Otocinclus, the glass cleaning fish

Otocinclus known for cleaning glass

Recently we saw a type of fish that was in charge of cleaning the bottoms of the aquariums, since their way of life and diet were based on looking for food on the bottom and stirring the water. In this case we are going to talk about a fish whose function is to clean the aquarium glass: it is the Otocinclus.

The Otocinclus is a very peaceful fish endemic to the southeast of Brazil, the Mato Grosso jungle and some rivers of Colombia, whose common name is the window cleaner. Do you want to know everything about this fish?

Habitat and area of ​​distribution

otocinclus affinis natural habitat

These fish are found in fast waters, despite not being good swimmers. Its habitat is that of the clear waters of the rivers of Brazil and Colombia. There are two species of Otocinclus that are often confused due to their great similarities. We have the otocinclus vittatus and Otocinclus akin. These two species are very similar morphologically and are often confused. The only thing that varies and that differentiates these two species is their area of ​​distribution.

The waters where these fish live usually have rocks covered with algae and abundant vegetation.

Otocinclus Features

suction cup that they use to suck

These fish are elongated and can measure up to 5 cm. They have a slight curve in their back and a flattened belly. To feed they use a suction cup that they have in their mouth to be able to suck the food. Therefore, it looks for food on the walls of aquariums and is called the window cleaner. It has an adipose fin and its vision is lateral. For better swimming, it has a reinforcing spine in all the fins except the tail and the adipose.

Its body is gray and gold in color, with gray or brown spots on its back as well as a black line that covers its entire lateral part from the head to the tail fin. Its belly is white.

Due to the fact that these fish inhabit rivers with very strong water currents, they use the suction cup of their mouth, apart from feeding, to hold the turbulent water regime. By not developing a swim bladder, they are not able to swim. Instead, they jump on the stones and hold onto the substrate with the suction cup so as not to get carried away by the current of water. The jumps they make are transversal so as not to offer too much resistance to the current and to be dragged backwards.

Food

otonciclus are mostly herbivores

Their feeding in the natural habitat is contingent on what they can uproot from the rocks and logs at the bottom, generally encrusting algae, small plants and microorganisms that live among them. They mainly have twilight habits, although they remain quite active during daylight hours.

It is omnivore and herbivore, getting to eat the food in tablets that are put in the dining rooms at the back. These fish can also be fed cooked vegetables, spirulina and other plant supplements for fish.

Behavior and compatibility

Otocinclus eating algae

As mentioned before, these fish are quite peaceful and shy. To optimize your coexistence in the fish tanks, you should keep in un group of at least 5 fish of the same species, there are more females than males.

These fish sleep during the day on a leaf or stick to the aquarium glass. They are most active at night. Since their diet is based mostly on algae, they are able to clean the glass of the aquarium to eat the algae that remains attached. These fish are generally called lazy fish, as they are fish that are around all day or in the leaves or glass of aquariums. Not knowing how to swim well, their movement in aquariums is poor.

Regarding compatibility with other fish, these They are very sociable and can live with any species. Try not to mix it with larger and more aggressive species that can prey on them. They are good companions of corydoras. You can also mix them with bottom cleaner fish like Ancistrus.

Maintenance

Otonciclus eating out of glass

Since its natural habitat is abundant in algae and plants, the best aquarium for this type de peces is that it is well planted, that is, with a good plant density. It must also have clean water with good lighting, having a surface that allows its growth.

In the aquarium, the algae must grow continuously, as these fish will eat practically only algae. The aquarium must have a volume of 60 liters for a small group of 10 Otocinclus.

The water that is recommended for these fish have a pH between 6 and 6,75, since they are not very demanding. To establish an optimal temperature, you have to bear in mind that they are not very fond of high temperatures. They need a large amount of available oxygen. Therefore, it is recommended that do not exceed 26 ° C Of temperature. Even so, if you cannot avoid this, ensure through the filter that the movement of the water is constant and abundant, even more so when the temperature exceeds those 26 ° C.

Reproduction and price

The otonciclus have sexual dimorphism

To reproduce, the males chase the females until the latter accepts them. There is sexual dimorphism in these species, since the males can hardly be differentiated from the females. Both are very similar morphologically.

The spawning of these fish is similar to that of the Corydoras. The eggs are placed in the plants or you seem of the aquarium and they forget about them. These fish are not the type to continually guard the eggs. The number of eggs is highly variable, generally about 20-40 eggs per female. The eggs hatch within three days of spawning. The first days the fry should be fed with infusoria and special food for them. Later they can be supplied with brine shrimp nauplii and cooked and crushed spinach.

The life expectancy of these fish is about 5 years. As for the prices of Otocinclus, they tend to be around the € 2-3,50 each copy.

With this information you can now add a small group of Otocinclus to your aquarium, making the walls clean and giving a good peaceful and tropical environment.


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  1.   Cesc said

    Although it is true that they like well oxygenated waters, they have intestinal respiration, and can make up for certain deficiencies; sexual differences are not evident, but appreciable when they are adults ... But what is most missing in the article is to emphasize that it is a fish that always comes from captures, because it does not reproduce in captivity, although I do not know if there are any reference, it would be some strange specific case. Despite being a resistant fish once adapted, it is very sensitive to changes, and less than 50% of the captured individuals survive; Furthermore, when we acquire them, or when we change aquariums, it is common to have some loss. They can never be introduced into a new aquarium, and it is convenient that the aquarium has been operating for at least 1 year to introduce them.

  2.   Christian Rivas said

    Hello greetings from Chile. I have achieved spontaneous reproduction in an aquarium arranged and created for prawns, this aquarium is almost 200 liters with Anubias, HC Cuba, Montecarlo. Temperature 25 ° C ph not the same, weekly water change of 20% very smooth current and 36w LED light, I think it is a great advance since being able to have more offspring of this beautiful fish at some point could stop being extracted from nature.