All fish / Loricariidae

Otocinclus mura

Otocinclus mura

Also known as oto, otocinclus, dwarf sucker, oto cat, mura oto, オトシンクルス, 小精灵鱼

This is a small, slender sucker-mouth catfish with a sandy brown back, a pale belly and a dark stripe along each side that ends in a spot on the tail. Keepers like it because it is peaceful and spends its time grazing biofilm and soft algae off plants and glass in planted community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon basin in Brazil, mainly the Rio Madeira drainage

Breeding

It lays sticky eggs on leaves or glass after the fish chase each other, much like other Otocinclus. Captive spawning has rarely been recorded, and nearly all fish on sale are wild caught.

Good to know

Wild-caught fish often arrive underfed, so give them a mature tank with plenty of biofilm and add extra vegetable food. It is easy to confuse with other striped Otocinclus species, and it is usually sold under the general name oto.