Ceará parotocinclus

Parotocinclus cearensis

Also known as Cearensis oto

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2 in (5 cm)
Minimum tank: 14 gal (54 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Ceará coastal drainages, Brazil
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

The Ceara parotocinclus is a small, group-living grazer, so keep several together for them to feel secure and stay active. They spend the day scraping biofilm and algae from stones, wood and plants. Small and peaceful, they should share the tank only with calm, modest community fish and shrimp. Their staple is the film that grows on surfaces in a mature tank, supplemented with a little blanched vegetable and gentle prepared grazing food. A mature, gently planted tank of about 54 liters holds a group well once it has grown enough biofilm to feed them.

In the wild

This oto lives in coastal drainages of Ceara in northeastern Brazil, a region with a strong dry season where streams shrink and slow through the year. It grazes stones and plants in warm, gentle water. A mature planted tank with rock, wood and a soft floor recreates this. Keep the water soft to neutral, roughly pH 6.0 to 7.5, and warm at about 22 to 27 C, with steady conditions and frequent small water changes.

Good to know

Parotocinclus cearensis is a member of Loricariidae, reaching about 5 centimeters. Like the rest of its genus it keeps a small adipose fin that the true Otocinclus lack. Its home lies in the semi-arid northeast of Brazil, where its streams run seasonally rather than year round. It has been bred in aquaria with moderate difficulty, laying small clutches on hard surfaces.

Did you know

Many small loricariids can gulp air and take up oxygen through a modified gut, an ability that pays off for a fish whose northeastern streams shrink to warm, still pools when the dry season bites.