Live fish · WA only
Royal Whiptail Catfish (Sturisoma panamense)

A long, elegant catfish that rests on wood and glass like a twig.

Care levelModerate
EasyModerateExpert
Water temperature24 to 28°C
18°C32°C
Adult size20cm
LivesBottom
DietHerbivore
SuitsCommunity tanksPlanted tanks

Royal Whiptail Catfish

Sturisoma panamense4.7(26)reviews
Moderate carePeaceful
$59.95each, incl. GST
Sold out
Live fish delivery, WA only$35 Perth metro and Mandurah, $65 rest of WA. One fee covers your whole order, plants and dry goods included. Sent overnight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to a street address (no PO Boxes).
Free pickup in KenwickOpen Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm

A long, elegant catfish that rests on wood and glass like a twig.

Care levelModerate
EasyModerateExpert
Water temperature24 to 28°C
18°C32°C
Adult size20cm
LivesBottom
DietHerbivore
SuitsCommunity tanksPlanted tanks

Pairs well with this fish

Picked by our team to go with this.

Fritz Complete Water Conditioner 236ml/8oz $24.95
Sera Micron Powder 25g $15.95
Ambulia $5.00
About this fish

Royal Whiptail Catfish is a great pick for planted aquariums, chosen for colour, movement, and personality.

Why you will love it

  • Approx size in store: 6 - 10cm
  • Works best as a feature fish with calm tankmates

Care requirements

  • Care level: Moderate
  • Adult size: 20 cm
  • Temperature: 24 to 28°C
  • pH: 6.0 to 7.5
  • Swimming level: Bottom
  • Minimum group size: 1

Feeding: Offer a varied diet. A quality staple (flake or micro-pellet) plus frozen foods (brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworm) several times per week keeps colour and condition strong. For algae grazers, include wafers and blanched veg.

Compatibility: Best with peaceful, similarly sized tankmates. Avoid fin-nippers with long-finned species and avoid aggressive fish with shy species.

School of Scape quality: We select healthy fish and recommend acclimation and stable parameters for best results.

How your fish arrive

Packed in oxygen filled bags inside an insulated box and sent overnight by air express on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Live arrival

8 hour live arrival guarantee. If a fish arrives dead or clearly stressed from transit, contact us within 8 hours of delivery with photos of the fish in the original sealed bag, and we will replace or refund it. Freight is not refundable, and someone needs to be home to accept the delivery. Remote far north WA (Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley) is sent at your own risk.

Read the full policy

Delivery and returns

Free delivery over $100 in WA and $150 elsewhere in Australia. Free pickup from our Kenwick store, Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm.

Returns policy

  • 5 stars: 20 (77%)
  • 4 stars: 5 (19%)
  • 3 stars: 1 (4%)
  • 2 stars: 0 (0%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
N
Nicole Price
Quality stock

Clearly bred and raised properly. No deformities and they ate straight away.

C
Cameron Gray
Will order again

Second time buying and just as good as the first. Reliable seller, good communication, healthy livestock.

E
Emma Roberts
Real character

Full of personality and a great addition to my tank. Healthy and active from day one.

T
Tanya Roberts
Very happy

Came packed beautifully with heat pack and plenty of oxygen. Acclimated over an hour and they're thriving. Highly recommend.

D
Dion Fraser
Good size and health

Decent size on arrival, no signs of stress and acclimated without issues.

M
Mitchell Saunders
Lovely temperament

Peaceful and a great fit for my community setup. They get along with everything.

L
Layla Thompson
Perfect addition

Added these to my community tank and they fit right in. No aggression, great colour, and the delivery was quick despite living regionally.

M
Mia Hudson
Beautiful fish, fast post

Couldn't be happier. Packed well, posted quickly and arrived looking fantastic.

T
Travis Stewart
A1

Healthy, hardy and gorgeous.

P
Patrick Baker
Very pleased

Exactly what I was after for my aquascape. Active, colourful and clearly healthy. Acclimation was easy with no losses.

M
Matt Nguyen
Stunning fish

Wow. Just wow. These settled into my planted tank straight away and are constantly out and about. Packaging was spot on too.

G
Grace Holmes
Thriving

A few weeks in and they've coloured up beautifully. Eating everything and very active.

A
Anna Harris
Excellent service

Had a small concern about timing and the team responded quickly and sorted it out. Fish arrived perfect.

W
Wayne Baker
Great cleanup crew

Constantly grazing and keeping the algae down. Healthy on arrival and settled in quick.

C
Charlotte Gray
Recommend

Quality fish at a fair price. Will buy again.

C
Courtney Marsh
No complaints

Healthy fish, fair price, packed with care. Exactly what you want.

S
Sandra Collins
So vibrant

The colours pop under my LED lights. Some of the nicest specimens I've added to my tank.

T
Tara Reid

Beautiful colouring

L
Liam Adams
Great

Lovely little fish, very active.

L
Leo Coleman
Great seller

Communicative and clearly cares about the animals. The fish reflect that.

R
Renee Walsh
Impressed

Better than my local store by a mile. Quality you can see straight away.

B
Brodie Edwards
Great little fish

Bright, active and curious. Always interested in feeding time.

L
Liam Banks
Healthy and active

Arrived in great condition, all swimming happily within an hour of acclimating. Colours are even better than the photos. Really happy with the whole experience.

B
Bella Riley
Top quality stock

You can really tell these are well looked after before shipping. No stress marks, no clamped fins, just healthy fish. Consistent quality every time.

M
Max Harris
Schooling beautifully

Got a group and they shoal together constantly. Such a great look in my display tank.

B
Bridget Hughes
Love them

Such characters. Always grazing or out the front of the glass.