Blub
- #1
Otocinclus Catfish
(Otocinclus vittatus)
Common names: Otocinclus catfish, Oto, LDA23, Dwarf suckermouth cafish, Dwarf sucker.
Size: 3.5-5cm
pH: 5.5 – 7.5
Tempº: 21ºC - 26ºC (69 F - 78 F)
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Brazil.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: This charming little fish is a fantastic community fish. There are about a dozen very similar species of Otocinclus available in the aquarium trade – but to be honest it doesn’t really matter if you have O.vittatus, O.mariae, O.macrospilus, O.vestitus or any of the other Oto species as they are almost identical in both aesthetics and care! However, since this profile is about O.vittatus, the information on origin and LDA number is different for other Oto species, but the general care is the same. Otos are schooling fish which really appreciate the company of a large group, which is not a problem as they are very small, thus they have a low bioload and they eat lots of algae. They are the perfect addition to a planed tank as they will gobble down algae on plant leaves and on the tank walls. This species is an ideal tankmate for small tetras, rasboras, peaceful barbs, danios, corys, shrimp and livebearers and won’t bother other fish in the community. However, care should be taken not to house them with fish that might eat them! This fish is often starved at the fish store, as they are often said to just eat algae when in reality it is a good idea to give them other foods as well, such as vegetables or bottom feeder pellets because, quite frankly, they will quickly eat the algae and have no food left. Because they are often starved at the store, they often arrive home very hungry and weakened. It is therefore a good idea to keep them in a small quarantine tank and fed on fish flake, bottom feeder pellets/wafers and frozen bloodworms (sparingly) for a few weeks before they are introduced to their final home. This is the ensure that they are strong and healthy before being unleashed onto the chaos of community life. A word of warning on the filter: make sure that an unsuspecting oto can’t be sucked into it as this has been the end of many an oto.
Left Image: O.mariae - an almost identical species to O.vittatus in both looks and care.
Right Image: O.macrospilus - another species that is pretty much a clone of O.vittatus in aesthetics and maintenance.
Zebra Otocinclus Catfish
(Otocinclus cocama)
Common names: Zebra otocinclus catfish, Zebra oto.
Size: 3.5-4.5cm
pH: 6.0 – 7.5
Tempº: 21ºC - 25ºC
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Peru.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: The Zebra Oto has only been part of the aquarium trade since the new millennia, but it has already made quite an impact with it’s fantastic looks. Even better, it is just as peaceful and fun to watch as any other Otocinclus species, not to mention it’s trademark Otocinclus algae eating quality’s. As with other otos, the Zebra oto is a schooling species so be sure to keep it in groups of at least 3 – although 6 is better. They enjoy a planted tank, where their algae eating qualities will be greatly appreciated!
Image: Zebra Otos are truly fantastic looking fish!
Peppered Otocinclus Catfish
(Otocinclus flexilis)
Common names: Peppered otocinclus catfish, Peppered oto.
Size: 5.5-6cm
pH: 5.0 – 8.5
Tempº: 20ºC - 27ºC
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Brazil.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: This unusual Oto is a bit larger than your average Oto but just as friendly. In the wild, they imitate the similarly patterned Peppered cory (Corydoras paleatus), swimming around with them, going to gulp for air when they do, and in turn the corys behave in a similar way – even trying to breed with Peppered otos on occasions! The otos do this because of their lack of natural defense – and the peppered cory has poisonous spines! This evidently helps protect the Peppered oto from predators – as in a mixed school of Peppered otos and corys predators are going to have a hard time picking out a fish that isn’t poisonous! It is unclear what the corys get out of this, but obviously there are more eyes and more bodys to hide amongst if predators do show up. In the aquarium, Peppered otos and Peppered corys will scool together, and whilst Peppered otos can be kept without their cory counterparts it is a far more outgoing and active species when the corys are around. Indeed they can become fairly shy if not kept with the corys. For this reason it is recommended that you have at least 5 peppered otos and 5 peppered corys in the tank. They are less reliant on plants than other species of Otocinclus, but plants are a good addition to their tank even so. They should eat vegetables (cucumber goes down well) and bottom feeder pellets/wafers.
(Otocinclus vittatus)
Common names: Otocinclus catfish, Oto, LDA23, Dwarf suckermouth cafish, Dwarf sucker.
Size: 3.5-5cm
pH: 5.5 – 7.5
Tempº: 21ºC - 26ºC (69 F - 78 F)
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Brazil.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: This charming little fish is a fantastic community fish. There are about a dozen very similar species of Otocinclus available in the aquarium trade – but to be honest it doesn’t really matter if you have O.vittatus, O.mariae, O.macrospilus, O.vestitus or any of the other Oto species as they are almost identical in both aesthetics and care! However, since this profile is about O.vittatus, the information on origin and LDA number is different for other Oto species, but the general care is the same. Otos are schooling fish which really appreciate the company of a large group, which is not a problem as they are very small, thus they have a low bioload and they eat lots of algae. They are the perfect addition to a planed tank as they will gobble down algae on plant leaves and on the tank walls. This species is an ideal tankmate for small tetras, rasboras, peaceful barbs, danios, corys, shrimp and livebearers and won’t bother other fish in the community. However, care should be taken not to house them with fish that might eat them! This fish is often starved at the fish store, as they are often said to just eat algae when in reality it is a good idea to give them other foods as well, such as vegetables or bottom feeder pellets because, quite frankly, they will quickly eat the algae and have no food left. Because they are often starved at the store, they often arrive home very hungry and weakened. It is therefore a good idea to keep them in a small quarantine tank and fed on fish flake, bottom feeder pellets/wafers and frozen bloodworms (sparingly) for a few weeks before they are introduced to their final home. This is the ensure that they are strong and healthy before being unleashed onto the chaos of community life. A word of warning on the filter: make sure that an unsuspecting oto can’t be sucked into it as this has been the end of many an oto.
Left Image: O.mariae - an almost identical species to O.vittatus in both looks and care.
Right Image: O.macrospilus - another species that is pretty much a clone of O.vittatus in aesthetics and maintenance.
Zebra Otocinclus Catfish
(Otocinclus cocama)
Common names: Zebra otocinclus catfish, Zebra oto.
Size: 3.5-4.5cm
pH: 6.0 – 7.5
Tempº: 21ºC - 25ºC
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Peru.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: The Zebra Oto has only been part of the aquarium trade since the new millennia, but it has already made quite an impact with it’s fantastic looks. Even better, it is just as peaceful and fun to watch as any other Otocinclus species, not to mention it’s trademark Otocinclus algae eating quality’s. As with other otos, the Zebra oto is a schooling species so be sure to keep it in groups of at least 3 – although 6 is better. They enjoy a planted tank, where their algae eating qualities will be greatly appreciated!
Image: Zebra Otos are truly fantastic looking fish!
Peppered Otocinclus Catfish
(Otocinclus flexilis)
Common names: Peppered otocinclus catfish, Peppered oto.
Size: 5.5-6cm
pH: 5.0 – 8.5
Tempº: 20ºC - 27ºC
Tank region: Bottom layer
Origin: Brazil.
Gender: Difficult to determine, although adult Females are larger.
Notes: This unusual Oto is a bit larger than your average Oto but just as friendly. In the wild, they imitate the similarly patterned Peppered cory (Corydoras paleatus), swimming around with them, going to gulp for air when they do, and in turn the corys behave in a similar way – even trying to breed with Peppered otos on occasions! The otos do this because of their lack of natural defense – and the peppered cory has poisonous spines! This evidently helps protect the Peppered oto from predators – as in a mixed school of Peppered otos and corys predators are going to have a hard time picking out a fish that isn’t poisonous! It is unclear what the corys get out of this, but obviously there are more eyes and more bodys to hide amongst if predators do show up. In the aquarium, Peppered otos and Peppered corys will scool together, and whilst Peppered otos can be kept without their cory counterparts it is a far more outgoing and active species when the corys are around. Indeed they can become fairly shy if not kept with the corys. For this reason it is recommended that you have at least 5 peppered otos and 5 peppered corys in the tank. They are less reliant on plants than other species of Otocinclus, but plants are a good addition to their tank even so. They should eat vegetables (cucumber goes down well) and bottom feeder pellets/wafers.