Golden dwarf sucker

Care at a glance

Overview

These are social grazers, so keep them in a group of at least six. They spend their time on the glass, rocks, and leaves, working over algae and biofilm at the bottom and mid levels. They are completely peaceful. Keep the water in the low to mid 20s C with pH from 6 to 7.5. Algae alone will not feed them once it runs low, so offer blanched vegetables like zucchini and add catfish or algae wafers.

In the wild

This little sucker comes from clear, flowing streams in the upper Amazon across Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. The water is soft and slightly acidic, with plants and surfaces covered in algae and biofilm. A mature, planted tank with a bit of current suits them. They do best added to an established setup, not a brand new one.

Good to know

Otocinclus macrospilus is a small armored catfish in the family Loricariidae. Adults stay tiny, around 3.5 cm. They have a sucker mouth for clinging to surfaces and grazing. Breeding in aquariums is rarely recorded, and most fish are still wild collected.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Vestitus otocinclus

  Otocinclus vestitus

  1.6 in (4 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Zebra dwarf sucker

  Otocinclus cocama

  1.8 in (4.5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)

• 

  Common otocinclus

  Otocinclus vittatus

  2 in (5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Paraguay black otocinclus

  Otothyropsis piribebuy

  1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Peppermint otocinclus

  Parotocinclus eppleyi

  1.4 in (3.5 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Bahia parotocinclus

  Parotocinclus bahiensis

  1.6 in (4 cm) · 14 gal (54 L)

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)