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Those look like Parotocinclus sp. "Peru" aka Tiger Oto (as what most LFS call them).
They stay quite small and should be introduced to very established tanks with sufficient algae for them to feed on, quite fragile when newly introduced though.
total length about 1"
any idea?
any info would be great! cheers in advance!
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Those look like Parotocinclus sp. "Peru" aka Tiger Oto (as what most LFS call them).
They stay quite small and should be introduced to very established tanks with sufficient algae for them to feed on, quite fragile when newly introduced though.
thank you very much for the info mate. they are so incredible- really taken by them. what else should i feed them with? they seem to be content with brown algae i have allowed to accumulate on sides of tank.
algae wafers, cucumber, blanched for easy sinking, or just cut and use veggie clip to hold it down
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ok will try that! hoping that they will live past the month!
i might be wrong, but tiger and zebra and orange oto are super fragile
That's what i read as well. Anyone keeps them or have kept them? Any tips?
I got zebra at home, bought 5, 4 died due to new tank syndrome
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I've had the opportunity to keep all 3 types of those otos over the past year... i had them all in an otocinclus species-only 2ft tank (fully cycled with lots of plants and green algae growth on the glass and hardscape, very clean water with low nitrates), here are my experiences with them so far:
Orange Oto = 4 months ago bought 3, 1 died after a few days (probably already very weak from the start), 1 died after a month (maybe from delayed effects of illness/parasites), the remaining one is still alive and healthy. I didn't see them actively eat any commercial algae or sinking wafers, nor did they seem to touch any of the blanched zucchini i put into the tank. They probably just prefer to graze solely on the algae and bio-film in the tank.
Tiger Oto = 3 months ago bought 2, 1 died after a week (could also be due to delayed effects of illness/parasites), the remaining 1 still alive and healthy. Occasionally see them nibble on commercial algae and sinking wafers, but due to their small size they seem to be abit shy and get chased away by the larger otos. I found it abit tough to observe them though, as their brownish body color is like "rugged forest camo", very easy to blend in with the wood hardscape.
Zebra Oto = Accumulated 12 of them in total over 7-8 months ago, no deaths so far (maybe i was lucky), all grew big and fat. They attack commercial algae, sinking wafers and blanched zucchini like hungry hippos, jostling with each other to get at the food. Very active all day constantly grazing over various algae in the tank.
Overall, i guess it depends on the selection of the individual fishes (and luck!), best to only buy from the LFS after the otos have been in their tanks for at least a few weeks (the weaker ones will die off during the initial few weeks, leaving only the stronger ones) and must always get the ones which are active and have round bellies (very easy to observe with zebra otos as they are larger, but orange and tiger otos are much smaller so need to check closely).
They definitely need to be added to fully cycled, well established tanks with lots of plants and algae to increase their chances of long term survival (a variety of supplemented food helps too). It seems once they acclimate and adapt to a tank they will likely thrive in it for a very long time.
These are expensive and very fragile fish. If your tank does not have generous algae growth, do not even attempt to keep, especially this Tiger Oto. They seem to have a particular diet and while you see them rasping at algae, they are probably grazers too on aufwuchs and such. When I last had them, they would spend a lot of time grazing on driftwood. While they lived for approximately 1 month, I never saw them go for any type of pellet or veggie that I tried to feed them with. I have no idea whether they are carnivorous, herbivorous or just omnivorous.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
Thank you guys for your detailed input. i will definitely try my best to give them the best environment possible. i guess it's better to have them under my care than to let them waste away in a plastic bag...
BINGO!!! These will waste away in new tank setups.Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria
I'm back & keeping 'em fingers wet,
Ronnie Lee
Went to C328 when they still had these and the entire bag of them that had 5 or 6 in there, were all dead and rotting away, IN the bag.
They definitely need a tank with a lot of algae growth, otherwise you're just throwing your money away.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
In other words, these are not suited for folks who're anal about a neat, clean tank!! HAHAHA!!!
I'm back & keeping 'em fingers wet,
Ronnie Lee
I see what you did there.
Fish.. Simply Irresistable
Back to Killies... slowly.
Hey Kiat, didn't expect to see you here man!
How are the Tigers? hahaha
I think they thrive on biofilm/Aufwuchs...
lifeisfullofemptypromisesandbrokendreams
Hypancistrus and Tanganyikan cichlids breeding
by the way, my tank wasn't algae-free, pretty old tank been running for few years. but they still didnt make it....
Last edited by johannes; 28th Nov 2013 at 16:02. Reason: no sms lingo :p
That's too bad, next time try again la if you are game haha
lifeisfullofemptypromisesandbrokendreams
Hypancistrus and Tanganyikan cichlids breeding
Oh my... so sad to hear the tiger otos didn't make it... looks like pet fish for experts only....
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