Large Ottos At Lfs

[mattlee]

went on a trip to the lfs today and while looking at the ottos i saw in the next tank a fish labelled as an otto but it was a sandy/beige colour with brown instead of grey/black and was much larger, max 7/8cm. they both looked the same except for the colour and size but ive never seen or heard or these before.
can anyone advise me on these? are they ottos?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

IIRC, there are many different color variations of ottos. 7cm isn't THAT ridiculous for an otto. I'd guess they are ottos.

 

[chunky monkey]

siamese algae eater?

 

[loraxchick]

flying fox id guess..

 

[mattlee]

defo none of the mentioned above. it was labelled as a giant otto. just googled it and there seems to be some confusion as to what it actually is. 100% not a flying fox or sae

 

[mattlee]

HYPOPTOPOMA SP. i think it was one of these..... not 100% though!

 

[dave_oddballs]

there is an otocinclus sp. that is a mottled beige colour, and if i remember correctly that particular sp. do get to about 2 inch or so, that would be the best guess
try searching for Otocinclus flexilis, i think these are the sandy/brown coloured ones.

Dave

 

[mattlee]

there is an otocinclus sp. that is a mottled beige colour, and if i remember correctly that particular sp. do get to about 2 inch or so, that would be the best guess
try searching for Otocinclus flexilis, i think these are the sandy/brown coloured ones.

Dave

looked very similar to these dave, could well be this fish. just been on google and found the HYPOPTOPOMA SP. it was one of the 2...... i might get 2/3 £3 each i think

 

[nmonks]

Have a look at species of Parotocinclus; these are fairly common in the trade, and Parotocinclus jumbo in particular is very widely traded in the UK. It's a great aquarium fish, and an order of magnitude better than Otocinclus when it comes to maintenance.

Cheers, Neale

 

[mattlee]

Have a look at species of Parotocinclus; these are fairly common in the trade, and Parotocinclus jumbo in particular is very widely traded in the UK. It's a great aquarium fish, and an order of magnitude better than Otocinclus when it comes to maintenance.

Cheers, Neale

hhmmmmmm, now im confused! it could be - Parotocinclus jumbo, Otocinclus flexilis or HYPOPTOPOMA SP.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway are these good fish to keep? bearing in mind it could be 1 of 3!

 

[nmonks]

Maintenance of all three mentioned catfish is the same, the only real difference being Parotocinclus spp. are (relatively) hardy, while the other two general are somewhat to very delicate, depending on the species.

Cool to middling temperatures (no more than 25 C for most species) water with lots of oxygen, abundant current, and abundant algae (or substitutes) is important. Parotocinclus spp. are associated with sandy habitats, so a sandy substrate will get the best from them. Hypoptopoma and Otocinclus prefer plants and rocks, and generally don't spend much time on the substrate.

Keep in groups of five or more. Otocinclus at least can be "parasitic", scraping the mucous from slow-moving fish, so choose tankmates with care. My specimens did some serious damage to an Awaous goby.

Parotocinclus jumbo is a superb fish, and a nice alternative to Corydoras. Not really an "algae cleaner" so don't buy assuming it will fulfil that role; it's more like a whiptail catfish, sifting sand for algae and small invertebrates.

Cheers, Neale

 

[reeeedfish]

There is a spieces of giant "otto". I isn't a true otto but needs the same requirments and a bigger living space.