Otocinclus affinis,
or Otto for short. There are at least three varieties of Otocinclus that
look and behave similarly (Ottocinclus affinis, arnoldi, and vittatus). I
have had experience only with O. affinis, which is from southeastern Brazil, and
never gets much longer than about two inches. All Ottos are terrific algae eaters,
eating algae which is scraped off leaves, rocks and the sides of the aquarium.
Ottos rapidly clean up brown algae (some refer to it as diatomacious algae), and
will also eat green algae. (Ottos will not touch red or brush algae. The
Siamese algae eater is the only known fish to eat red
algae.) One of these fish per ten gallons of tank water will significantly help
with algae control. Unlike other types of sucker mouth catfish, Ottos are
nearly always good natured, and never become territorial. O. affinis
prefers temperatures of between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It can
tolerate slightly acid to slightly alkaline water without difficulty, though
some references indicate slightly acid is best.