Twig Cat

[ghent_3rd]

I seen these again in one of my LFS the otehr day and reckon they look pretty cool and different. I know they are not that active but I am considering getting 4 or 5 as I don't think they will put a great strain on the filter.

Anybody else kept these and what are they like in the tank?

 

[Bloo]

Yes, the are indeed very interesting fish But in my experience need a "gentle" tank with peaceful tank mates. And also an established mature tank as they seem to be fairly sensitive. They also need a variety of things to "hang from" such as very high bogwood, amazon sword plants etc.

And a heater guard above anything is a must in the tank. As they like to hang from long slender things, heaters seem to be a hot favourite - pun intended

They're not massive waste producers and enjoy a varied diet - algae wafers included. They often "play dead" are will never move out of the way when doing a gravel vac or tank clean. Their long thin bodied make it very akward for them to swim fast, so take care not to startle them when working in the tank. They can take off at speed, but then swim into things in their bid for escape.

But cool fish they are indeed B)

 

[ghent_3rd]

Sounds like just the sort of thing I am looking for really. My bogwood actually reaches out the top of the water in my tank so no probs there really!!

I am running the Juwel Rio aquarium so the heater is already covered up, well out the way.

Thanks for your reply bloozoo, it was between either the Twig or the Oto for my tank but think I have made my mind up.

 

[Bloo]

Sounds great But I'd say start off with two and see how it goes - before jumping right in and getting 4 or 5. And just make sure whichever tank you put them in, is well established. Post some pics if you get some !

 

[ghent_3rd]

No probs, I am waiting very patiently before putting any fish into my new tank as I want everything to be perfect!!! I have got a bit of an issue with my Amazon Swords at the minute so want to get that sorted before adding any fish and the first new fish going in will be a bulldog plec.

The twig cats are new on my wish list so I won't be purchasing those until at least 3 or 4 months.

I'll keep updating with pics in my journal nut not a lot has changed in the last week anyway.

 

[dwarfgourami]

No experience, but Ulrich Schliewen (Tropical Freshwater A-Z) claims that if you keep more than one male they will compete for food and the loser won't get enough.

 

[Bloo]

I think the solution would be to just feed enough algae tablet at a time. They seem to latch onto a tablet and won't let go for hours. They really enjoy the Hikari Sinking Wafers, but I do realise it's now become quite hard to find in the UK.

Males and females are quite easy to distinguish from each other. Males have fine hairs on their rostrum (nose) and females do not. Quite easy to see in this photo (male above, female below).

 

[ghent_3rd]

Cool. Thanks for that both of you, some good information there. The problem with Hikari must have p£$%ed off quite a few fishkeepers including myself!! I made sure that I stocked up on my favourite foods a few weeks ago. I have heard that they are getting the situation sorted soon though.