# stick catfish



## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

Hello everyone!
I got a stick catfish and its not really eating ... aside from constantly cleaning my plants windows and wood he wont touch any food!
he looks healthy tho should I try something different?
Im giving my fish zucchini ,frozen/live brine shrimps, peas, cobalt spirulina flakes , carrot peelings and thats it I think hehe
I have black ruby barbs and zebra danios with him
26 g planted tank


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
have a look in the profiles for the twig catfish,Byron wrote a profile on it,
it may help you with some questions,
hope you find what you need.


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## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

right but hes not eating nothing 
my black rubys dosent give him time hehe


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hi
perhaps he's scavenging through the night ?
i wondered about my striped catfish,i never see them,but when i caught them
for the tank shut down,they were a right pair of fatties,so they're eating something.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

It's probably finding sufficient natural foods. This fish will browse every surface in the aquarium, eating algae (common or diatoms) and tidbits of microscopic food in biofilms. Only when it can't find sufficient "live" food will it look to prepared fish foods. 

I can't remember precisely, but my original trio took a while before they appeared when sinking foods (tablet, stick, pellet, disk) were fed. I had other substrate fish (corys then) so I fed these foods regularly and eventually noticed the Farlowella eating them. Now they expect them; I always tap gently on the tank frame when I feed, and now within a few minutes of this the Farlowella trio will charge to the front open space where they know the food will be.

Byron.


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## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

thx il try the tapping trick! i always see my stick catfish hehe its always stuck on my wood and cleaning plants and the windows hehe
he even seems me putting food in the aquarium he just dosent care hehe
I saw him once after a peice of zucchini but it dident last long!
I guess im worried for nothing since there is sadly plenty of algae to feed off in my aquarium hehe
my anubias are full on it ! hehe


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Maxillius said:


> thx il try the tapping trick! i always see my stick catfish hehe its always stuck on my wood and cleaning plants and the windows hehe
> he even seems me putting food in the aquarium he just dosent care hehe
> I saw him once after a peice of zucchini but it dident last long!
> I guess im worried for nothing since there is sadly plenty of algae to feed off in my aquarium hehe
> my anubias are full on it ! hehe


They won't touch brush or beard algae though, and I suspect that is what ytou have on the Anubias. This plant attracts brush algae if it is in direct light; shade it with overhanging plants or floating plants and the algae will not usually increase. Anubias is a true shade plant.

Farlowella, like otos, bristlenose, etc. don't touch the "difficult" algae unfortunately.:-(


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## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

well then now i see why thats al i got for algae hehe
he sadly had ich and finrot when i got him but i got him back on track put it in my tank when he was healthy and i saw him poop so i guess hes eating something! Like right now my lights are closed and hes going all over the windows
during the day he tends to stay under plants or on my peice of wood.
il try and buy wafers for him and put them in when its dark I suposed its a night active fish? since mine is really only active when lights close
ever saw one swimming upside down? hehe its so funny! =P


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Maxillius said:


> well then now i see why thats al i got for algae hehe
> he sadly had ich and finrot when i got him but i got him back on track put it in my tank when he was healthy and i saw him poop so i guess hes eating something! Like right now my lights are closed and hes going all over the windows
> during the day he tends to stay under plants or on my peice of wood.
> il try and buy wafers for him and put them in when its dark I suposed its a night active fish? since mine is really only active when lights close
> ever saw one swimming upside down? hehe its so funny! =P


I have read that this is primarily a nocturnal fish, but mine are quite active during some days too. But dropping in sinking foods after the lights are out would be OK. Always drop them in the same area, to get the fish used to feeding there. That way you'll have a better chance to observe later and get it used to day feeding too.


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## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

good idea! il do that! I just hope my black rubys are gona leave something for him ... lol


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Maxillius said:


> good idea! il do that! I just hope my black rubys are gona leave something for him ... lol


Waiting an hour or more after complete darkness works, as the upper fish will not be active in total darkness.


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## Maxillius (Sep 27, 2011)

Byron said:


> Waiting an hour or more after complete darkness works, as the upper fish will not be active in total darkness.


il giva it a try tomorrow!


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