Oto

[Auratus]

Common name: Oto, Otto, Otocinclus

Scientific name: Otocinclus affinis

Origin: South America

Family: Loricariidae

Maximum size: 2 inches

Care:Needs a tank of 10 gallons minimum. Keep at temperatures of 75-79f. A peaceful community fish. An ideal algae eater for small aquariums. This catfish likes to be in groups of three or more. A nice feature about this catfish is that it is not as shy as most species. It can often be found stuck to the sides of the tank or grazing rocks and leaves during the day. Do provide a few hiding places just in case this fish feels like a little privacy. A dark colored substrate makes this cat feel more comfortable.

Feeding: Algae wafers as well as some vegetables. Loves brown algae and driftwood.

Sexing: Females are larger and rounder then males. Males have slightly longer fins which aren't really noticable at first glance.

Breeding: You need quite a few otos to get them "in the mood". They will lay eggs on rocks and leaves. Keep the water slightly softer to encourage breeding.

Comment: Be very careful when aclimating this fish and carefully monitor it's care the first 2-3 weeks. Many people have a hard time aclimating the otos and getting them to eat.

 

[Griz]

I see a lot of questions regarding what a healthy oto should look like. I'm not sure where this saying came from but "a chubby oto is a healthy oto" is often heard and IMO true. Here's a picture of one of mine.

 

[AMS]

Otos available to most US hobbyists are more likely to be Otocinclus sp. rather than Affinis (not sure about England though) , but with the exception of Otocinclus cocama all oto species share the same care requirements.

 

[steelhealr]

Apparently there ARE multiple species of ottos out there including O. affinis, O. vittatus, O. vestitus. One helpful way of discerning the difference is that O. affinus reportedly has a more prominant spot on the caudal peduncle. This appears to be the case in the photo supplied by Auratus. SH

 

[nmonks]

It's also worth mentioning that these are not perfect community fish. They have been reliably reported to be parasites on a variety of large, slow-moving fish. These have certainly included angelfish and discus, and I'd imagine gouramis too. I had to separate a trio of Otocinclus from my candy stripe goby, Awaous flavus because of this. The catfish were scraping at the skin, feeding on mucous and the blood seeping out of the wounds. This isn't supposition: I saw them doing it.

I'd suspect that these fish are perfectly safe with small, fast-moving fish, such as tetras. They are known to coexist with small puffers, too.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[ITJ]

Fantastic little fish with lots of character, highly recommended.

Being relatively content to stay still for a while they are also great to practice aquarium photography!

Keep them with fast swimmers if you are worried about the comments above...

Mod. Comment: Very nice pix. Added for clarity.

 

[catxx]

Otocinclus Vestitus.
smaller than my other otos, no white line above black line

Otocinclus Vittatus
note white line above the black line

according to planetcatfish.com, the o.affinis has no distinct black line at all and is bronze coloured.

 

[Liam]

Otocinclus cocama, seems similar to affinis and other ottos, a little bigger, often called Zebra otto.

 

[xtraman122]

Here's my 3 in a group shot.

 

[Daveyg1969]

Otocinclus cocama, seems similar to affinis and other ottos, a little bigger, often called Zebra otto.
View attachment 42013

Hey nice Oto.
I find Oto's in general can be a bit tricky/shy, but seem to love cucumber hidden in plants held by a lettuce clip, as they can feed in peace.