Pit bull otocinclus

Parotocinclus jumbo

Also known as LDA25, Jumbo oto, Goby oto

FreshwaterFish

Pit bull otocinclus (Parotocinclus jumbo) — The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–81°F (22–27°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Adult size: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Medium
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Coastal northeastern Brazil
Family: Loricariidae

Overview

The pit bull otocinclus is a stocky little grazing catfish, despite the tough name, and it lives in groups, so keep at least a small shoal of five or six. It works the bottom and lower surfaces, rolling sand and rasping soft algae and biofilm from stones and wood. It is fully peaceful and community safe, suited to calm tankmates of similar temper. Its diet is largely vegetarian: keep the tank mature enough to grow film and add algae wafers, spirulina tablets, and blanched vegetables. Give it clean, well-oxygenated water, sand with some smooth stones, and a tank of around 75 liters for a group.

In the wild

Parotocinclus jumbo lives in clear coastal streams of northeastern Brazil, over sandy bottoms scattered with rock, in slow, clean, well-oxygenated water. Set the tank up with sand, smooth stones, and some driftwood, plus planting for extra grazing surface. Keep the temperature mild, 22 to 27 C, and the water around pH 6.0 to 7.5, clean and gently moving. Clarity and oxygen matter more than exact chemistry, since it comes from bright, freshly flowing water.

Good to know

Parotocinclus jumbo is a dwarf catfish in Loricariidae, reaching about 6 centimeters. The species name jumbo is a small joke: it is one of the largest members of a genus of otherwise tiny fish, not a large fish in any real sense. It carries the trade code LDA25. Breeding is of moderate difficulty; it is an egg layer, and clean, cool, well-oxygenated water with abundant grazing gives fry the best chance.

Did you know

Both of its names promise trouble it never delivers. The pit bull jumbo is a peaceful vegetarian barely the length of a paperclip, its fierce nickname earned only by a broad, blunt, bulldog-like head.