Farlowella

[nickmcmechan]

Hi,

Picked up a Farlowella at the weekend, seems like a very peaceful community fish and has settled in well to tank.

Anybody got any basic info on these, like, do they move???

[Malefic23]

He's a kind of pleco, so he's going to be noctournal. Algae wafer, occasional shrimp pellets, and fresh veggies will be appreciated. They don't look to hide and cave as much as some pleco species, but driftwood and a hiding place is a good idea. Water temp in the high seventies, low eighties, good water movement and oxygenation... planetcatfish might have a little more. I think rbishop had some lay eggs in his tank.. He should be able to chime in with more.

[severum mama]

Anybody got any basic info on these, like, do they move???
Yeah, they move... sometimes!!! I had one for almost 4 years (just lost him a couple months ago) and he was one of my favorite fish. I actually preferred him to my plecos because he was out all day during the day, usually with his mouth plastered to the glass, front and center in the tank. Watch your plants. Mine used to chew holes in my plants, but I decided to just live with it because he was so cool. Don't net the fish, if at all possible- I know it's probably too late for that since you already got your fish, but just wanted to bring that up in case you ever have to move him. The farlowella is so skinny that it is a fragile fish, IMO, plus the serrated-looking parts on its "nose" can easily get caught in a net. I used to move mine by simply picking it up with my bare hand. Mine was so lazy it was an easy grab! My farlowella, Stretch, ended up growing to just over 7 inches. I kept my tank at 78 and he did fine. Oh, and I see you're from Scotland- as a product of the American education system, no I do not know what that is in Celsius!:)

Good luck with your farlowella, and I hope you like yours as much as I liked mine!

[nickmcmechan]

guys, thanks for the replies...yeah i really like him, in all honesty should have done more research before getting, buy i've landed lucky with the conditions

was worried because haven't seen him eat, but been chucking algae wafers at him before nighttime

thanks for the net advice, i'll watch that one for him