Question about my Twig Catfish

[chipper]

I recentley got one twig catfish and added one "Omega One" veggie round to the tank, he doenst seem to be interested in it what so ever and is just on his merry way sucking the walls of the tank. It's not sitting at the bottom uneaten. I also clipped a tiny piece of cucumber to the tank and he isnt munching on that either. Is there something Im doing wrong or is there something I might be missing in terms of their feeding habits? Thanks for any help/suggestions

 

[monkey_toes]

Twig catfish are rarely bred commercially, so your fish is likely wild-caught. It will take him some time to acclimate to aquarium food. For now, he's eating what he always ate — live algae growing on solid surfaces. If he eats all or almost all of that, when he gets hungry he'll likely be more willing to experiment with his diet and try the foods you're offering. You should be aware, though, that some wild-caught loricariids will starve themselves rather than adapt to any foods besides algae. It's one of the reasons so many people have problems with otocinclus. Ideally, you would keep him supplied with living algae.

 

[chipper]

Wow, thanks for the information very helpful
I am wondering how to keep live algae in the tank, I guess by just having other fish living in the tank and the food they use etc.?

Thanks so much for letting me know about that, I am surprised no one mentioned it and didnt read about it in the "information articles" etc. But now I know and I'll do my best to keep live algae in the tank

 

[plecoperson]

I've heard of people making a vegetable puree (peas etc), smearing it on a rock, letting it dry and then putting it in the tank. Perhaps more what he's used to. Maybe arrange it vertically in the tank, since they seem to prefer it in that direction.

I love these fish but I don't feel nearly experienced enough not to kill one yet-- :sad:

 

[monkey_toes]

I've occasionally gone so far as to keep pieces of slate in a container of water outside and switching out the rocks into the tank to keep a constant supply of algae in the aquarium.

 

[chipper]

Great Ideas guys I am going to get my 5 gallon tank prepped to put rocks into it.
I noticed that it's gotten to the pellet a bit and theres a little hole in the cucumber so that's good news Lets just hope he likes it from now on and goes back to them to eat all of it up.

I'll keep updating if anything good or bad happens. But Im sure it'll all be good

 

[Wet Coaster]

Forget the Omega One "Veggie Rounds"....despite the container stating "For All Freshwater and Saltwater Herbivores", that food is FAR, FAR from an all-vegetable food. And Farowella cats are 100% herbivores, as was mentioned. They eat only algae. Do not feed it animal products. A herbivore's digestive system cannot handle animal matter...that will cause it stress. Stress causes disease.

Look at the ingredients list on your Veggie Rounds package. Note the main ingredients....in order they are:

Kelp
Spirulina
Whole Salmon
Cod
Whole Herring
Krill
Rockfish
Squid
Clams
Salmon Eggs
Octopus

Add to that list, the omega 3 & 6 fatty acids (which come from fish), and the high fat content (also indicative of high animal content), and it's plain that this food is grossly mislabelled as "Veggie". Seems to be a common thing. You have to check the ingredients.

Maybe try a wafer with much more vegetable content. Perhaps Aquarian or Wardley? Or make those veggie mash painted rocks, as suggested by an earlier poster.

Species info: http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/606.htm

 

[mrgrudge]

It took months before my Pleco started eating the vegetables I gave it every night. Now the zuchinni is totally devoured by morning.