Otocinclus Catfish

Name: Otocinclus Catfish
Brand: Brooklands
SKU: TG87
Price: 23.95 NZD
Availability: InStock

SKU TG87

$23.95

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Otocinclus Catfish

Product Details

Otocinclus Catfish / "Oto" Catfish (Otocinclus vittatus / O. macrospilus)

NOT AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING - In-store Only

Overview: The Otocinclus Catfish (affectionately known as the Oto) is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the natural algae-cleanup crew. They are sleek, miniature catfish featuring a cream-colored belly and a dark, mottled grey-to-brown back, divided by a distinct jet-black horizontal stripe running from snout to tail. They possess a highly efficient, specialized downturned sucker-mouth that acts like a microscopic vacuum cleaner, allowing them to effortlessly scrape flat surfaces clean without ever damaging delicate live plants.

Origins: They are native to the highly oxygenated, fast-flowing river basins, creeks, and streams of South America, primarily across the Amazon, Paraguay, and Orinoco river systems. They naturally live in massive schools numbering in the thousands, clinging to broad leaves and river rocks where natural sunlight creates a non-stop buffet of fresh biofilm.

Personality: Otos are exceptionally peaceful, gentle, and hyper-focused. They have absolutely zero aggression in their bodies and will completely ignore every other resident in the tank. They spend 100% of their waking hours working, hopping methodically from leaf to leaf, scraping the glass, or vacuuming decorations.

Care Level: Intermediate (They are highly sensitive to water quality and can easily starve in pristine tanks)
Temperament: 100% Peaceful (Entirely safe for fish, dwarf shrimp, and shyer species)
Diet: Strict Herbivore / Algae Eater (They consume incredible amounts of soft green algae, brown diatoms, and natural biofilm. They do not eat hair algae, black beard algae, or fish waste).
Max Size: 4 – 5 cm (Beautifully compact)
Family: Loricariidae
Tank Size: 40 – 50 Litres minimum for a small group.
Temperature: 22°C – 26°C
pH: 6.0 – 7.5 (Prefers clean, stable, slightly acidic to neutral water)
Should be kept in groups? Yes, strictly. They are highly social shoaling fish. You must keep them in a group of at least 3 to 4 (6+ is highly recommended). If kept alone, they become paralyzed by stress and will hide constantly.

⚠️ The Golden Rules for Otocinclus Success:

While Otos are fantastic, they have a notoriously high mortality rate during the first few weeks in a new home. To make sure yours thrive, you must follow these critical guidelines:

1. Never Add to a Brand-New Tank: Otos should only be added to a mature, well-established aquarium (at least 2–3 months old) that has plenty of live plants and a steady, visible growth of natural green algae and biofilm. In a brand-new, sterile tank, they will quickly clean up the initial film and tragically starve to death within days.

2. Supplemental Feeding is Mandatory: Do not assume they can live entirely off what naturally grows in the tank. You must regularly feed them high-quality sinking spirulina/algae wafers and fresh blanched vegetables (zucchini, cucumber, or spinach sliced open and weighted down to the bottom). Leave the veggies in the tank for 24 hours so they have time to graze.

3. The "Plump Belly" Check: When buying Otos from a shop, look closely at their bellies. A healthy Otocinclus should look like it swallowed a tiny, round pearl—their bellies should be distinctly plump and round. If their bellies look flat or sunken in a V-shape, they are already starving and may be too weak to recover.