Amazon Twig Catfish (Farlowella amazonum) Care Guide
Farlowella amazonum is a stick-mimicking loricariid twig catfish from the Amazon and Orinoco basins, a peaceful, plant-safe algae grazer needing mature, well-oxygenated tanks.
Overview
Farlowella amazonum is a twig catfish of the family Loricariidae (subfamily Loricariinae, tribe Harttiini). The genus is named after botanist William Gilson Farlow because algae is the favoured food, and its members have an extremely slender, stick-like body with a pronounced rostrum that mimics a piece of submerged wood. The species was originally described by Günther in 1864 as Acestra amazonum and reaches a standard length of about 22.5 cm.
Taxonomy
- Family: Loricariidae
- Scientific name: Farlowella amazonum
- Subfamily: Loricariinae
- Common synonyms: Amazonum Twig Catfish
Habitat
The species is recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela across the Amazon, Orinoco, Essequibo, Tocantins and Paraguay drainages. As a freshwater loricariid it favours flowing, well-oxygenated water with submerged wood and a mature biofilm.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 120 L (32 gal)
- Adult size: 15-17 cm (5.9-6.7 in)
- Temperature: 24-28 °C (75-82 °F)
- pH: 6-7.2
- GH: 2-10 °dGH
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
Diet
Farlowella is primarily vegetarian. The bulk of the diet should be vegetable matter, both fresh (cucumber, kale, blanched spinach) and dried (algae wafers, spirulina). It continually grazes the surfaces of leaves, wood, rock and glass, consuming diatoms and common green algae, and accepts small live or frozen foods only occasionally.
Compatibility
Temperament is very peaceful and the fish keeps to the lower levels. It is plant-safe but unsuited to a boisterous community because it is easily outcompeted for food; calm tankmates such as small tetras and Corydoras are appropriate. Males can be mildly territorial toward each other.
Breeding
Like its congeners it spawns at night, the female depositing eggs on a firm surface and the male fertilising and guarding them. Eggs hatch in roughly 6-10 days. Fry are notoriously difficult to raise, being prone to starvation and sensitive to water-chemistry shifts, so a constant supply of soft vegetable matter and stable water are needed.
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List assessed the species as Least Concern (2023).