Aquariums: Twig/Whiptail Catfish

The Whiptail/Twig Catfish (Farlowella acus) is an oddball catfish that you don’t often see in your lfs. It is a peaceful algae-eating species known for its long, slender stick like body that provides camouflage in its natural habitat in the Amazon and Orinoco river basin in South America. It requires a planted aquarium with driftwood,rocks and high water aeration/water movement to mimic its natural habitat where it blends in with its surroundings. It often is not noticed until it moves to a new leaf, glass or driftwood in your tank. They are primarily herbivorous eating algae and biofilm along with sinking wafers, blanched zucchini,cucumbers and occasionally brine shrimp avoiding heavy meaty food, as this can harm them. They are peaceful for a community tank but sometimes squabble with each other without harm. They can be sensitive to poor water quality and chemicals. Males develop bristles on the snout when mature. They have a face only a mother could love with their long pointed Pinocchio snout, but this adds to the interest of this unusual catfish. Best kept in a 40 gallon tank with non aggressive fish as they are somewhat shy.