Otocinclus Catfish - Otocinclus
Otocinclus Catfish (Otocinclus spp.)
The Gentle Algae-Eating Specialist
Looking for a peaceful and hardworking addition to your freshwater tank? The Otocinclus Catfish, affectionately known as the “Oto,” is a small, social algae eater that plays an essential role in keeping your aquarium clean and thriving.
Native to the streams and rivers of South America, Otocinclus are known for their gentle nature, tight schooling behavior, and tireless grazing on soft algae. They are an ideal choice for community tanks, especially in planted aquariums where their small size and non-destructive habits are a perfect match.
Key Features:
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Excellent algae cleaner—especially fond of soft green algae
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Peaceful and social—best kept in groups
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Perfect for nano and planted tanks
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Safe with shrimp and other peaceful tankmates
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Active and entertaining to watch
Care Notes:
Otocinclus thrive in well-maintained aquariums with stable water parameters and plenty of natural surfaces to graze on. Supplement their diet with algae wafers, blanched veggies, and fresh greens if natural algae levels are low. Ensure good oxygenation and gentle flow, and always acclimate them carefully, as they are sensitive to rapid changes in water quality.
Bring balance to your aquascape with the charming and diligent Otocinclus Catfish—a must-have for any freshwater cleanup crew!
The Otocinclus Catfish, commonly known as Otos or Oto Cat. These little Loricariidae cats are one of the smallest you can find in the hobby and does a fantastic job cleaning algae in an aquarium. Even aquascaping experts love the cleaning ability of the Oto as they are safe for planted aquariums.
Size is about 3/4" to 1".
Max size: 2"
Minimum tank: 10gal
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Excellent
Effectively perfect, there's literally nothing I could complain about. The fish looked very healthy and quite well taken care of. I waited a week to see how they fared before a review, and they're doing great.
Thank you for the great fish,
Eva -
Otocinclus
Arrived alive and healthy. I would definitely order from them again.
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excellent!
4 didn't make it, but the rest are thriving... Thank you!!
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Good overall
One Oto was a little sickly when we got him, but the other two were very active. Unfortunately the sickly oto died, but the other two seem very happy to join with the two I already own. School of four seem to doing well.
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Otocinclus
I ordered 6 all came in looking really healthy and active..
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Came very healthy!
Even in 120 degree weather these fish came packaged well, and in full color, indicating what I presume to be zero stress. I’ve seen these cats at big box stores in horrible shape, and it’s a night and day difference in quality
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Otocinclus
I ordered six and all arrived healthy. They’re busy cleaning my diatoms!
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Octo Cat
Excellent condition. Started eating right away.
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Otos
All came healthy and happy. They took about 9 hours to adjust but the next day they were eating away happily. Thank you!!
