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No federal permit to keepLaulao catfish
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii
Fishes › Catfish (Siluriformes) › Pimelodidae (Long-whiskered catfish)
Brachyplatystoma vaillantii, the Laulao catfish, piramutaba or piramuta, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of the Guianas and northeastern Brazil.
Intro from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 126 in long and 63 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 31.5 in / 80 cm; the largest recorded was 59.1 in).
- Water: Freshwater (tolerates brackish).
- Layout: Lives on or near the bottom: floor space and hiding places matter more than height.
- Diet: FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
- Availability: Rarely or never seen in the aquarium trade; expect to source it from specialists or not at all.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 72–82 °F, pH 6–8, 1–20 dGH.
- Behaviour: kept alone; not a community fish.
- Difficulty: Moderate (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “The choice of décor is as much down to personal preference as anything else though a carefully-aquascaped, planted set-up is obviously out of the question.”
- Diet: “Almost entirely piscivorous preying on loricariids and other bottom-dwelling fishes in nature but most specimens readily adapt to dead alternatives such as prawn/shrimp, mussel, squid, whitebait, strips of larger white fish, etc., in aquaria.”
- Tankmates: “Only keep with species large enough to avoid predation.”
- Breeding: “Unrecorded in captivity, perhaps unsurprising given its complex natural life cycle (see 'habitat').”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Long-whiskered catfish
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: South American pimelodids occupy river channels and tributaries, with redtails and shovelnoses also using flooded forests. [fg178-pictus, fg178-redtail, fg178-sorubim]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For P. pictus, use at least 120 × 45 × 45 cm (about 243 L), with open swimming space.
- Adult redtails and P. fasciatum require facility-scale housing: approximately 360 × 240 × 120 cm (10,368 L) is explicitly only a minimum in the reference.
- Provide dim lighting and appropriately sized shelters; use fine sand for pictus.
- For giant species, secure heavy furnishings and avoid swallowable gravel; bare bottoms or large smooth pebbles are alternatives.
- Use efficient biological filtration, regular partial water changes and, for giants, equipment protected in an external sump.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 71.6–77°F |
Diet
- Pictus: sinking prepared foods and frozen bloodworms.
- Earthworms, sized for the fish.
- Giant predators: prawns and mussels.
- Giant predators: white-fish portions; vary foods and reduce feeding frequency as adults mature.
Social life
- Pictus are shoaling fish, preferably six or more in adequate space; adult redtails and shovelnoses can be territorial towards other large pimelodids. Companions must be too large to swallow.
Health watch
- Barbel erosion with deteriorating water quality.
- White spot and poor condition in newly imported pictus.
- Obesity and fatty organ damage from overfeeding or inappropriate mammal meat.
Understanding the animal
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater and brackish water, in rivers and streams, estuaries. Stays near the bottom. Juveniles and subadults frequently found at river mouths and estuaries. Occurs downstream from the first falls where the water is charged with mud and the bottom is muddy. In the Amazon, it can sometimes be caught in the upper part up to the foot of the Andean range where it appears to be more rare than Brachyplatystoma filamentosum and Brachyplatystoma flavicus but never in the zones prone to flood. Reproductive migrations probably occur like in other Brachyplatystoma. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater / brackish water. |
| Climate | Tropical climate. |
What this means for care
- It tolerates or needs brackish water; check salinity needs before setup.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 90°F (up to 93°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 70°F (down to 66°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 78–81°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 80–84% on average (driest month about 77%) |
| Rainfall | about 2360 mm a year |
Measured at 142 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | Brachyplatystoma vaillantii, the Laulao catfish, piramutaba or piramuta, is a species of catfish of the family Pimelodidae that is native to Amazon and Orinoco River basins and major rivers of the Guianas and northeastern Brazil. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | It grows to a length of 150 cm, though is more commonly 80 cm. Dorsum dark to light grey or brown, no spots or stripes. Ventrum much paler to give striking counter shading. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Biology | Juveniles and subadults frequently found at river mouths and estuaries. They occur downstream from the first falls where the water is charged with mud and the bottom is muddy. In the Amazon, they can sometimes be caught in the upper part up to the foot of the Andean range where they appear to be more rare than Brachyplatystoma filamentosum and Brachyplatystoma flavicus but never in the zones prone to flood. — FishBase |
| History and naming | The fish is named in honor of François Levaillant (1753-1824) a French explorer, naturalist and zoological collector, who brought the type specimens to Europe. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Typical adult weight
Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).
Adult length
Common length to maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates; aim for the middle.
pH
Water hardness
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Pimelodus pictus Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Phractocephalus hemioliopterus Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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