Banjo Catfish?

Olympia

I saw my LFS has these and I love them. Looking on google.
Do these things ever come out of hiding? I'd love one for my 20 gallon, if I could see it at least sometimes :D

1077

You will likely never see the fish which hide while light's are on .
For 20 gal,, I might look at LDA25 pleco.They are much smaller ,a little larger than otocinclus, and way more active in groups of five or more.
Perhaps local fish store could order some or search Aquabid.
Whiptail Catfish (Farlowella) is another fish that could work in my opinion.

Olympia

Thanks, I like the look of both species, and they are suitable in my water! I'll have to look next time I go to the store, can't order online.
Would the whiptail be fine on it's own or do they like company? It says they are very peaceful on Seriously Fish, they won't eat my tylo snails right? Also, what's a surefire way to identify them? I don't want to come home with something that'll grow huge.

1077

Whiptail would be fine on it's own and is harmelss .
Am not aware of any of them that get over seven inches.
Print off a photo of the fish before you go shopping if you like, but elongated snout and body make this fish pretty easily indentified.

Olympia

Alright I'll bring in a photo. My pet smart sells "Twig Catfish" so I'm guessing that's what they are.
Is this a sensitive species?
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1077

Not too sensitive in established tanks,but not perhaps good for newer tanks without ANY algae,or microfauna,biofilm.

Olympia

Would it be fine to just supplement with algae wafers?
It'll be planted so there should be some algae and stuff pretty soon.
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1077

Algae wafer's,spirulina pellet's, New life spectrum pellet's would all work.

Byron

We're talking about two very different fish here, so be careful Olympia.

The Twig Catfish is likely Farlowella vitatta. The Whiptail Catfish may be Rineloricaria parva. Both are in our profiles with photos, click the shaded names.

Another danger concerns both of these common names, which can be applied to various species that are themselves very different. The two in our profiles are the smaller species and suited to a 20g. But the others, such as Royal Farlowella and Royal Whiptail and various other names get much too large for a 20g.

Also, note the water parameters. The Whiptail is fine is slightly acidic to slightly basic, and I suspect this is the fish 1077 had in mind. The Twig is wild caught and must have soft acidic water or it will not last. I have both of these, and have raised some fry even from my Farlowella and they are now adults. One of my favourite fish, but highly sensitive to water parameters and quality.

Byron.

Olympia

Thanks for the clarification, I've been searching like mad online and it seems like the two are used interchangeably. It doesn't help that there's tons of species grouped under the common names. I was suspecting Rineloricaria was the one I should be after. In any case, I'll try to post a photo before buying anything. I'm going to wait a few months after cycling to help establish the tank better.
I want the whiptail I'm guessing, my pH is 7.2 and my hardness is around 13dH.
I'll check my LFS for whiptails or bulldog pleco.
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