From the article: Otocinclus
Have you kept an Otocinclus? If so, share your experiences about care, habitat, feeding and breeding of Otocinclus. Your knowledge could help other owners! Share Your Experiences
Otocinclus - brownie2004
- Hi. I have an Otocinclus I've had it for about 4 months now and I have never seen mine clean other fish or my snails, but what he does at night while I'm sleeping is another story.
- —Guest Denise
Seeing is believing
- My brother gave me his fish when he moved to Singapore. These were dwarf Corydorus catfish and Otocinclus catfish, about ten of each. The fish gradually died out except for one Otocinclus. When he came back he was amazed that this fish had survived with me for ten years. I do not choose these fish as I have found that they are fragile when first purchased. I prefer Bristlenose Catfish for cleaning algae and Bronze/albino Corydoras for cuteness as they are reliable if you have mastered providing good water quality.
- —Guest redshark1
Kept them for a while
- Theses are great little catfish to have in planted tanks as they cruise your plants and eat algae off the leaves without doing any damage to the plant, they will also work on your wood and your glass. They do better a large groups and they really do well with in planted tank with a lot of current. Even though they are small they do best in a larger tank with a whole bunch of plant matter.
- —fjf888
An Inexpensive and Undervalued Catfish
- Otocinclus are excellent, small catfish with lots of personality. They're very peaceful and often just hang on the glass for a long while before taking off somewhere else. Not very colorful, the patterns on them are nonetheless beautiful. I have successfully kept them with dwarf puffers without any problems. Note that this fish is a strict herbivore. It needs algae. Even if your tank has plenty of algae for them to eat, it's worth your time to by some algae wafers. Unfortunately, because fish stores and pet stores often don't know this, they fail to meet their dietary requirements and you may find yourself losing some. However, being inexpensive, this shouldn't be a problem if you persevere. In the fish store, try to choose ones that do not look emaciated. A fat otocinclus is a happy one. (Within reason, of course.) Get at least three as they are more comfortable with others around and you're more likely to see them often. In fact, the more the better. They won't complain.
- —OrandaMan
