-patterned aquarium whiptails.

🪶 Long Whip-Like Tail

Like many true Loricaria, the Crying Whiptail develops a:

LONG, THIN CAUDAL FILAMENT

The upper ray of the caudal fin extends into:

A LONG TRAILING FILAMENT

which gives the fish its classic:

WHIPTAIL

appearance.

⚠️ Tail Filament Is Fragile

The long caudal extension can be damaged by:

Aggressive tankmates
Fin-nipping fish
Rough handling
Nets
Sharp décor
Shipping

Minor damage can regrow under good conditions, but avoid repeatedly exposing the fish to situations that damage the filament.

📏 Adult Size – Important Clarification

The original scientific description examined specimens reaching:

190.9 MM STANDARD LENGTH

or approximately:

7.5 INCHES STANDARD LENGTH

📐 What Is Standard Length?

Standard length measures the fish from:

THE SNOUT TO THE BASE OF THE TAIL

It does:

NOT INCLUDE THE FULL CAUDAL FIN

and does not include the full length of the trailing whip-like filament.

📏 Specialist Total-Length Estimate

Specialist Loricariidae references commonly give approximately:

22 CM / 8.7 INCHES TOTAL LENGTH

for Loricaria nimairaco.

⚠️ Your Current 12-Inch Specimen

The current store listing measures the available specimen at approximately:

12 INCHES

That is larger than the normal published total-length estimates.

There are several possible reasons:

Measurement may include the long caudal filament
Aquarium specimens may exceed currently published scientific samples
Retail measurement methods may differ from scientific standard length
Whiptail tail filaments can add substantial overall length

For the product page, keep the:

CURRENT APPROXIMATE 12-INCH STOCK MEASUREMENT

while avoiding a claim that all Crying Whiptails normally develop a 12-inch body.

🏠 Aquarium Size

The older recommendation of:

30 GALLONS

is too small for a large adult, especially one currently measuring around 12 inches tip-to-tip.

For a mature specimen:

75 GALLONS OR LARGER

is a safer permanent recommendation.

A tank approximately:

4–5 FEET LONG OR LONGER

provides much better usable bottom area.

📐 Bottom Area Matters More Than Height

The Crying Whiptail is an extremely:

BOTTOM-ORIENTED FISH

A long, wide aquarium provides more useful habitat than a tall aquarium of the same volume.

Prioritize:

Length
Width
Open substrate
Resting area

🏖️ Soft Sand Is Strongly Recommended

A soft:

SAND SUBSTRATE

is ideal.

The fish naturally rests directly on the bottom and uses its sensitive:

Lips
Barbels
Underside

against the substrate.

Avoid:

Sharp gravel
Jagged crushed stone
Abrasive substrate

that can damage these structures.

🪨 Aquarium Setup

A suitable aquarium should include:

Large open sand areas
Smooth rocks
Driftwood
Roots
Shaded areas
Low shelters
Good filtration
Good oxygenation
Moderate circulation

Do not overcrowd the aquarium floor with décor.

The fish benefits from:

OPEN SAND FOR RESTING AND FEEDING

🌊 Natural Habitat Is More Variable Than Previously Thought

It would be inaccurate to describe L. nimairaco simply as a:

FAST-RIVER SPECIALIST

Scientific collection records show the species in different environments.

One specimen was collected in:

HIGH CURRENT

over predominantly:

Mud
Organic material

while another occurred in:

SLOWER CURRENT

over:

Cobble
Sand
Organic matter

🌊 Aquarium Flow

Because the species occurs across different current conditions:

MODERATE WATER MOVEMENT

is an excellent aquarium target.

Provide:

🌊 Moving Areas

for:

Oxygenation
Waste transport
Natural river conditions

and:

🏖️ Calmer Bottom Areas

for:

Resting
Feeding
Shelter

There is no need to turn the entire aquarium into an extreme torrent.

💨 Oxygenation

Provide:

GOOD TO HIGH DISSOLVED OXYGEN

using:

Strong surface agitation
Air stones
Sponge filters
Canister-filter returns
Sump returns
Appropriate circulation pumps

🌡️ Temperature

Specialist husbandry records recommend approximately:

77–82°F / 25–28°C

This is warmer than the old:

74–79°F

recommendation.

A practical long-term target is:

77–82°F

💧 Water Parameters

A practical long-term range is:

🌡️ Temperature: Approximately 77–82°F
💧 pH: Approximately 5.5–7.5
💦 Hardness: Soft to moderately mineralized
💨 Oxygenation: Good to High
🌊 Flow: Moderate
☠️ Ammonia: 0 ppm
☠️ Nitrite: 0 ppm
🔄 Nitrate: Keep reasonably low

⚠️ Clean Water Matters

Whiptails should not be maintained in:

Dirty substrate
Excess organic waste
High ammonia
High nitrite
Persistently high nitrate
Poorly oxygenated water

Regular partial water changes are important.

💩 Filtration

Suitable filtration can include:

Canister filters
Sump filtration
Sponge filtration
Hang-on-back filtration

The filtration should provide:

GOOD WATER QUALITY WITHOUT TURNING THE ENTIRE BOTTOM INTO A HIGH-SPEED CURRENT ZONE

🍽️ Diet – Omnivorous Benthic Feeder

The safest current description of Loricaria nimairaco is:

OMNIVOROUS BENTHIC FEEDER

It should receive a varied diet rather than being treated as a dedicated algae-eating pleco.

🦐 Animal & Invertebrate Foods

Aquarium specimens generally accept animal-based foods readily.

Suitable foods include:

Mysis shrimp
Brine shrimp
Bloodworms
Mosquito larvae
Small crustacean foods
Insect-based sinking foods
Quality catfish pellets
Quality omnivore tablets

Protein and invertebrate foods should form an important part of the diet.

🌿 Plant & Algae Foods

Some plant-containing foods can also be offered, including:

Spirulina wafers
Algae-containing tablets
Vegetable-based sinking foods
Small portions of zucchini

These should provide:

DIETARY VARIETY

rather than become the only food offered.

🚫 Not Just an Algae Cleaner

The Crying Whiptail should:

NOT BE PURCHASED SOLELY FOR ALGAE CONTROL

It requires deliberate feeding.

Aquarium algae alone will not provide proper long-term nutrition.

🍽️ Bottom Feeding

Because of its strongly bottom-oriented feeding behavior, use foods that:

SINK DIRECTLY TO THE SUBSTRATE

rather than relying only on floating or midwater foods.

⚠️ Avoid Aggressive Feeding Competition

The Crying Whiptail is peaceful and can be outcompeted by:

Large aggressive plecos
Boisterous cichlids
Fast bottom-feeding catfish

Make sure food reaches the bottom where the whiptail can feed calmly.

🌙 Behavior

The Crying Whiptail is generally:

PEACEFUL AND CALM

It spends much of its time:

Resting on sand
Resting beneath wood
Sitting beside rocks
Slowly moving across the substrate

Activity often increases:

At dusk
During feeding
Under subdued lighting

😌 Peaceful Community Fish

The species is generally compatible with peaceful fish that share similar water requirements.

Potential tankmates may include:

Tetras
Pencilfish
Peaceful characins
Corydoras
Peaceful cichlids
Other non-aggressive catfish

🚫 Avoid Fin-Nippers

The long tail filament makes the Crying Whiptail vulnerable to:

Barbs that nip fins
Aggressive cichlids
Territorial catfish
Boisterous fish that repeatedly harass it

Choose tankmates carefully.

👥 Keeping More Than One

Specialist sources indicate that Loricaria nimairaco can be maintained:

SINGLY OR IN SMALL GROUPS

when adequate floor space is available.

Group housing can be especially interesting because of the species' unusual reproductive behavior.

⚠️ Provide Enough Bottom Space

Even peaceful fish can compete for:

Feeding zones
Resting spots
Shelters

Provide:

Multiple feeding areas
Open sand
Several sheltered locations

🧪 Wild-Caught Acclimation

This listing is for:

WILD-CAUGHT CRYING WHIPTAILS

Wild specimens deserve careful acclimation.

After arrival:

Keep lighting subdued
Provide soft sand
Provide secure sheltered areas
Maintain good oxygenation
Avoid abrupt temperature changes
Avoid abrupt pH changes
Maintain clean water
Confirm feeding

🍽️ Monitor Body Condition

Whiptails have naturally thin bodies, but the abdomen should not appear:

Severely sunken
Hollow
Pinched

Watch newly imported fish carefully and confirm they are receiving food.

👄 Extraordinary Fringed Lips

One of the most fascinating features of Loricaria is the elaborate mouth.

The upper and lower lips possess:

LONG FRINGED BARBELS AND FILAMENTS

that create a highly unusual appearance when viewed from underneath.

👄 Not a Typical Pleco Mouth

The mouth of Loricaria nimairaco is quite different from the simple suction-disc appearance of many common plecos.

It includes:

Long marginal lip filaments
Papillae
Barbels
Relatively few specialized teeth

These structures are important in:

Feeding
Substrate interaction
Reproduction

♂️ Male vs. Female

The 2023 scientific description found a reliable male characteristic:

THICKENED PECTORAL-FIN SPINES

Mature males showed:

SLIGHTLY HYPERTROPHIED PECTORAL SPINES

compared with females.

⚠️ Important Sexing Correction

Some older generalized Loricaria descriptions suggest that males can always be identified by:

Enlarged lips
Enlarged lip barbels
Dramatically altered facial structures

However, the scientific type series of L. nimairaco did:

NOT

show consistent permanent sexual differences in lip or barbel morphology.

The clearest documented non-breeding difference was:

THICKER PECTORAL SPINES IN MALES

🥚 One of the Most Interesting Pleco Breeding Strategies

The Crying Whiptail does not reproduce like a typical:

Ancistrus
Hypancistrus
Peckoltia

that deposits eggs inside a cave.

Instead, Loricaria uses one of the most unusual reproductive strategies among aquarium loricariids:

MALE LIP BROODING

👄 Male Lip-Brooder

After spawning:

THE MALE CARRIES THE EGG MASS WITH HIS LIPS

Rather than leaving the eggs attached inside a cave, the male holds and protects them beneath his head and mouth area.

🥚 Spawning

Aquarium breeding reports describe females laying approximately:

UP TO 60 LARGE EGGS

The male then takes responsibility for the clutch.

👨‍👧 Male Parental Care

The male protects the eggs by holding them with his:

ENLARGED BREEDING LIPS

This keeps the clutch:

Protected
Oxygenated
Together

during development.

🐣 Hatching Time

Aquarium breeding records report the young hatching after approximately:

16 DAYS

depending on:

Temperature
Water chemistry
Oxygenation

🌡️ Documented Breeding Conditions

One successful specialist breeding record used approximately:

🌡️ 25.5°C / 78°F
💧 pH 7.5
💦 KH around 6°

This demonstrates that extremely acidic or ultra-soft water is:

NOT REQUIRED

for successful breeding.

👶 Raising Fry

Once the young have completely absorbed their:

YOLK SACS

they can begin feeding on foods such as:

Fine sinking catfish foods
Crushed tablets
Baby brine shrimp
Fine frozen foods
Small insect foods

⚠️ Fry Need Access to Food

Whiptail fry spend most of their time near the substrate.

Food should therefore be:

SMALL + SINKING + EASILY ACCESSIBLE

Frequent small feedings work better than large meals.

💧 Fry Water Quality

Young fish are sensitive to deteriorating water quality.

Maintain:

Zero ammonia
Zero nitrite
Low nitrate
Good oxygen
Clean substrate

while feeding frequently.

🧬 Old Misidentifications

Before Loricaria nimairaco was described in 2023, similar Colombian fish were sometimes identified as:

Loricaria simillima
Loricaria cf. nickeriensis
Loricaria sp. “Colombia”
Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”

The modern scientific description demonstrated that these Colombian upper-Amazon specimens represent:

A DISTINCT SPECIES

🆚 Loricaria nimairaco vs. Loricaria simillima

The two species can look similar.

Scientists distinguish L. nimairaco using a combination of characters involving:

Number of body plates
Abdominal plating
Head proportions
Dark head coloration
Fin coloration
Tail pattern
Genetics

Therefore:

DO NOT IDENTIFY WHIPTAILS BY COLOR ALONE

⚠️ Collection Locality Matters

Because the genus Loricaria contains several extremely similar species:

LOCALITY INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT

Preserve:

Supplier identification
Country
River system
Collection locality when available

🌎 Conservation Status

The scientific authors evaluated Loricaria nimairaco as:

LEAST CONCERN

based on its estimated extent of occurrence.

⚠️ Environmental Threats Still Exist

Least Concern does not mean its habitat faces no pressure.

The original scientific description specifically noted threats within its range involving:

Deforestation
Gold mining
Cattle ranching
Oil-development projects

and recommended continued population monitoring.

⭐ Why Keep a Crying Whiptail?

The Crying Whiptail combines:

😢 Distinctive aquarium history
🧬 Newly described 2023 scientific identity
🇨🇴 Colombian upper-Amazon origin
🐟 Extremely flattened body
👄 Elaborate fringed lips
🪶 Long whip-like caudal filament
⚫ Dramatically dark fins
😌 Peaceful temperament
🏖️ Interesting sand-bottom behavior
👨‍👧 Extraordinary male parental care
🥚 Lip-brooding reproduction
🌎 Fascinating scientific history

into one of the most unusual whiptail catfish available to experienced freshwater aquarists.

⚠️ Important Considerations

Before purchasing a Crying Whiptail:

The correct scientific name is Loricaria nimairaco.
The species was formally described in 2023.
It was previously sold under several informal names.
“Rio Atabapo Loricaria” is an old aquarium trade name.
L. nimairaco has not been scientifically confirmed from the Rio Atabapo.
The confirmed native range is Colombia's upper Amazon drainage.
Important systems include the Orteguaza / Caquetá, Putumayo, and Amazon River around Leticia.
Do not describe the origin as primarily Brazil.
The type locality is the Amazon River at Leticia, Colombia.
The name nimairaco means “house of a wise man.”
It does not mean “crying.”
This listing is for wild-caught fish.
The current specimen is listed at approximately 12 inches.
The largest scientific specimen measured approximately 7.5 inches standard length.
Specialist total-length estimates are around 8.7 inches.
The upper tail ray forms a long trailing filament.
Tip-to-tip measurements can therefore be longer than body-length measurements.
Do not use 7 inches as a hard maximum.
Provide approximately 75 gallons or larger for a large adult.
A long aquarium with substantial bottom area is preferred.
Use soft sand.
Avoid sharp substrate.
Provide rocks, driftwood, and sheltered areas.
Maintain approximately 77–82°F.
Maintain approximately pH 5.5–7.5.
Maintain good to high dissolved oxygen.
Moderate flow is appropriate.
The species occurs in both higher-current and slower-current habitat.
Do not describe it as an extreme high-flow specialist.
Feed a varied omnivorous benthic diet.
Animal and invertebrate foods are important.
Provide some plant-containing foods for variety.
Do not purchase it simply as an algae cleaner.
Avoid aggressive and fin-nipping tankmates.
Protect the long tail filament.
Mature males develop thicker pectoral-fin spines.
Permanent enlarged lip/barbel structures are not a reliable general sexing feature.
The species is a male lip-brooder.
Males carry and protect the egg mass with their lips.
Up to approximately 60 eggs have been reported.
Young may hatch after approximately 16 days.
The species has been bred repeatedly in captivity.
Conservation status is Least Concern.
Habitat threats remain present within its native range.
Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.

🧬 Taxonomy

The currently accepted scientific name is:

Loricaria nimairaco Londoño-Burbano, Urbano-Bonilla, Thomas & Britto, 2023

Classification:

Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Loricariinae
Tribe: Loricariini
Genus: Loricaria
Species: nimairaco

Confirmed scientific range:

UPPER AMAZON BASIN – COLOMBIA

including:

Rio Orteguaza / Caquetá drainage
Rio Putumayo
Amazon River around Leticia

For this product, use:

**Crying Whiptail – (Loricaria nimairaco)**

🌎 Locality & Identification Disclaimer

The old aquarium name:

Loricaria sp. “Rio Atabapo”

was used before the fish received its formal scientific description.

Current evidence identifies the aquarium Crying Whiptail as:

Loricaria nimairaco

from Colombia's upper Amazon basin.

Because similar Loricaria species can be difficult to distinguish:

Preserve supplier information
Preserve collection locality when known
Do not assign locality from an outdated trade name
Do not identify similar whiptails from appearance alone

🚚 Live Fish Shipping

Live fish are professionally packed for safe transport.

Shipping availability depends on:

Fish size
Destination
Weather conditions
Carrier availability
Applicable state and local regulations

Extra care is required when packing large Crying Whiptails because of their:

Long body
Long caudal filament
Large fins
Armored body

The trailing tail filament is particularly vulnerable to:

Folding
Abrasion
Fin damage

during handling and transport.

Large specimens may require:

Larger fish bags
Additional water
Heavy-duty shipping bags
Larger insulated boxes
Specialized packing
Airline cargo depending on specimen size and destination

Please review our Shipping & Payment Information and Live Arrival Guarantee / DOA Policy before ordering.

⚠️ Buyer Responsibility

Customers are responsible for confirming that Loricaria nimairaco may legally be purchased, possessed, transported, and received in their state or local jurisdiction before ordering.

Never release aquarium fish into natural waterways.