View Full Version : otto's not getting enough food
belmont0182
12-05-2003, 12:27 AM
hey so i just bought 3 ottos and i dont know if there is enough food for them. i bought some algae waffers, but when i put a waffer in the tank all my mollies fought for and ate the wafer. how can i be sure that there is food for the ottos?
I recommend to get ottos after you have some algae on glass. However since you already bought them, put some zucchini in there for them.
Leopardess
12-06-2003, 2:10 PM
Try putting in two wafers...or enough that all the fish can have some. Also, try feeding the other fish at the same time that you drop the wafer in (if you don't already) so that they get distracted.
Otos will also eat green leafy lettuce (ie Romaine) if tied down. Ive also heard that some will like boiled skinned peas.
Have they been eating since you posted?
belmont0182
12-07-2003, 6:06 PM
well i put another wafer in there for them during feeding and the mollys tore it apart again, the otos did get a chance to eat some of it, and as i type they are grazzing on the debris field left by the mollys. i got two cucomber slices and a peice of lettice in there also. will they eat this, and will the food effect my water?
anonapersona
12-07-2003, 9:31 PM
Mollys eat algae too.
JSchmidt
12-08-2003, 9:34 AM
Feeding after lights-out often lets algae grazers get some wafer while the other fish are snoozing.
Jim
belmont0182
12-08-2003, 12:06 PM
the after dark idea is a good one, thanks, i will try that tonight!
belmont0182
12-08-2003, 12:12 PM
one additional thought, what are some good food to feed my otos. i have had them for a week now and they always appear to be eating off of rocks and my plastic plants. i tried a cucomber last night, but it floated to the top in the morn. are cucombers good and what else makes a good food.(i have acces to a salad bar at school that i can get some veggies from for free)
JSchmidt
12-08-2003, 2:45 PM
Green veggies - dark green lettuces, cucumber, zuchinni - are good. Algae wafers work, too.
You can rubberband the veggies to a rock and drop it in. Just be sure to retrieve before it sits in there for more than a day.
Jim
sumoschro
12-08-2003, 3:18 PM
sometimes what i will do if i have a problem with my bottom feeders getting enough food is i will put one wafer on one side of the tank and one on the other side or cucumber or lettuce or whatever im feeding them, this way everyone gets some
belmont0182
12-08-2003, 5:20 PM
what do you guys use to secure the cucombers to the bottom of the tank? i have toothepicks going through the cucomber that then are anchored under rocks, what is the best way if doing this
belmont0182
12-08-2003, 11:37 PM
i put a small rock on top of the cucomber,will that work out ok?
Leopardess
12-08-2003, 11:59 PM
I cut a slice and tie it to a lava rock (any rock would work, obviously) and leave a long string on it so that the string hangs out of the tank and I can just pull it up and out when its time to remove it.
Just be careful that the toothpick can't poke out in any way, that wouldn't be a pleasant thing to swim into or to chomp down on!
belmont0182
12-09-2003, 12:09 AM
the toothepicks that i have are mint flavored, should this be a concern to me?
Leopardess
12-09-2003, 12:17 AM
I wouldn't use anything treated or flavored. It can have weird chemicals in it, however minute in quantity. Better safe than sorry, in my book. I'd just get a piece of string.