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Encyclopedia / Algae Eaters / Jumbo oto
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Jumbo oto

Parotocinclus jumbo · Parotocinclus jumbo, Dwarf sucker

Peaceful grazer; sociable.

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6 cmBody length, without tail ✓
21–26 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–7.5pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Jumbo oto only grows to 6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Jumbo oto only grows to 6 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (21–26 °C vs 27–30 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 21–22 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

363 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓up to 15 dGH
Group size ?6 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ✓Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Herbivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–4 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful grazer; sociable.

Food

Algae and biofilm on glass and wood; blanched courgette, spirulina wafers and algae-based pellets.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature males have much longer pelvic fins, reaching past the start of the anal fin.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Hard

Rarely bred; wild-caught fish dominate.

Pairing

Keep a group with a mix of sexes and feed lots of algae to bring them into condition.

Setup

40 L tank with fine sand, dense plants, some tannins and a gentle current.

What starts it

Cool, fresh water changes and plenty of biofilm and algae feeding.

Eggs

Tiny sticky eggs are laid on glass or leaves in small batches; adults do not guard them.

Raising the fry

Fry feed on biofilm and powdered spirulina; very prone to starvation, so keep a mature algae-rich tank.

Common mistakes
  • Feeding too little algae
  • Raising fry in a sterile tank
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – northeastern Brazil
Rivers and lakesCoastal rivers of Pernambuco and nearby states
HabitatStreams with plants
Native rangeAbout 250 km across
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The story of the jumbo oto

A stocky Brazilian relative of the otos, named jumbo for its unusually large size within its genus. Sold as LDA25 or the pitbull pleco. Unlike true otos it has an adipose fin. It comes from shallow, clear coastal rivers of north-eastern Brazil.

Heraldo Britski and Julio Garavello described this oto in 2002. It comes from coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil, far from the Amazon. Like its relatives, it is a small, peaceful algae grazer.

First described by Heraldo A. Britski & Julio C. Garavello in 2002.

  • Parotocinclus are close relatives of Otocinclus.
  • It grazes algae and biofilm from plants and stones.
  • It comes from rivers of northeastern Brazil.

Sources

11 facts checked with sources