All fish / Loricariidae

Twig catfish

Farlowella taphorni

Also known as twig catfish, stick catfish, farlowella, whiptail catfish, ファルロウェラ, 小精灵枯枝鲶

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A very slim, stick-like suckermouth catfish with a long pointed snout and brown colouring that looks like a twig or dead stem. People keep it as an unusual, peaceful grazer for calm, well-planted tanks with plenty of wood.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

22 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

100 litres

Keep as

Single, pair or small group

Diet

Herbivore: biofilm, algae, blanched vegetables and algae wafers

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Venezuela (Torondoy River basin, Lake Maracaibo drainage)

Breeding

Like other Farlowella, the female lays eggs on glass or wood and the male guards them until they hatch. It is rarely bred, and it is seldom kept at all.

Good to know

Needs clean, well-oxygenated water with gentle flow and a constant supply of biofilm and algae, and it often starves alongside fast or boisterous feeders. Imported twig catfish are hard to identify to species, and this Venezuelan endemic is rarely offered in the trade.