Do different species of 'common' Otocinclus have different diets ?

[anewbie]

I believe there are over 20 species of otocinclus with some being less common or having special markings resulting in trade names like zebra otto or golden otto; however many are still sold as 'common' otto. I know they differ in size, temperature range and markings (mostly on tail); but does anyone know if they differ in diet ? I believe in usa Otocinclus vittatus tends to be the more often fish sold as otocinclus but i know i've received others in the past. So if you have studied this genus in detail and have information to share please do so.

 

[GaryE]

I haven't studied the fish in detail, but I'd like to support your line of questioning. I have a basic who knows what Ancistrus sp here that devours algae. Apparently, other species are less effective. I would assume the same is possible for Otocinclus species, although in general they would seem to be biofilm lovers who can also eat algae.

My daughter is keeping a Paraotocinclus and a Hisonotus sp, and her tank is astonishingly algae free compared to when I had Otocinclus vittatus.

As for people who have studied the Genus in detail - we've had two such riders attached to posts today. Almost every person I know who has studied any Genus in detail stays off forums or won't admit to studies because of the toxicity of internet culture. Why deal with the rudeness? Getting asked to reveal expertise online is like getting asked to stick your chin out in a boxing ring. You're just going to have to live with posters trying to sort things out with you, and if you want experts, get yourself into the specialist discussions on specialist sites.

 

[anewbie]

I have a couple of species of paraotocinclus - not sure they eat a lot of actual algae - of course even talking about algae is loaded since there are different types of algae some likely more edible than others.

As for 'expert sites' plantcatfish was probably the place but most of the 'experts' have been replaced with noise.

 

[GaryE]

I have a couple of species of paraotocinclus - not sure they eat a lot of actual algae - of course even talking about algae is loaded since there are different types of algae some likely more edible than others.

As for 'expert sites' plantcatfish was probably the place but most of the 'experts' have been replaced with noise.

Hmm. Don't dissect your fish for stomach content analysis!

I've talked a number of friends who are very experienced aquarists, as well as researchers, and they will have nothing to do with internet forums. it's a shame, because we really need better connections between science and hobbyists, but why would the people doing the work want to waste time debating with entitled people who come online looking for nothing but fights? So many people don't discuss, but take pleasure in tearing other people down, and keyboard warriors are a real problem in the hobby.

At the start of the internet, I had wonderful discussions and learned a lot from some of the leading researchers in the world of fish studies. That ended very quickly, soon after the word 'trolling' was coined.

And so, we depend on each other. A few people read the papers from those we used to be able to talk with, and share what they get. A few more have experience they'll share. A few pick fights and begrudge, but that's not gotten out of hand here. It's a decent forum with a lot of good members. With the current state of AI retrieved or created information, we're going to need each other more for a few years. AI as a tool for science, data and research has great possibilities, but in the hands of clickbait companies, it's poison right now.

 

[anewbie]

At the start of the internet, I had wonderful discussions and learned a lot from some of the leading researchers in the world of fish studies. That ended very quickly, soon after the word 'trolling' was coined.

The early days were good. It used to be mostly seniors and grad students/post docs then more and more undergrads got access and it went downhill but not a total disaster and then high school and that was the end.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

As for 'expert sites' plantcatfish was probably the place but most of the 'experts' have been replaced with noise.

I could not disagree more with the above. Here is the list of the most recent posts on the Planetcatfish forum:

Recent posts in the Forum

Dec 07, 01:49 Catfish Photography by HAMidtun in Speak Easy. 694602 views and 250 replies
Dec 06, 02:56 Akysis ID Confirmation by Martin S in What is my catfish?. 42 views and 0 replies
Dec 05, 06:36 All-Aquarium Catfish Convention 2026 Seattle, Washington by ErikDOlson in Speak Easy. 952 views and 6 replies
Dec 03, 21:31 New species in Endruweit (2025) by AlexGano in Taxonomy & Science News. 15821 views and 9 replies
Dec 02, 19:47 My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them? by Viktor Jarikov in Tank Talk. 2242679 views and 1804 replies
Dec 02, 05:36 About Cambeva paolence by Silurus in Taxonomy & Science News. 152 views and 0 replies
Dec 02, 05:21 New Cetopsorhamdia by Silurus in Taxonomy & Science News. 114 views and 0 replies
Dec 01, 20:31 The influence of basin fragmentation on the genetic structure of neotropical fishes by Silurus in Taxonomy & Science News. 143 views and 0 replies
Dec 01, 13:43 Trichomycterus suaitaensis new species by bekateen in Taxonomy & Science News. 142 views and 0 replies
Nov 28, 05:24 My Cats by Martin S in Bugs. 1036 views and 6 replies
Nov 26, 17:48 Lf:batrochoglanis species by Catfish_guy123 in Wanted (USA & Canada). 518 views and 0 replies
Nov 26, 16:31 The catfish distributions sticky by Silurus in Taxonomy & Science News. 408801 views and 101 replies
Nov 26, 09:17 Mystus bimaculatus by kiwidu21 in Asian Catfishes. 1073 views and 7 replies
Nov 25, 03:02 New Glyptothorax by Silurus in Taxonomy & Science News. 481 views and 0 replies
Nov 24, 11:36 Meet Chewy by Jools in S.A. Catfishes (Loricariidae - Plecos et al). 49036 views and 46 replies
Nov 23, 09:38 Eremophilus mutisii recovered in a Colombian wetland reserve by bekateen in Taxonomy & Science News. 610 views and 0 replies

 

[GaryE]

That doesn't look like noise to me, @TwoTankAmin . I'm not enough of a catfish keeper to have ever used their forums, but that looks like seriously interesting fish talk. There be good nerds out there!

The hobby makes for intriguing people watching, and there are all these interesting subsets of people who've chosen to develop expertise. I like this general forum because there's much to be learned from people with wide interests I may not have bought into, For example, I don't like loaches and don't get excited about Loracarids. My daughter loves Loracarid catfish. I think there's always a place for us to ask questions if we can find one where there's mutual respect.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

What does not show on that list of posts is how many of the people making them are PhDs with degrees relating to our hobby. For example, bekateen is one such person. I met him at one of the Catfish conventions where he was one of the speakers. He organized the research which identified the cause of self- poisoning in corys in a Master's thesis.
www.proquest.com/openview/fb9ee00999e0f30d0f5660067e71f94d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Currently, Eric is an associate professor of Biology, co-chair and director of graduate studies for the Biological Sciences Department at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Eric’s research is split between reproductive pheromone production Hymenochirus frogs and self-poisoning in Corydoras catfishes, and recently he’s started studying Microglanis bumblebee catfishes in Peru.\

There are more folks like him i the list I posted. Plantetcatfish is one of the very few fish related forums where there are a numbeer of PhDs posting as well as a few internationally know researchers who have the experience but not the formal credentials.

 

[anewbie]

What does not show on that list of posts is how many of the people making them are PhDs with degrees relating to our hobby. For example, bekateen is one such person. I met him at one of the Catfish conventions where he was one of the speakers. He organized the research which identified the cause of self- poisoning in corys in a Master's thesis.
www.proquest.com/openview/fb9ee00999e0f30d0f5660067e71f94d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y



There are more folks like him i the list I posted. Plantetcatfish is one of the very few fish related forums where there are a numbeer of PhDs posting as well as a few internationally know researchers who have the experience but not the formal credentials.

Wrong thread for this debate but i will note that of the threads you posted above i read one of them and it was pure non-sense over information that was known 30 years ago. I'll let you guess which one.