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Otto (Otocinclus vittatus)
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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8
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2795
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Fri April 25, 2008
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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$2.33
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9.1
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Description:
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Compatibility: Community fish, generally keeps to themselves. Might get picked on or eaten by large fish, but swim very fast.
Maximum Size: 1.5 inches
Minimum Tank Size: 5G
Temperature: 70-82F
Diet: Algae (mainly brown algae), should supplement diet with veggies such as zucchini or cucumber, and algae tablets.
Level of care: somewhat finicky about changes in water conditions, but as long as they have enough to eat they aren't too difficult.
General Notes: Otocinclus otherwise known as the ottocat is a great addition to any tank. They are considered part of the algae-eating crew. The sucker on their mouth is used to attach themselves to rocks rather than sucking algae. Can be kept alone, but strive best in groups. Ottos are sometimes considered fragile due to mishandling during shipping and at stores, leading to a quick death when someone brings them home. If you can keep them alive for a few weeks, they tend to be pretty hardy. Due to their need for algae you should only add them to an established tank where there is plenty for them to eat.
Commonly confused with Ottocinclus affinis; there seems to be no difference except slight color variations.
otto pics courtesy of Ozziegt and Leopardess
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Author
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FroggyFox
Forum Manager
Registered: May 2003
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8070
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Review Date: Thu April 14, 2005
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1.99
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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cute, hard worker, stays small
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Cons:
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need to make sure they get enough to eat
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I love ottos, I have two of them and have had both of them for over a year now. They\'re very cute and take care of any brown algae problem I\'ve ever had. They\'re hardy enough that they dont mind being switched from one tank to another once in awhile (after you catch them...those little buggers are fast!). They REALLY like cucumber too. When I had them in the same tank they sometimes hung out together, right now they\'re in seperate tanks and dont seem too bothered by it.
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NoDeltaH2O
Super Fish
Registered: February 2005
Location: Portland
Posts: 1868
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Review Date: Wed May 11, 2005
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1.99
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very small fish contributes very little to waste in tank
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Cons:
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usually starved near death when bought in pet store
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Otos are an amazing little algae eater. They are best when kept in groups of probably 5 or more, as they will \"school\" and hang out together. I went through 2 separate batches of otos before I found a batch that survived for any length of time. These fish need a WELL ESTABLISHED tank to really do best in. As they pretty much only eat algae, you need to make sure that you have plenty of it or they will starve.
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Balloon Fish
Super Fish
Registered: July 2004
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 3025
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Review Date: Sun May 15, 2005
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1.99
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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eats brown algae which is usually common in new tanks
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Cons:
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most die out after buying them because of stress, weak fish sometimes
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This is probably a must have for most new tanks because they are so smal so they don\'t take up much room, and they are always busy eating the algae everywhere. It is best to get 4 or more because sometimes they school together but i have 4 of them and never have i seen them school. Most people say they get really stressed out when you first bring them home and sometimes half of the otos you bring home die. But only one of mine out of 5 have died.
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Lotus
Moderator
Registered: August 2003
Location: Southern California
Posts: 12857
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Review Date: Fri July 29, 2005
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $1.99
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Peaceful, cute
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Cons:
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Sometimes weak when new
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These are great fish for a small tank. They will clean up brown algae efficiently, and will not harm even the smallest fry.
Mine always seem to prefer shrimp pellets over vegetable foods, although many report them enjoying nori (sushi wrap) or other dried seaweed.
When getting these fish, try to choose one that has been in the store for more than a week. They have a long, hard trip from South America, and are often too weak to withstand being acclimated to a new tank.
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Izz
Teenie Weenie Fish
Registered: August 2004
Posts: 41
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Review Date: Sat July 30, 2005
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $2.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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SUCP (super ultimate cleaning power)
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Cons:
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Weaklings
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Otos are mandatory in most tanks. These little guys are friendly and great cleaners. I started to get some algae spots around my glass, so I bought two otos - I\'ve never seen algae again. However, both of them died within a month or two. I bought two more. They\'ve been doing just dandy.
They\'re also cute as buttons.
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Smalltank3
Large Fish
Registered: December 2005
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 958
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Review Date: Mon July 24, 2006
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $3.99
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Cleans algae in a heartbeat
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Cons:
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Can die after purchasing
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Otocinclus Cats are one of the best algae eaters in freshwater. They are a great for small tanks unlike the Plecostomus. They can be very sensitive to medications added to the tank so be careful. They produce little waste to the bio-load and can eat A LOT of algae. They are really a great fish to have.
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ladymaiden
Little Fish
Registered: September 2004
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Posts: 128
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Review Date: Thu June 7, 2007
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: $2.39
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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superb cleaners, very active
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Cons:
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none
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I had an pretty bad green algae problem in one of my 5g. So I bought one for each tank just to see if they would do any good and if I would be able to keep them. In the past I had 2 to completely disappear out my tank. They are both doing fantastic and my tanks are crystal clear now. My daughter loves to go and sit and watch them as they are never still more than a second or two. I would highly recommend these little wonders to anyone and think that I might even go pick up another one for each tank in the near future
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roark fishies
Medium Fish
Registered: December 2007
Location: North Lousiana
Posts: 302
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Review Date: Fri April 25, 2008
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Would you recommend the profile? Yes |
Price you paid?: Not Indicated
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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activity, takes care of algae, good for small tanks
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Cons:
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hard to acclimate, small (might get eaten by bigger fish)
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I love my otos. They are a constant flurry of activity. They look like tadpoles always on the move. They will sometimes chase my other fish just for fun. They are great algae eaters. When they eat all the algae they will eat blanced zucchini, cucumber, and spinach leaves.
They can be hard to acclimate. I took 2 hours and still lost one a week later. The remaining have survived and seem quite hardy. One was injured (don't know how) and hid in a plant for 4 days. I just knew it was going to die but it pulled through! I highly recommend otos if you don't plan on getting large fish.
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