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Parotocinclus longirostris - a cute and small catfish

MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
Hi all..

Just wanted to share some pics of a cute catfish.. Parotocinclus longirostris (2-3cm)..

My Apistos are getting fry in the same tank (115cm in length)...the Parotocinclus don`t seem to disturb much...
But I have lost a few "Parotos" ..It might be due to the huuuge Apistos (4cm).. when they guard their eggs/fry..

At this moment I keep a few of them with my Apistogramma cf.ortegai "Pebas" , and also with some young specimen of Chromaphyosemion volcanum "Yoke" in another tank..


5 new pics + 4 old..

Reeeally cute fishes...!! :):):)
 

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MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
That sure is a cute catfish. Are they any more trouble to keep than the common Otocinclus species?

No , I actually think that the "Parotos" are easier to adapt than the common "Otos" ..(Not as many death casualties(?) )
At least when having no large fishes in the tank who can attack/ or pay attention to them.

Maybe the "Parotos" have got a more robust and "harnesk-shaped" body??.. almost like an Ancistrus sp.??? But that might also just be my visualy interpretation..??
Or maybe I have been more careful with these "Parotos" than with the common "Otos" that I have kept earlier ??

In my opinion, Parotocinclus also behave more like an Ancistrus than like an Otocinclus !!
They doesn`t seem to swim in groups or in the free water column like "Otos" often do..
(But I have only kept them in slow flowing tanks..!!)
 

Mol_PMB

Active Member
Messages
252
Those are very pretty indeed! I see what you mean about the shape being more like a 'normal' pleco.

In contrast, I have a group of 'Giant Otos' which are Oto-shaped but bigger - mine are currently about 50mm. They are perfect citizens and voracious algae-eaters - the best I have ever seen.

I have not managed to identify the species - possibly a Hypoptopoma sp. or an Oxyropsis sp. They have a very pointed head compared to most of those.
 

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MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
Hi Paul + all..

Thank you for your pics+info...
I used to keep some kind of Nanoptopoma a few years ago..but I never got them to reproduce..

Have you ever seen any eggs from yours ??
Or spawning behaviours?? I think they place/lay their eggs on the backside of plants ...??

What kind of Orange food do you give your Hypoptopoma/Oxyropsis?? Have you found any special diet just for them??

Carrot?? Salmon??:):):D:D or something else??

If I am correctly informed...?? One thing that differ common "Otos" from many other catfishes in the Pet Industry.. is the food they usually eat in the nature..(and in the Aquarium ?? )
They should prefer to eat bacteria and/or detritus.. rather than algea..!!?? But they might also eat some algea I guess??

/Micke
 

Mol_PMB

Active Member
Messages
252
Thanks :)
Mine are in a tank with Congo tetras and a young L24 (soon to move out).

They eat all sorts of things, not just the food intended for them:
Fresh veg: courgette, bell pepper, peas
Pellets: new era catfish, tetra prima, new era pleco, tropical grazer, Hikari, golden pearls.
Live/frozen: various worms etc. I also feed prawns and plaice to my L24 but I've not seen them on that.
When I first put them in I had terrible algae on all my plants and they demolished all of that within a few days. Quite stunning performance!

I have accidentally ended up with a blackworm culture in the substrate of this tank which none of the fish like to eat. They were originally put in as food but have multiplied!
 

Mol_PMB

Active Member
Messages
252
Sorry to the OP for going off topic - we're still on catfish but this isn't a small one and I'll let you judge whether it's cute!
I am on planet catfish, in fact I have rather more cats than dwarf cichlids.
Anyway, as requested, my L24 (one of the pics with a giant Oto as well).
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1423212193.191729.jpg

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Mol_PMB

Active Member
Messages
252
They co-exist peacefully! The L24 is more of a carrion-eater than a predator, and the giant Otos are too small to be seen as a threat. One Oto did land on the L24 while I was watching and got shaken off pretty quickly though!
 

MickeM

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
441
Location
STOCKHOLM , SWEDEN
Thanks Paul..
I really like this kind of behaviour details...
That may be the difference in the decision to buying a species or not!!!

I found some old pics of another Parotocinclus..

P. maculicauda !!!
 

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