AquaNexus verified profile
Twig catfish
Farlowella vittata
Twig catfish is Farlowella vittata, a delicate northern South American biofilm grazer whose male guards exposed adhesive eggs and which requires targeted daily feeding.
Outcome: PASSED Permanent ID: 707
Profile overview
- Scientific Name
- Farlowella vittata
- Identity and search names
- Twig catfish, Whiptail twig catfish, Farlowella vittata
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Subgroup
- Other catfish
- Environment
- Freshwater aquarium
- Origin
- Orinoco drainage and adjacent northern South American freshwater systems
- Care
- Intermediate
- Adult Size
- About 18–20 cm total length
- Lifespan
- 5–15 years
- Tank
- At least 200 L for a pair or small compatible group with extensive grazing surfaces
- Temp
- 23–28 °C
- pH
- 6.0–7.8
- Hardness
- Soft to moderately hard
- Salinity
- Freshwater; no routine salt addition
- Lighting
- Normal aquarium lighting
- Placement
- Bottom to mid water
- Diet
- Periphyton and biofilm grazer taking algae, detritus and small associated invertebrates
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
- Aeration
- Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
- Maintenance
- Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
- Welfare
- Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Farlowella vittata can starve in an apparently clean community aquarium. Visible body condition, mature biofilm and targeted feeding are mandatory; it is not an automatic algae-control tool.
- Biosecurity
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
- Review Status
- PASSED
- Source Status
- CURRENT — accepted identity or explicitly bounded species profile; husbandry, welfare, sources and Australian/South Australian biosecurity rechecked. CURRENT
App-ready care, welfare and biosecurity details
Identity Scope
Single-species profile for Farlowella vittata. Preserve permanent AquaNexus ID 707, slug twig-catfish and route /species/twig-catfish/; retain former combinations, locality labels and trade names only as searchable aliases.
Adult Size And Space
Expected adult size: About 18–20 cm total length. Minimum permanent housing: At least 200 L for a pair or small compatible group with extensive grazing surfaces. Plan around adult dimensions, activity, social structure, aggression, oxygen demand and waste production rather than sale size.
Social Structure
Keep a compatible pair or small peaceful group only where each fish can graze and feed without displacement
Swimming Zone
Primary zone: Bottom to mid water. Keep that zone usable for movement, feeding, refuge and escape.
Feeding Ecology
Periphyton and biofilm grazer taking algae, detritus and small associated invertebrates
Feeding Plan
Provide mature biofilm plus sinking algae-rich foods, vegetables and fine invertebrate foods daily; confirm every fish maintains weight
Water Stability
Maintain 23–28 °C; pH 6.0–7.8; hardness or minerals: Soft to moderately hard; salinity: Freshwater; no routine salt addition. Stable oxygenation and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing one exact value.
Habitat Structure
Mature oxygen-rich aquarium with wood, branches, broad grazing surfaces, moderate flow, shaded retreats and efficient but intake-safe filtration
Compatibility Plan
Use calm fish that do not monopolise sinking food; avoid aggressive plecos and boisterous bottom feeders
Breeding Plan
Eggs are attached in an exposed clutch to glass, wood, leaves or another firm surface Parental care: Male guards and fans the adhesive egg clutch until hatching.
Quarantine
Quarantine new fish in a separate cycled aquarium with dedicated equipment. Match temperature and mineral chemistry gradually, confirm feeding, respiration, skin, fins and waste, and never add transport water to the established aquarium.
Welfare Checks
Maintain the stated adult space and social structure, verify feeding, and intervene early when injury, exclusion, weight loss, abnormal respiration or altered behaviour appears. Farlowella vittata can starve in an apparently clean community aquarium. Visible body condition, mature biofilm and targeted feeding are mandatory; it is not an automatic algae-control tool.
Biosecurity And Release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
Main Risk
Farlowella vittata can starve in an apparently clean community aquarium. Visible body condition, mature biofilm and targeted feeding are mandatory; it is not an automatic algae-control tool.
Adult Projected Load
Plan filtration and stocking for the full adult size (About 18–20 cm total length), the complete social group and peak feeding waste, not the current shop size. Permanent housing remains At least 200 L for a pair or small compatible group with extensive grazing surfaces.
Filtration
Use mature biological filtration with effective mechanical solids capture and turnover matched to the species’ natural flow needs. Protect intakes, preserve established media during cleaning and keep ammonia and nitrite at zero.
Aeration
Maintain continuous surface agitation and dependable dissolved oxygen across the whole aquarium. Increase oxygen reserve in warm water, strong-current systems, dense groups, medication periods and power interruptions.
Maintenance
Observe feeding, respiration, body condition and social behaviour daily; test nitrogen waste and key chemistry on a schedule; clean mechanical media before trapped waste decomposes; and perform regular temperature- and chemistry-matched water changes.
Overridable Warnings
Warnings are decision support, not permission to ignore welfare limits. Override only with specimen-specific evidence, equivalent risk controls and a recorded reason; never override legal, biosecurity, provenance or no-release requirements.
Sources and review basis
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Farlowella vittata: Taxonomy — accepted name, former combinations, synonyms and identity cross-check
- Mojica et al. — feeding and reproduction of Farlowella vittata: Feeding and reproduction — periphyton ecology, exposed adhesive egg clutches and male guarding
- IUCN Red List search — Farlowella vittata: Conservation and provenance — wild status, locality and collection-risk cross-check
- PIRSA — South Australian noxious fish list: Australian biosecurity — current South Australian possession, trade and movement restrictions
- DAFF — importing live ornamental fish to Australia: Australian biosecurity — national live-fish import pathways and permitted-species warning
AquaNexus uses original editorial synthesis. Exact import, possession, movement and disposal requirements must be rechecked with the current authority before acquisition or transfer.