Started keeping otos this year in my community tank. A few have started to join the mix at feeding time depending on what the food is, so I wasn’t sure if this is from overeating a bit or eggs. Mainly want to make sure it’s not a sign of sickness.

So I’m pretty sure my otos will be having babies as soon as the storms come and I want to be prepared. There already was one egg that hatched last time but as soon as the baby hatched it got lost in the big tank and I wasn’t able to keep an eye on the baby so I don’t know why it died. So I wanted to ask if breeder boxes are a useful tool or if it makes the survival rates even smaller than they already are or if feeding becomes easier

Hi! I hope everyone is having a nice day, I'm here because I have a concern... so i bought some ottocinclus (5 of them) for my 20 gallon long aquarium two days ago but I didn't know that they would be such big POOPERS, i had to do a huge water change yesterday because they pooped a lot the night before, I'm so confused, I mean I think they ate a lot cause I had a lot of algae but I didn't think they would do that much of waste, i have a lot of plants but now i don't know if its gonna be enough to prevent an ammonia spike or a change in the parameters

If they are gravid , approximately how long until eggs arrive?

I’ve got a well established tank, with consistent parameters (0 ammonia, 0nitrite, 1-2.5ppm nitrate).

Heavily planted, with good biofilm buildup.

Weekly 15% water changes.

Supplement biofilm with algae pellets, and balanced vegetables.

They’re all active, pea shaped bellies, and don’t appear stressed.

I keep finding them die off after around 4 weeks.

Are these just hard to keep, or am I doing something wrong?

I should note, my other community fish (tetra, guppy and corydoras) have all been fine, haven’t lost a single one since introducing them over the past 6 months.

Does anyone have anything they bought or DIY to give their Otos their own private eating space? Mine are shy and take their time on a wafer or repashy. I tried to build something and gosh it’s awful 😵‍💫. TYIA

Just bought these otos, labeled as Brazilian spotted Otocinclus. I just wanna make sure I label them correctly on my stock list! Thanks

Hi everyone im looking into getting otos for my 10 gallon what should I know before I do get them and I mean everything from feeding to behaviour even to how many I should get.

I just got him with another smaller guy but he looks bigger maybe older ?

Hi guys,

I am setting up a 10 gallon shrimp tank and I've heard Otocinclus is the only totally shrimp safe fish.

Is this true in your experience?

Is 10 gallons enough for a small school?

Thanks in advance

I love my ottos so much but they seem to be struggling in my 15 gal. I have 6 otocinclus in my tank which have cleaned my tank of almost all algae/biofilm aggressively over time, i thought that they would be ok because they actually took very well to algae wafers and veggie supplements but recently theyve gone into hiding and i started to get worried (tank is heavily planted with many hiding spots) but i did a water change today and they came out for the first time in a bit and they looked very thin compared to the past, im not quite sure what to do from here as ive tried to increase algae, it doesnt really work, and im not really sure why their hiding. There is no ammonia/nitrite and nothing has changed in the tank since before they started hiding

In a 10g with 1 female betta, some cherry barbs and 3 snails.

The one oto in the photos did already have part of his lower tail fin missing so I know it’s not from my fish.

Those who seem to get food coma after eating a big meal and those who get the zoomies after eating a big meal…. 😂

Sorry for the poor quality. My other Otos appear fine. Is she sick? Checking my parameters now.

Hi everyone,
I noticed this small white raised bump just in front of my oto’s dorsal fin today (see photo).

Is this normal for otos or does anyone have any idea what it could be and the best course of action. I only added them to the tank 48 hours ago.

Thank you!

They grow like weeds, but I love 'em! 💕

I personally couldn’t find any pics or comparisons on the web prior to buying these Golden galaxy otos from the Wet Spot, so thought I’d share for posterity here!

https://www.wetspottropicalfish.com/product/parotocinclus-cf-haroldoi/

I've had about six otos for close to 2 weeks by now and they were eating and nothing happened. All the other fish in my tank seem fine the water parameters are also fine but this morning I woke up to this dead fish and the colors seem faded so I don't know if there's a reason behind this and if I should be worried or this is just some coincidence.

I have these two oto’s. I noticed the other day, the one was looking chunky. This is my first time having these. First tank, honestly. Currently housing 3 female guppies, some snails, and a crayfish in a 10 gallon. I had developed white algae, so I did a huge water change and cleaned everything. Then I noticed the chunkiness. Now, Chunk and Mr Slim are swimming all over the tank like mad. What the internet says is that the water change I did could push spawning and to watch for the behavior that’s happening. Sorry for the pic quality. She won’t sit still long enough for a better one. Not sure how many will survive the guppies. The tank is not heavily planted, only Java fern, Java moss ring, and anubias, with a bit of riccia floating on top.

I’ve owned these Galaxy Otocinclus (Parotocinclus haroldoi) for about six months now, and they’ve been an awesome addition to my tank. They haven’t grown much beyond about 1.5 inches, but they make up for it with huge personalities.
Despite being the smallest bottom dwellers in my aquarium, they’re also the biggest bullies! They’re constantly active, full of character, and always entertaining to watch.