Twig catfish

Farlowella vittata

FreshwaterFish

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
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Very rare
Origin: Colombia, Venezuela
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

The twig catfish is a slender, extremely peaceful loricariid that can be kept singly, as it needs no company of its own kind, though a male and female pair get along fine. It is so gentle and shy that it should only share a tank with small, calm community fish, never boisterous or nippy ones. It clings to wood and leaves grazing soft algae and biofilm, so it needs a mature tank with established growth plus supplements of algae wafers and blanched vegetables. Provide driftwood, a soft substrate, and clean, well-oxygenated water, in a tank around 115 liters or larger.

In the wild

Farlowella vittata comes from clear, flowing streams in Colombia and Venezuela, where it lies along submerged branches and roots, camouflaged as a twig. Keep it warm at 24 to 27 degrees C with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. It is sensitive to poor water, so stable, clean, well-oxygenated conditions are essential, with steady flow and good filtration. Furnish plenty of driftwood and leaves for it to cling to and graze, and grow some algae on rock or wood as a food source.

Good to know

A member of Loricariidae, Farlowella vittata reaches around 15 centimeters yet stays pencil-thin, its long body sheathed in bony plates and tipped with a drawn-out snout. The underslung sucker mouth rasps soft algae and biofilm from surfaces. The male guards the eggs, which are laid on a firm surface such as wood or glass, though this delicate species is challenging and only rarely spawned in home aquariums.

Did you know

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