Feeding Otto Cats

[Signus]

I noticed recently that my otto cat is plowing through all of the algae in the tank faster than it can grow back.

Will algae disks be effective at feeding the little guy? I noticed my cory catfish love the disks as well. They're only a few cm long as compared to the 4.5 cm otto.

Any ideas? I would be willing to blanch lettus and other greens for the guy to eat.

[Blinky]

Algae wafers should do the trick, though they'd probably appreciate veggies too :)

[Signus]

Will otto cats just smell the disks and then latch onto them, or do they need to figure out that it's food?

[Blinky]

It may take a feeding or two before they get used to it, I'd try adding a piece around the same time each evening - eventually they'll figure it out. My bristlenose was very hesitant to eat his wafer the first day. The second day, hunger made him braver and he would dart out, taste the wafer, and then as soon as another fish came near he'd go back into hiding. By the third night, he'd sorted out that the disks were delicious, and now he won't let anyone else near!

[Aqualung]

As Blinky said, it will likely take them some time to recognize a new food source as food. Mine didn't touch veggie wafers the first time I tried, but after that they went nuts over them. Veggies are good for supplementation as well. Try different veggies such as spinach, romaine lettuce, zucchini, seedless cucumber, etc. and see what they like. My otos seem to prefer the wafers over anything else, but I still offer them a variety of vegetables.

[Signus]

Cool. Thank you very much.


As far as the veggies are concerned, do I blanch anything that I put in the tank for ottos? For lettus, can I just put it in the tank without any preparation?

[reiverix]

My otos prefer zuchinni followed by squash and yams. I can't get them to eat wafers as my corys are like a pack of hyaenas on those things.

[redbucket]

My otos prefer zuchinni followed by squash and yams. I can't get them to eat wafers as my corys are like a pack of hyaenas on those things.


i try feeding wafers (since I have a package of them) to my ottos every fre days, but they are scared off by my angel and the tetra every time. i've tried putting the wafer in at the same time as i feed the other fish to give the ottos a chance, but both the angel and tetra will eat a wafer over flake, or even bloodworms and shrimp!!

[ambrosiamonkey]

I've learned to feed my otos a piece of zucchini every few days, or else they start to nibble at the plants. Cucumber is a distant second. Algae wafers are okay, but the tetras and rainbows all crowd around it picking at it. They aren't as interested in the zucchini. (I just zap in in the microwave for a minute or so, let it cool down to room temp, weight it down with a plant weight, and drop it in. )

[Signus]

Cool! Great ideas. For lettus, can you just blanch it in the microwave as well? Thank you! I think I'm starting to get attached to the little sucker. He's been very busy cleaning the tank and it looks great.

I just need to get my staghorn and fuzz algae under control now.

[tomm10]

My otos won't touch the algae wafers. They just sit there and grow fur when I put them in. I feed a slice of zucchini once a week or so and they love it.

What I do: I buy a smaller sized zucchini, wash it and slice it into thin pieces by cutting at a bit of an angle. Then I put the slices into a feezer bag and stuff it in the freezer. When it comes time to feed I put a slice into the microwave for about 30 seconds. I run it under cold water until its cool then I clip it inside the aquarium. Real easy.

Tom

[mishi8]

My otos won't touch the algae wafers. They just sit there and grow fur when I put them in. I feed a slice of zucchini once a week or so and they love it.

What I do: I buy a smaller sized zucchini, wash it and slice it into thin pieces by cutting at a bit of an angle. Then I put the slices into a feezer bag and stuff it in the freezer. When it comes time to feed I put a slice into the microwave for about 30 seconds. I run it under cold water until its cool then I clip it inside the aquarium. Real easy.

Tom

I'm interested in feeding veggies to my fish, but have been hesitant... Do you use organic zucchini? Or is it okay to use "regular" zucchini, and just rinse it well and peel it to remove pesticide residue?

[tomm10]

I'm interested in feeding veggies to my fish, but have been hesitant... Do you use organic zucchini? Or is it okay to use "regular" zucchini, and just rinse it well and peel it to remove pesticide residue?

I just wash it well. I won't go so far as to buy better food for my fish than I do for myself ;)