TankBud

Twig catfish

Farlowella vittata

FreshwaterFish

Twig catfish (Farlowella vittata)
CONTERALLY at Italian Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
5.9 in
15 cm
Minimum tank
30 gal
115 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Herbivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Substrate spawner
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Loricariidae
Origin
Colombia, Venezuela

Overview

The twig catfish is a slender, shy algae grazer for a mature, calm community tank. It is hard to keep and best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

A twig catfish looks almost exactly like a thin brown stick, right down to its drawn-out snout. It will lie motionless along a branch to complete the disguise. This camouflage helps hide it from predators in its home streams.

Caring for the twig catfish

Give a twig catfish a tank of at least 30 gal (115 L), with a soft substrate. Furnish plenty of driftwood and leaves for it to cling to and graze. It needs a mature tank with established growth, so grow some algae on rock or wood as a food source.

It is sensitive to poor water, so stable, clean, well-oxygenated conditions are essential. Run steady flow and good filtration. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.

It grazes soft algae and biofilm. Supplement that with algae wafers and blanched vegetables.

The twig catfish is extremely peaceful and can be kept singly, since it needs no company of its own kind. A male and female pair get along fine. It is so gentle and shy that it should share a tank only with small, calm community fish, never boisterous or nippy ones.

The male guards the eggs, which are laid on a firm surface such as wood or glass. This delicate species is challenging to breed and only rarely spawned in home aquariums.

Good to know

Farlowella vittata is a pencil-thin member of Loricariidae, its long body sheathed in bony plates. Its underslung sucker mouth rasps soft algae and biofilm from surfaces.

In the wild

The twig catfish comes from clear, flowing streams in Colombia and Venezuela. It lies along submerged branches and roots there, camouflaged as a twig.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The twig catfish is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a twig catfish need?

A twig catfish needs at least 30 gal (115 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a twig catfish need?

A twig catfish is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a twig catfish eat?

A twig catfish grazes soft algae and biofilm in a mature tank. Supplement its grazing with algae wafers and blanched vegetables.

How big does a twig catfish get?

An adult twig catfish reaches about 5.9 in (15 cm).

How does a twig catfish breed?

A twig catfish lays its eggs on a firm surface such as wood or glass, and the male guards them. It is challenging to breed and only rarely spawned in home aquariums.

Related species