One of the smallest loricariid species at all is Parotocinclus eppleyi, the Peppermint-Oto. The species is fully grown with a length of 3 cm (without caudal fin), but such animals can already be seen as xxl-format and are extremely rare. Usually the species, which is common in the upper and middle Orinoco, is 0.5-1 cm smaller.
These cute dwarfs are considered to be tricky, especially in the acclimatization phase. One should always give them dead leaves and roots, which have been in the water for a long time and have a lot of Aufwuchs, in the tank. In addition, food tablets are a well suited food for Parotocinclus species.
As so often it seems to be decisive with these animals, with how much expertise they were treated in their home country after the catch; our current import from Venezuela is very stable and does not cause any problems.
For our customers: the animals have code 276562 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply wholesale.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
