Farlowella Catfish

Your Farlowella is primarily an algae eater. But don't depend on it eating nothing but algae. In fact, many Farlowellas don't make it in the novice tank if not fed a proper diet. Try feeding your Farlowella at night, as they tend to be shy and they do not compete with other fish for the food. Offer your Farlowella peas, a slice of cucumber or zuchinni, lettuce, spinach or
algae wafers.

You can buy a littleveggie clip at your local fish shop that you can clip the veggies to and the attach to the inside of the tank with a suction cup.

Farlowellas will sometimes eat the flake food that reaches the bottom and some frozen foods such as bloodworms. But this is not the best diet for them. Remember to not leave uneaten food in your tank as it will spoil and mess us your water chemical balance.


Your tank should have some
natural driftwood in it, as the Farlowella will "graze" upon the wood to help with it's digestion. Having some live plants will be beneficial as well. Farlowellas like some water movement in tank. Do not get a Farlowella for tanks less than 30 gallons.

These fish are sensitive to water conditions and do not do well with large and sudden water changes. A well filtered and mature tank is necessary to successfully keep this type of fish. They prefer a pH of 7 9neutral) or as close as you can get to that and a water temperature between 72 to 78 degrees F.

Here is my Farlowella "hanging around" on the back wall of the tank:

Farlowella and Bristlenose Pleco sharing a spot on the driftwood:

Buy a Farlowella Catfish:

Royal Farlowella

Intro image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons