# Farlowella Cat in planted tanks



## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

I was wondering if Farlowella Cat's will be okay in a planted tank. I wanted to to get some whiptail cats for my 150 gallon but can't find them anywhere in my town or online. These are little more expensive but was curious if they behave like the whiptails.

Thanks,

AD


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Deadstroke174 said:


> I was wondering if Farlowella Cat's will be okay in a planted tank. I wanted to to get some whiptail cats for my 150 gallon but can't find them anywhere in my town or online. These are little more expensive but was curious if they behave like the whiptails.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> AD


You will be fine, the Farlowella should enjoy the plants. It's the natural habitat of the fish.



> Origin: Columbia and Venezuela. Occurs in areas of heavy vegetation and tangled roots along the banks of slow-flowing forest rivers and streams and in floodplains and bogs.
> 
> Vegetarian; algae (common green) and diatoms (brown algae) will readily be grazed from every plant leaf and object in the aquarium. Must be supplemented with vegetable-based tablet and pellet foods such as algae and spirulina wafers. Will eat most prepared tablet foods. As a treat, cucumber slices, kale and blanched spinach may be offered.


Read more: Twig Catfish (Farlowella vittata) Profile


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Termato said:


> You will be fine, the Farlowella should enjoy the plants. It's the natural habitat of the fish.
> 
> 
> 
> Read more: Twig Catfish (Farlowella vittata) Profile


Sweet, my only worry is they like a PH of 7.0 where my water is more around the 7.3.


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Deadstroke174 said:


> Sweet, my only worry is they like a PH of 7.0 where my water is more around the 7.3.


That wont be a problem. Especially if you drip acclimate. If you get it from a local store then it def should not be a problem.

Captive bred ones shouldn't be an issue.


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Termato said:


> That wont be a problem. Especially if you drip acclimate. If you get it from a local store then it def should not be a problem.
> 
> Captive bred ones shouldn't be an issue.


Thank you, with my first tank i made way to many mistakes and am more careful now as to have the right fish, water, temp ect... in order to ensure they are happy and healthy


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Deadstroke174 said:


> Thank you, with my first tank i made way to many mistakes and am more careful now as to have the right fish, water, temp ect... in order to ensure they are happy and healthy


More importantly than pH is the hardness below 10 dGH.

As long as you have soft water you should be fine.

*Again, captive bred fish wont be as much of a problem, especially locally bred fish that are kept in the same type of water you are using.*

I would talk to your local fish store and see how they keep their Twig Catfish and see if those parameters are close to how you keep your fish.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Farlowella vittata is unlikely to be tank raised unless the store has a breeder to supply them, like a hobbyist or something. This species is usually wild caught. And they are sensitive to GH and pH. This is all in the profile.

The Whiptail Catfish is much more adaptable.

You mentioned the pH is 7.3, what is the GH and KH?

Byron.


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Byron said:


> Farlowella vittata is unlikely to be tank raised unless the store has a breeder to supply them, like a hobbyist or something. This species is usually wild caught. And they are sensitive to GH and pH. This is all in the profile.
> 
> The Whiptail Catfish is much more adaptable.
> 
> ...


Even with a wild caught fish, would a difference of .3 pH really affect it if you drip acclimate it?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Termato said:


> Even with a wild caught fish, would a difference of .3 pH really affect it if you drip acclimate it?


Depends upon species. I know one reads that fish are adaptable to differing water parameters and all you have to do is acclimate them, etc, etc. While I accept this may work for some species, it will not work for many others, and there is ample science to support this view.

Dr. Neale Monks, a trained biologist with considerable experience, wrote in response to a question from a reader in the Spring PFK that the real indicator of a fish being healthy and "OK" in any tank is the lifespan, and this cannot be normal for the species if the water parameters are too far removed from the preferred. Now obviously individual fish can develop physiological issues and die prematurely, so one has to understand that. But in general terms, a short lifespan, meaning shorter than the average expected, is due to stress. And maintaining a fish in water that is vastly different from what nature intended for it will cause stress. If you read my article on stress it mentions that the fish's physiological homeostasis only functions well in the preferred environment. This can be broad for some species, or narrow for others.

Fish obviously adapt over time, because they evolve over time to adjust to a changing environment. But this can take generations and thousands of years, not a couple hours of drip acclimation.

Some species manage better than others. From all that I have read, and from maintaining and successfully spawning Farlowella vittata, I do not believe this fish will last in hard basic water. Which is why i asked the OP for the GH and KH; the former is critical, and the latter will tell us if the pH may lower naturally.

Byron.


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Oddly enough in the small town I live in the LFS has Farlowella vittata for sale.

All the other pet stores around D.C. I went to don't even have them.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Termato said:


> Oddly enough in the small town I live in the LFS has Farlowella vittata for sale.
> 
> All the other pet stores around D.C. I went to don't even have them.


It is a fish that does not sell well [not "flashy" enough;-)], and it is expensive (at least where I live) to boot. I paid I think $12 each for my 3 when I got them almost 4 years ago. I saw them in a store last week and they were $16.

Like all wild caught fish, they are seasonal, available after the time of year when they can be caught in their habitat.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

My pet smart sells true twig catfish... I never thought they were rare. Also cheaper than my LFS's whiptails. 
If I remember correctly, isn't 0.1 of a pH a ten times difference? So 7 and 7.3 are a 30 times difference? I'm not totally sure how pH affects fish though (probably in that article Byron wrote that I didn't get a chance to read yet!)
Hardness can be a problem, a fish kept in too hard water gets kidney problems, since it's kidneys are put through much more strain filtering minerals than they are adapted to. This of course shortens lifespan.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Byron said:


> Farlowella vittata is unlikely to be tank raised unless the store has a breeder to supply them, like a hobbyist or something. This species is usually wild caught. And they are sensitive to GH and pH. This is all in the profile.
> 
> The Whiptail Catfish is much more adaptable.
> 
> ...


Byron,

How do I test for GH and KH? I have a API test kit that measures PH, Nitrates, Nitrites, and ammonia so I assume i need to buy another kit to test for those?

I really like the Whiptail's i think they are very cool fish that will help round out my tank plus I heard they are very good on string alge.

I think this is the fish one of my LFS were talking about since he said they grow to about 8 inches. Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Royal Farlowella Catfish


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## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

Deadstroke174 said:


> Byron,
> 
> How do I test for GH and KH? I have a API test kit that measures PH, Nitrates, Nitrites, and ammonia so I assume i need to buy another kit to test for those?
> 
> ...


You are correct in the fact that you need to get another test kit to measure gH and kH








GH & KH Test Kit - API


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Termato said:


> You are correct in the fact that you need to get another test kit to measure gH and kH
> 
> 
> 
> ...


After work it is off to the store


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Deadstroke174 said:


> After work it is off to the store


Save your money. Unless you intend adjusting the GH or KH of your tank water, you will not use the GH/KH test more than once to ascertain the tap water numbers. So a better idea is to contact the water supply folks, they may have a website with water data posted. If not, they can tell you, this is public info. And if that doesn't work for some strange reason, take a sample of the tap water (not tank water) to a reliable fish store and ask for a GH and KH test--and make sure they give you the numbers, not some vague "fairly hard" meaningless term.:lol:

GH and KH in an aquarium will not change from the source water (tap) unless it is targeted directly by you. This is briefly mentioned in this article:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/water-hardness-ph-freshwater-aquarium-73276/


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

> I think this is the fish one of my LFS were talking about since he said they grow to about 8 inches. Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums: Royal Farlowella Catfish


That is a different species altogether. It needs a larger tank.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Olympia said:


> My pet smart sells true twig catfish... I never thought they were rare. Also cheaper than my LFS's whiptails.
> If I remember correctly, isn't 0.1 of a pH a ten times difference? So 7 and 7.3 are a 30 times difference? I'm not totally sure how pH affects fish though (probably in that article Byron wrote that I didn't get a chance to read yet!)
> Hardness can be a problem, a fish kept in too hard water gets kidney problems, since it's kidneys are put through much more strain filtering minerals than they are adapted to. This of course shortens lifespan.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Each degree, being from say 6 to 7 or 7 to 8, is a ten-fold increase/decrease in acidity depending which way you're going. So if the pH is 6, the pH of 7 is 10 times less acidic. And being a logarithmic scale, the change from pH 7 to pH 8 is 10 times 10 or 100 times less acidic that pH 6. You can see how crucial this is to the fish, if he is meant to live in water that is 5-6 (which Farlowella are) and we place him in pH 7.5 this is major.

Normally a few decimal points will make little if any difference, though there are situations where it might. One is when going either side of neutral, that is significant.

The pH of the fish's blood is impacted by the pH of the water entering the cells, as it does continually. The fish has to work to maintain a constant pH in its blood, this is part of the physiological homeostasis, and the further the pH in the water is from the pH that nature intended for the species, or to which it has evolved over eons, the more energy it takes and it causes stress. The stress article will hopefully help here.

Byron.


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Byron said:


> That is a different species altogether. It needs a larger tank.


If i do pick these up they will be going into a 150 gallon tank. I will take some of my water down to the LFS to see if they will actually be compatable for the species.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Deadstroke174 said:


> If i do pick these up they will be going into a 150 gallon tank. I will take some of my water down to the LFS to see if they will actually be compatable for the species.


The so-called "Royal Farlowella" is a species of Sturisoma, most likely either _Sturisoma panamense_ or _S. aureum_. Neither are in our profiles (yet anyway). There are 17 species in this genus on Planet Catfish, here's the link to the photo ID page. You will find info on water in the descriptions. They may be different from species to species.
The genus Sturisoma

Byron.


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

*whiptail cats*

Well the point is mute due to the fact that I actually found some Whiptail cats at a LFS here in town. I found out that my water is much higher than i originally thought it was so as part of my weekly water changes I will be adding 28 gallons RO/DI water each week to slowly bring down the hardness so it doesn't kill my fish and plants.


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## hotshotdevil32 (Jan 30, 2010)

Very cool. I actually saw this in a pet store this weekend and had no idea what it was. now I know! thanks


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

The fish in the photos is Farlowella, not Whiptail (Rineloricaria), probably Farlowella vittata.


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

the pictures aren't very good but they look exactly like the once pictured here.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+1162+1881&pcatid=1881

Edit: as usual you are 100% right. Some look exactly like the whip tail but others look different...subtle difference but still differences


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Deadstroke174 said:


> the pictures aren't very good but they look exactly like the once pictured here.
> 
> Whiptail Cat


And that is a Farlowella. They say F. gracilis, and actually i had initially said the same, then I edited to change it to F. vittata. One rarely sees F. gracilis. But whichever species, it is Farlowella.

Common names are confusing; Whiptail usually gets used with the Rineloricaria species, and in our profile this is the name used. But i have seen Farlowella in local stores called "whiptail," but common names are not important since you cannot use them to accuratel ID any fish.


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## Deadstroke174 (Jan 16, 2012)

Byron said:


> And that is a Farlowella. They say F. gracilis, and actually i had initially said the same, then I edited to change it to F. vittata. One rarely sees F. gracilis. But whichever species, it is Farlowella.
> 
> Common names are confusing; Whiptail usually gets used with the Rineloricaria species, and in our profile this is the name used. But i have seen Farlowella in local stores called "whiptail," but common names are not important since you cannot use them to accuratel ID any fish.


Do you know much about them, I hope they are fit with the other fish i have.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Deadstroke174 said:


> Do you know much about them, I hope they are fit with the other fish i have.


No problem there, they do not bother anything. And I don't see any fish listed that would be likely to pick on them. They do need soft acidic water, though not excessively so. Check our profile, click on Farlowella vittata. I have spawned these, or rather the fish spawned, but I managed to raise a few fry.


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