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Re: Otocinclus spp
> > From: olga at arts_ubc.ca
> >
> > I recently bought 2 fish that are supposed to be Ottos. However,
> > one seems to be more gray and to have a slimmer profile with more speckled
> > fins. It also seems to spend most of it's time on the bottom. It's about an
> > inch and a quarter long. The other fish I bought with it is only about 3/4
> > inch and looks more like an Otto's usual colouring and spends it's time
> > like an Otto on the plants and glass. Does anyone have any idea what the
> > "non-otto" is? Do Ottos come in colour variations? It seems to be eating
> > something off the gravel but is very inactive compared to a usual Otto.
>
> I have two different types of Otocinclus; the common one with dark
> horizontal bars on the sides with white belly and a light strip above
> the dark one: the top of the fish is a mottle grey; the head is triangular.
> The other one lacks the distinctive striped marking and is a mottled
> brown color. This one is more shy. There are two or three variations
> of Otocinclus pictured in the Baench atlas. I don't recall which volume
> but let's check our respective volumes tonight, at home.
Baench vol 2 has only pictures of two Otocinclus species. The picture
of O. notalus (p508) closely matches the single remaining Otto
which I have had for many years now. I have not seen more of this
one in stores. "Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes" by Axelrod &
Schultz have b&w pictures of only 3; O. affinis (p375) looks like
my others. I presume Baench vol 1 should have more pictures. Does the
store have any more of these uncommon, small grey ones?
Steve Pushak - spush at hcsd_hac.com - Vancouver, BC, Canada
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