All fish / Loricariidae

Otocinclus mimulus

Otocinclus mimulus

Also known as oto, otocinclus, dwarf sucker, mimic otocinclus, mimic oto, otto cat, oto catfish, オトシンクルス, 小精灵

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A small sucker-mouthed catfish with a pale belly, mottled brown back and a dark stripe along the flank that ends in a tail spot. It is kept as a gentle algae grazer that cleans biofilm off plants and glass in community tanks, and it closely mimics Corydoras diphyes, which lives alongside it in the wild.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

20 to 26 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

60 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

Herbivore: biofilm, soft algae, algae wafers, blanched courgette and spinach

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Upper Paraná and Paraguay river basins, Brazil and Paraguay

Breeding

It lays eggs on plant leaves or glass after spawning in a T-position like Corydoras. Captive breeding happens now and then in mature planted tanks with cooler water changes, but it is not common.

Good to know

Wild-caught imports are often thin and fragile, so choose well-fed fish and add them only to mature tanks with plenty of biofilm. In shops it is easily mixed up with other Otocinclus species such as O. vittatus and O. affinis.