Spotted Lizard Pleco Whiptail (Harttia punctata)

Choose Harttia punctata for a fast, clean, rocky river tank

Harttia punctata is a slim, spotted whiptail catfish of the armoured suckermouth family Loricariidae. It comes from the upper and middle Rio Tocantins basin in Brazil, where ScotCat describes it living in rapids over rocky slab bottoms in medium to large rivers. The fish was described scientifically in 2001 from a type locality on rocks just below the Tucuruí dam in Pará. Planet Catfish lists the common name Spotted Lizard Pleco, and the species name punctata simply means spotted.

Like other Harttia, it is a current-loving grazer. It clings to stones, scrapes off the thin film of algae and tiny animals that grows on them, and needs water that is clean, moving and rich in oxygen. That makes Harttia punctata a rewarding fish for a keeper who already runs a mature, strongly filtered aquarium, and a poor choice for a warm, still community tank.

Check the key facts first

We sell this fish to experienced keepers. If you have kept royal whiptails or hillstream species successfully and your tank already has strong flow and a stable biofilm, Harttia punctata is an uncommon and beautiful step up. If you are new to whiptails, start with a hardier relative such as the Royal Whiptail Catfish and come back to this one later.

Know what you receive and how to recognise it

One purchase quantity supplies one live Harttia punctata. There is a single option, Standard, because no size grade is recorded for this fish; it will be a young fish, smaller than the adult figures above. The photographs show the species and its spotted pattern, not the individual you receive, and the gallery images are representative, so colour and spotting will vary from fish to fish.

Wild Harttia do not travel well. ScotCat notes that they do not do well in imports, and Aquarium Glaser describes catching and transport as especially challenging. That is why we ask buyers to have the tank fully ready, with grazing stones already covered in growth, before the fish is dispatched.

Tell it apart from similar whiptails

Aquarium Glaser points out that some H. duriventris may arrive mixed with H. punctata because the two look so alike, and that belly patterns vary widely within the species. Care for the two is the same. Check the belly from below through the glass once the fish has settled if you want to confirm which you have.

Plan the aquarium around a 16 cm rheophile

No minimum tank size is published for Harttia punctata. As a guide, Seriously Fish gives a base of 120 × 45 cm, about 243 litres, for Lamontichthys filamentosus, another loricariid whiptail of the same 16-17 cm standard length. We use that as the starting point and recommend a long, low tank rather than a tall one, because this fish lives on the bottom and needs grazing surface, not height.

The footprint matters more than the volume. Every grazing whiptail needs its own share of stone surface, and every fish you add competes for the same biofilm. Use our tank volume calculator to check what your tank really holds once sand and rocks are in, and plan for adult size even though the fish arrives smaller.

Run a four-step space check

1. Measure the base: aim for at least 120 × 45 cm.
2. Count every bottom dweller: loaches, plecos and whiptails all share the same floor and stones.
3. Plan for adult length: about 16 cm per Harttia, plus the tail filament.
4. Check the flow: the filter and any extra pumps must move water across the whole floor without dead corners.

Build a rocky, flowing layout

Copy the rapids it comes from. ScotCat records that in the wild it grazes algae growing on rugged, light-coloured rocks and submerged vegetation, so give it plenty of flat and rounded stones over sand or fine gravel, set where the current runs across them. A few pieces of wood add shade and resting places without blocking the flow. A setup in the style of our hillstream loach guide, with a strong, directional current and lots of stone, is a good model.

Divide the footprint by function

Grow food on the stones before it arrives

A newly scrubbed tank has nothing for a grazer to eat. Put the stones in place weeks before you order, leave the light on a normal day cycle and let a thin film of growth develop. Some keepers mature extra stones in a bright spare tank and swap them in later. This simple step does more for a new Harttia than any single food.

Match the water values and keep them stable

Published values for Harttia punctata disagree on temperature, and we would rather tell you than pretend there is one answer. ScotCat lists a cool range for this species and says Harttia need reduced temperatures, but its sheet for a related species from French Guiana and Suriname gives a warm range, and Aquarium Glaser describes the fish as needing warm water. FishBase records the species only as tropical and gives no figures.

Set one target and hold it

Ask us the temperature the fish has been kept at before dispatch, match it on arrival and then keep it steady; stability matters more to this fish than a particular number. Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cool water, so if you run the tank at the warm end, add surface movement or an air stone. Aim for a pH between 6.0 and 7.0, the range that suits both ScotCat sheets. No hardness figure is published, so avoid extremes and change water with the same source each time.

UK tap water varies a lot by region, from soft in much of Scotland, Wales and the north-west to hard and alkaline in much of the south and east of England. Test yours, or check your water company's report, and compare it with the ranges above using our water matcher. Our water chemistry guide explains how to soften hard water with RO water if you need to. Whatever the source, keep ammonia and nitrite at zero and nitrate no more than 20 mg per litre above your tap water, as OATA advises for all catfish.

Filter hard and change water often

Clean, oxygen-rich, moving water is the one thing every source agrees on. Choose a filter rated well above the tank volume and add a circulation pump if the current does not reach the far end. Our guide to aquarium filtration explains how to size it. Keep the surface rippling so oxygen can enter, and never let the filter stop for long: a rheophile in a still tank suffers quickly.

Follow a weekly routine

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH once a week.
2. Change at least 25% of the water every week, as OATA recommends for catfish, using dechlorinated water at the same temperature.
3. Siphon uneaten food from the sand, but leave the growth on the grazing stones.
4. Rinse filter media in removed tank water, never under the tap, so the bacteria survive.
5. Check the flow after cleaning: blocked sponges quietly cut oxygen and current.

Feed little and often, as for a grazer

In the wild Harttia punctata eats mostly microscopic algae, especially diatoms and green algae, with chironomid (midge) and simuliid (blackfly) larvae and tiny crustaceans also recorded in its diet (ScotCat). In the aquarium ScotCat lists dry foods, algae wafers, Spirulina and ordinary tablet foods, with frozen foods such as Artemia nauplii, glassworms and Daphnia. Aquarium Glaser stresses that fine foods should make up most of the diet.

Build a daily feeding plan

OATA advises feeding only what fish can eat within a few minutes once a day, but notes that grazing species may need extra time with algal foods. Watch the fish rather than the clock: remove what is left after a few hours so it does not foul the water. A ready-made option such as our Loricaria frozen food makes the animal part of the diet easy. Check the belly from the front each week: a flat or sunken belly means it is not getting enough.

Acclimatise slowly and watch the first week

Because Harttia are sensitive to transport, take extra care on arrival. OATA recommends drip acclimatisation for sensitive or specially kept fish: keep the fish in its bag or container, drip tank water in slowly through an airline until the water matches, then net it across without adding the transport water. Turn the tank lights off and keep the room quiet. Our guide to acclimatising new fish explains both the floating and the drip methods.

Use a first-week checkpoint plan

• Day 1: lights off after release; no food on the first evening.
• Days 2-3: a small wafer and a little frozen food after dark; check the stones have growth.
• Days 4-7: test ammonia and nitrite daily; look for the fish grazing and a rounded belly.

Check our delivery and Live Arrival Guarantee policy before ordering so you know the dispatch days and what to do if there is a problem.

Watch for warning signs

Most problems with whiptails start with water quality or starvation, so test the water before reaching for any treatment, and treat carefully: many medications lower oxygen levels.

Choose calm tank mates that like current

Harttia punctata is peaceful and will not harm other fish. The risk runs the other way: fast, greedy bottom feeders can take its food, and large or boisterous fish can stress it. The best companions are small, calm fish that enjoy the same strong flow and clean water, and you can keep more than one Harttia if there are enough stones. Try any combination in our tank mates tool.

Decide from the suits and avoid list

Always check that a companion's temperature range overlaps the one you have chosen for the Harttia. Browse more South American catfish, related Sturisoma whiptails and other algae eaters in our catfish and plecos range, and read our pleco care guide for general loricariid care.

Understand its breeding biology

Planet Catfish has no aquarium breeding report for Harttia punctata. In the genus, Aquarium Glaser explains that Harttia are open breeders rather than cave spawners: the eggs are laid on stones with a strong current flowing over them and the male guards them until they hatch. Healthy Harttia have been bred in aquariums.

Mature males can be recognised by a broader head and odontodes, small bristle-like growths, on the first ray of the pectoral fins (ScotCat). For the related H. guianensis, ScotCat reports eggs laid on a flat surface with brood care and the fry raised on newly hatched Artemia, microworms, fine dry foods and Spirulina tablets fed five times a day. Breeding this species would be a genuine achievement worth recording.

Answer Harttia punctata buying questions

What is Harttia punctata?

It is a spotted whiptail catfish of the family Loricariidae (subfamily Loricariinae) from the upper and middle Rio Tocantins basin in Brazil, described in 2001. Planet Catfish lists the common name Spotted Lizard Pleco. It lives on rocks in rapids and grazes algae and tiny invertebrates.

How big does Harttia punctata grow?

FishBase gives a maximum of 16.6 cm standard length for males or unsexed fish and 14.0 cm for females. ScotCat gives 16.5 cm and Planet Catfish 133 mm. Plan for about 16 cm without the tail filament.

Is Harttia punctata a beginner fish?

No. Specialist sources describe Harttia as harder to keep than royal whiptails such as Sturisoma, sensitive to small care mistakes and to transport. It suits an experienced keeper with a mature, strongly filtered, well-oxygenated tank.

What temperature does Harttia punctata need?

The sources disagree. ScotCat lists 18-22°C for this species, while its sheet for the related H. guianensis gives 25-30°C and an importer's species note calls for warm water. Ask us what temperature the fish has been kept at, match it on arrival and keep it steady, with extra aeration if you keep it warm. A pH of 6.0-7.0 suits both ScotCat sheets.

What does Harttia punctata eat?

In the wild it grazes diatoms and green algae from rocks, plus midge and blackfly larvae and tiny crustaceans. In the aquarium ScotCat lists algae wafers, Spirulina, tablet foods and frozen foods such as Artemia, glassworms and Daphnia. Grow algae on the stones before it arrives and feed small amounts every day.

How big an aquarium does it need?

No species minimum is published. For a comparison, Seriously Fish gives a 120 × 45 cm base for Lamontichthys filamentosus, a whiptail of the same 16-17 cm length. Plan at least that footprint, with strong flow and plenty of flat stones.

Can I keep more than one?

Yes, if the tank is large enough. It is peaceful, and ScotCat suggests a small group for related Harttia species. Each fish needs its own grazing area, so add stones and space rather than packing more fish into the same footprint.

Can Harttia punctata be bred in an aquarium?

Planet Catfish has no aquarium breeding report for this species. In the genus, eggs are laid in the open on stones in strong current and the male guards them until they hatch, and healthy Harttia have been bred in aquariums.

Consult the care references

• FishBase: Harttia punctata: classification, describers, maximum length by sex, distribution, identifying features and IUCN status.
• Planet Catfish: Harttia punctata: common name, type locality, size, distribution and the absence of aquarium breeding reports.
• ScotCat: Harttia punctata: identification, rapids habitat, wild diet, aquarium foods, published water values, sexing and conservation note.
• ScotCat: Harttia guianensis factsheet: water values, foods, group keeping, sexing and breeding notes for the related Harttia guianensis.
• Aquarium Glaser: Harttia punctata: care difficulty, the look-alike Harttia duriventris, water quality, feeding and the open-breeding habit of the genus.
• Seriously Fish: Lamontichthys filamentosus (tank-size comparison only): aquarium base for a loricariid whiptail of the same length, used only as a size comparison.
• OATA: How to look after freshwater catfish: UK guidance for catfish on water quality, sand, introduction, handling, feeding and health signs.
• OATA: How to look after tropical algae eaters: UK guidance on grazing fish, including longer feeding times and supplementary foods.
• OATA: How to look after wild caught freshwater fish: UK guidance on acclimatising sensitive or wild-caught fish, including drip acclimation.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy: current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.