Is My Twig Catfish Okay?

[Matt Winter]

I've had him for months - I'm not sure, but I'd guess more than 6 now. He's alive, certainly, and uninjured, but I've never once seen him eat anything. I have absolutely no visble algae anymore, which I credit to him. (her?) I've seen sticky rubbing along my plants, drift wood and glass, and I saw him poop once, so I guess he is eating, but wafers, flakes, granules - I've never seen him even respond to. Sometimes I try to overfeed just to make sure I'll grow some algae. Should I just assume he's alright? I've grown kind of fond of him - his lack of character is almost like character. So I want to make sure he prospers.

 

[Bloo]

They are very shy creatures indeed and you wont often catch them eating. I don't currently have any but kept quite a few. I've never seen mine clean algae off the tank wall, so not sure you can really give the twig full credit for that. Try different wafers perhaps for a bit of variety. Mine loved the Hikari sinking wafers (the small ones) and the Hikari Algae Wafers (the larger ones)
(Ps: overfeeding won't grow algae - it will only pollute your water creating a very unhealthy environment and grow planaria if anything. So best don't overfeed)

Here's a pic of one of mine that shared a wafer (very kindly) with all his friends).

 

[dwarfgourami]

You sure that's not a picture of your mutant killer farlowella, bloo, munching his way through a tankful of corydoras?

 

[Bloo]

now that you mention it .....

 

[Matt Winter]

I do drop the larger hikari wafers in from time to time, but I've just been assuming the other fish got to them first. As he's alive and healthyish looking, I guess I'll just accept that he's a secret eater.

Thanks.