From Aqua Guide, the free encyclopedia
Twig Catfish
Farlowella acus
- Temperature
- 24–27 °C
- pH
- 6 – 7
- Min. tank size
- 110 L
- Lifespan
- 8-10 years
- Diet
- herbivore
- Care level
- difficult
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name: | Farlowella acus |
| Family: | Loricariidae |
| Origin: | South America (slow, vegetated waters of the Orinoco and Amazon) |
| Care Characteristics | |
| Care Level: | difficult |
| Diet: | herbivore |
| Max Size: | 15.00 cm |
| Water Type: | freshwater |
| Temp Group: | tropical |
| Temperament: | peaceful |
| Min Group: | Can be kept alone |
| Varieties: | No cultivated strains, and a genus-wide identification problem instead. There are 27 described Farlowella species, and only two are regularly exported. Farlowella acus — the name on most shop labels and in most books — is highly endangered and imported very rarely, if at all. The fish actually in hobbyists' tanks is nearly always F. vittata, distinguished by a longer and more slender rostrum. Others appear occasionally under trade names or L-numbers, and several are effectively unidentifiable in a shop tank. For a keeper the practical consequence is small, since the requirements are the same, but the labelling is worth knowing about — and if you are buying a fish sold as a genuinely endangered species, it is worth asking questions. Related whiptail catfish are traded alongside them and are different fish: Rineloricaria and Sturisoma species are broader-bodied and generally hardier, and the royal farlowella (Sturisoma panamense) is not a Farlowella at all despite the name. If you want the twig-catfish look with a better survival record, the Sturisoma species are the ones to consider. |
| Lifespan: | 8-10 years |
Quick Tips
- Bioload:Low
- Min Tank:110 L
- Substrate:Sand; abundant driftwood and broad leaves to rest on and graze
- Plant Safe:Plant-safe
- Filtration:High (clean, oxygenated water; gentle flow)
Twig Catfish (Farlowella acus) is a species of fish in the family Loricariidae. It is native to South America (slow, vegetated waters of the Orinoco and Amazon). The twig catfish looks like a piece of dead stick with eyes, and it dies in more tanks than almost anything else sold at its price. It is a slender loricariid that drifts motionless on driftwood and leaves, mimicking a twig so completely that new keepers lose track of it in their own tank. Two things sink it. It is super sensitive to poor or deteriorating water conditions, and it is easily out-competed for food by more vigorous species — so a peaceful, apparently harmless community tank starves it slowly while the water quality finishes the job. It is also probably not the species on the label. Of the 27 Farlowella species, only two are regularly exported, and F. acus is highly endangered and imported very rarely, if at all. The fish in hobbyists' tanks is nearly always F. vittata. It reaches 150 mm standard length and is a vegetarian.
Compatibility
- Temperament
- peaceful
- Keep in
- Can be kept alone
- Swims
- bottom
- Fin nipper
- No
- Delicate fins
- Yes — keep away from nippers
Species similar to Twig Catfish
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