Can anyone id this Otto/Paro (Up as Black Otto)

[DazSH]

Hi can anyone help id this otto ?

Thanks, also looks almost black once settled in tank .

[Martin S]

Hard to tell, a side profile would help.
Maybe

Hisonotus leucofrenatus

?
Martin

[apistomaster]

I have always called these

Parotocinclus spilosoma

although I am not 100% certain of this identification. There are several others which can be confused with each other.
I always buy all i can find but since I lost my last of a group of 5 I managed to collect over a couple years I have gone five years without seeing anything like them for sale.
I would snap up Hisonotus leucofrenatus if I came across them.
The fish I had were very easy to sex. The females were larger than the males and would regularly fill up as if ready to spawn.
I did find one fry during the almost five years I had them but I never could spawn them deliberately.
Do your your fish look like this?

[MatsP]

A photo of the fish settled in the tank would help a lot. Judging by the body-shape as well as slightly brown colouration, I feel Martin may be right - but the photos aren't that great for identification purposes, and the fish may not be coloured the same as it's "real" colour in the tank.

--
Mats

[Acanthicus]

Hi,

the first one isn´t a P. spilosoma for sure. Looks like a fish we call Otocinclus sp. "negro", LG 2 or "small brown Otocinclus". Couldn´t find it in the cat-e log. I don´t think H. leucofrenatus either, this species has a longer body.

[The.Dark.One]

Hard to tell from the photos but I agree with Acanthicus. Looks like LG2 which (as Acanthicus says) is sold under various names as Otocinclus 'negro', Black Oto etc.

[Richard B]

Hard to tell, a side profile would help.
Maybe

Hisonotus leucofrenatus

?
Martin

I have seen numerous lfs sell "black otto" and this is what they have been - Aquatic Design in London, a few MA branches etc

[DazSH]

More pics in tank thanks all this has helped loads.

Shame i could only get 2 hope they would start shoaling with the regular otos

[apistomaster]

They seem to prefer hanging around with their own kind. Otocincinclus are quite near 'enuff.
The lack of focus makes it difficult to tell what they are.
They look a lot like the fish I had and posted for you to compare. You didn't say if it was same, similar or way off.

[DazSH]

They seem to prefer hanging around with their own kind. Otocincinclus are quite near 'enuff.
The lack of focus makes it difficult to tell what they are.
They look a lot like the fish I had and posted for you to compare. You didn't say if it was same, similar or way off.

Sorry, they seem a little different yours are more distinctive with there pattern sorry for focus need a dslr the macro on both my digital cams are rubbish... thx though

[apistomaster]

Have read this article?
It covers many of what are a large group.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/shanesworl ... otocinclus

[Karsten S.]

Hi,

as Daniel (Acanthicus) already pointed out this is definitely no Parotocinclus, it is LG 2.
This fish shouldn't have an adipose fin (the quality of the pics is not good enough to see) which Parotocinclus does have.
H. leucofrenatus has clear markings in the head that should be visible in the third pic in the first post and it should be a bit longer in the profile. Therefore I also would exclude this species. However, a sharp picture of the side profile would help.

Cheers,

[DazSH]

Try get a better pic soon thanks all