# Which Otos?



## Sacha (5 Aug 2014)

I have recently been looking into getting some Otocinclus. But there are quite a few different varieties. Which is the most popular/ best small oto for a community tank? 

Tankmates are tetras, Pentazona barbs and cory. Temp is 24-27 in the summer, and pH is around 6-7. 

Anything I should know about keeping Otos?


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## Edvet (5 Aug 2014)

As far as i know there usually is only one readily available O. vittatus, others are rarer i believe.


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## Andy Thurston (5 Aug 2014)

The one thing i've heard about otos is they poison them to make them easier to catch and you shouldn't buy the until they've been in the shop for a few weeks. This will give you a much higher survival rate when you introduce them to your tank.
If your putting them in a high tech, introduce them well before co2 on and monitor them closely because their not used to high co2 levels and you might need to do a waterchange
They will be fine with the corys and five bands too


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## dw1305 (5 Aug 2014)

Hi all, 
Have a look on PlanetCatfish, naming _Otocinclus_ is always a popular subject, but at the end it is pick a name really. I usually try and choose ones that look the same (you have to look at the caudal blotch and fin pattern), but it isn't an exact science either. 

cheers Darrel


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## Sacha (5 Aug 2014)

Thanks all!!


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## Michael W (5 Aug 2014)

If you can you should try and get a decent group of them, I would say at least 5. I can say with 100% confidence that you won't regret getting a large group of them, boy do they give a good show!

This is not my tank but I sure want something like this!


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## Ben C (5 Aug 2014)

Love Otos.


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## nickmcmechan (5 Aug 2014)

Zebra Otos are cool


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## BigTom (5 Aug 2014)

If I had the cash...

http://pieraquatics.com/shop/product.php?id_product=105

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## Edvet (6 Aug 2014)

Or better even:


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## BigTom (6 Aug 2014)

Yeah I've got feelers out for Ammos Ed 

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## ourmanflint (6 Aug 2014)

Edvet said:


> As far as i know there usually is only one readily available O. vittatus, others are rarer i believe.



I think most are labelled as such Ed but very few actually are vittatus, mine certainly aren't, they were sold as vittatus but are probably macrospilus or something


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## Edvet (6 Aug 2014)

Could be, it's a messy genus. I guess most wholesailers don't know or care what they sell.


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## Lindy (6 Aug 2014)

I accidentally ended up with 2 different varieties with different markings and slightly different colouring. Hadn't occurred to me that they might be different when I bought another 6 to keep the first 2 company. Now with eight I can see why people say keep them in a shoal. I've never known such a tactile fish! They love being in physical contact with each other and generally stay together swimming, feeding and resting.


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## sciencefiction (6 Aug 2014)

I've got 4 ottos in one tank and they are 3 different species and I've got another couple of totally different ones in a different tank.  They are always together when they rest on the same exact spot in the tank for the last couple of years which is a driftwood branch.  They browse for food individually but swim together a lot when not eating, kind of playing and chasing each other though I probably don't have enough for them to school like in the above video.  But unless you want to breed them, I wouldn't worry which species. They act the same and hang out together regardless.


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## CanisDraco (14 Aug 2014)

I have 12 otos in one of my tanks and there's definitely at least two different types mixed in there. I don't see much of them until it's water change time, then they come out on mass to "dance" around in the flow of new water. Very cute things


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