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Otocinclus: The Truth About These Algae Eaters

Fish Shop Matt

47,672 views

This video will give you all the knowledge you need to succeed with the hardworking algae eater: the Otocinclus, dwarf suckermouth catfish or Oto for short. These are a great little clean up crew for your aquarium and will certainly give you a hand with keeping your aquarium clean. Remember though, they do need their own food like algae wafers and catfish pellets to do well.

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Plant list:
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus rose
Echinodorus martii
Cryptocoryne spiralis
Cryptocoryne undulatus
Cryptocoryne nevellii
Cryptocoryne amicorum
Aponogeton longiplumulosus

Fish list:
Giant oto
Otocinclus
Fishnet flying fox
Smudge spot corydoras
White fin bentosi tetra
Black phantom tetra
Glowlight tetra
Lemon tetra

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20 Comments

@JessicaZane4realz 8 months ago

7:00 if I tell my local pet store this, they'll tell me to get lost.

@simonasfluidart1663 11 months ago

Ottos are the cutest little busy bees. I'm always grateful for all their work ❤

@ShonHatley99 11 months ago

This is technically a "Fish Files" episode. I miss those. Great video, again, Fish Shop Matt. Please keep'em coming.

@kzookid2051 11 months ago

I love watching otos flitting around in the aquarium, finding all the bits of algae here and there. Their little round tummies are adorable. They're a must-have for me, along with a group of black khulis. Always a blast to sit and enjoy!

@1993KJD 11 months ago (edited)

I’m excited for the video on “Wild Caught”. I struggled with a moral decision on whether I should buy a pair of giant bettas from Indonesia earlier this year. Ultimately I decided to. Now I have two parent dragon bettas and 30+ baby dragons I’m patiently growing up. 😂

@kev.333 11 months ago

I like the wave in your tank, it's nice to see plant leaves flowing around instead of all being still. It makes it more lively. And the fishes too look nice in that environment.

@PINKGREEN65 11 months ago

This scape is absolutely stunning!!! 😊

@speckledjim_ 6 months ago

Matt i think your absolutely spot on. Once you get them settled and feeding they are wonderful, bullet proof little dudes. It's just getting them to that stage that can be tricky as they go through so much in the trade to get them to your aquarium. I so wish that it was easier to breed and raise fry in a captive setting

@edwardspade6122 11 months ago

Matt, you have created a great channel, informative and thoughtful. Wild caught vs tank breed , here in the US. Hunters and environmentalists are often on the same side

@boatgalhb1142 2 months ago

Absolutely beautiful tank by the way. (Little late on this but just subscribed)

@BJD12thDoctor 11 months ago

I agree it is interesting to talk about wild caught aquarium fish and examples of fisheries that are sustainable and protecting the rain forest for example.

@frankvermeulen4621 11 months ago

When I returned to the hobby a couple of years ago, I put 5 Otocinclus, 10 Corydoras pygmaeus and 10 Ember tetras in a Dennerle 55 litre aquarium.
The Oto's and Pygmy's reproduced "on accident", and I'd like to think that the ones that are still around are the offspring.

I need more Oto's... ❤

@littleheaven70 11 months ago

I have a little group of three otos (looking to add a couple more soon because I recently upgraded their tank size) and they are just adorable! I made sure I bought some with nice round tummies and let their quarantine tank get nice and green before I brought them home. Something I found really interesting was that I couldn’t get them to eat prepared foods while in quarantine, but once they went into the community tank, they started hanging out with my pygmy corydoras and eating whatever they ate. So now they eat Repashy Soilent Green and Grub Pie as well as Fluval Bug Bites Algae Crisps. In their current home they have loads of driftwood and narrow leaf Java fern which they spend all day nibbling on. Can’t wait to get a few more.

@valerieallen2588 11 months ago

I have three at present and will be getting more. I love watching them doing their thing.. Thanks for a great video about this species.

@sockeyejo 11 months ago

I don't know which species of oto I've got but they absolutely love it when I add live food to the tank, especially daphnia and baby brine shrimp. The first time I saw them hunting, I thought they were having some sort of collective seizure as they were all coming off the glass, throwing themselves around like teeny tiny threshing sharks and then hopping back onto the glass like nothing had happened. Then I got closer, watched one chase its prey (but get beaten to it by a tetra) and it suddenly made sense!

@rettag2020 8 months ago (edited)

Sounds like fainting goats, only in water 😂
Thank you for sharing, Matt!

@1988bogdana 6 months ago (edited)

I have had a very good luck with them. Currently have 8 Otto’s in 75 liter long fish tank. They live with a female crown tale betta, school of ember tetras and kuhli loaches. Tank is heavily planted, rich on TANINS and botanicals. I also supplement with bacter AE powder to help with growth of biofilm. They all eat mostly soilent green repashy and algae wafers as supplemental food. Recently, I added 2 Otto’s to my existing school of 6. At the fish store I got them from they looked a bit skinny and nobody could tell me if they are eating. The employee said that they have had them so far only for 3 days and they just came in to the shift. I took a chance and picked the two with the most rounded belly. Today, it’s been 24 hours since I have had them in a tank. I already saw them poop and their bellies are getting plump ( I can see their intestines working if I look closely ). My old school I barely see ( they are fat and mostly hide during the day in a drift wood and come out when the lights are out). After the new addition who are grazing all over the tank, I finally saw for the first time in months my fat OG Ottos coming out while lights are on. It was cool to see. My ph is 5.5 due to botanicals and aqua soil.

@davewalker3104 11 months ago

Excellent video Matt and very informative.Thanks for keeping it real 👍🏻

@jeffreyccv 5 months ago

Ottos are amazing.. I have a thriving group of 12 in a heavily planted scapped 60 gallon tall .. with zero external filtration. They deserve to be kept in large groups for their well being.