Vestitus otocinclus

Care at a glance

Overview

The vestitus otocinclus is one of several small catfish sold as common or dwarf otos, and like all of them it is a dedicated algae grazer for mature tanks. It is a shoaling fish, so keep at least six together; there is no limit on numbers, and a group grazes and rests more confidently than a lone fish. It works along the bottom, plants, and wood, scraping soft algae and biofilm. It is peaceful and fits a calm community, but it will starve in a bright new tank with nothing to graze, so never add it to a fresh setup. Supplement with algae wafers and blanched vegetables. A shoal suits a tank of around 54 liters or more.

In the wild

This oto comes from quiet, vegetated margins of South American rivers in the Amazon region, where it grazes films of algae and biofilm off plants and wood. Match that with a mature planted tank: soft green algae on surfaces, driftwood, leaf litter, and calm, well-filtered water. Keep it warm at about 22 to 27 C with soft to neutral water, a pH of roughly 6.0 to 7.5. An established tank with a steady supply of grazing is the single most important thing you can give it.

Good to know

Otocinclus vestitus is a small armored catfish in the family Loricariidae, reaching only about 4 centimeters. It is one of several near-identical species that reach shops under the single label of common oto, told apart by fine details such as the tail marking. It grazes with a sucker mouth and is harmless to plants. It lays small adhesive eggs on leaves and glass, but it is hard to breed in the aquarium, so most sold are wild caught.

Did you know

At least four look-alike species travel under the one name common oto, so the fish in a shop tank labelled otocinclus may be any of several, separable only by small differences in the markings near the tail.

Tank mates

Vestitus otocinclus is a peaceful, shoaling species that keeps to the bottom. These picks match on water type, temperature, pH, size and temperament.

• Black otocinclus

  Hisonotus notatus

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Vinaceus tetra

  Hyphessobrycon vinaceus

  Freshwater

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

  Enteromius leonensis

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Thread kuhli loach

  Pangio filinaris

  Freshwater

  1.8 in (4.5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Red fin otocinclus

  Parotocinclus maculicauda

  Freshwater

  2.4 in (6 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
• Ceará parotocinclus

  Parotocinclus cearensis

  Freshwater

  2 in (5 cm)14 gal (54 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Zebra dwarf sucker

  Otocinclus cocama

  Freshwater

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

• 

  Golden dwarf sucker

  Otocinclus macrospilus

  Freshwater

  1.4 in (3.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Common otocinclus

  Otocinclus vittatus

  Freshwater

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

  Parotocinclus bahiensis

  Freshwater

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

  Parotocinclus haroldoi

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
• Vampire otocinclus

  Nannoptopoma sternoptychum

  Freshwater

  1.6 in (4 cm)14 gal (54 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)