otto or albino cory

[Fish_0]

what should i get and how many for a 55 g tank for cleaning? Can I give them brine shrimp?

[ChilDawg]

What? That's not a coherent statement. Could you possibly use a punctuation mark to separate it?

I'll answer the best I can...

None. You should not get Cories just for cleaning purposes, nor should you get Otos until the tank has matured...and with either one, be prepared for supplemental feedings.

Also, I refuse to answer this without knowing the inhabitants of the tank (number, name and size) and the water parameters as Cories and Otos are more likely to need certain water conditions than many other fishes commonly available in the hobby.

[rwspear76]

What? That's not a coherent statement. Could you possibly use a punctuation mark to separate it?

I'll answer the best I can...

None. You should not get Cories just for cleaning purposes, nor should you get Otos until the tank has matured...and with either one, be prepared for supplemental feedings.

Also, I refuse to answer this without knowing the inhabitants of the tank (number, name and size) and the water parameters as Cories and Otos are more likely to need certain water conditions than many other fishes commonly available in the hobby.

Who the heck are you? The punctuation Nazi? That was sort of an assinine thing to say, if you dont like how it is written don't respond.

And you already answered the question that was posed.

[apratsunrthd]

rw, isn't your post as pointless as his???

as is mine...

[ChilDawg]

Actually, mine was not pointless--and I don't know if I answered the question that was posed because of the brine shrimp part...I was hoping that it would spur the OP to clarify, not to generate flames. Was it a bit tactless in how it was handled? Sure, I recognize that. But was the intent with which it was done good? Yes, I wanted to be able to answer the OP's question and couldn't without it being separated into the two distinct parts I think it was supposed to be...

[YoFishboy]

what should i get and how many for a 55 g tank for cleaning and give them brine shrimp

Hey Fish_0....it does depend on what other fish you plan to stock...if it is going to be a tank full of smaller, peaceful, traditional "community fish", like tetras, rasbora, mellow barbs, etc. then I think either will do....Ottos help with algae, and Cories are omnivores...IMO, I believe the Albino cories are hardier and more active....a group of 5 or so will look cool in a tank that size....do your research, take your time, and you will have a great tank!

[icecubez189]

depends who its roomies would be. i wouldn't add bottom feeders to the tank if its relatively new. you'll want it to be established for some weeks or months so that it'll be stocked with things for the ottos or cories. you'll have to supplement bottom feeders with additional sinking pellets, so yeah, don't get them just so they can clean up algae or your tank.

[plah831]

otos will only rarely accept normal bottom feeder wafers. Mine won't touch them or "algae wafers" because the first ingredients are meat-based. They do like Omega One Veggie Rounds because the first two ingredients are kelp and spirulina. They are sensitive to water quality, so your tank must absolutely be cycled and balanced before you can add them.

[ChilDawg]

I think that zucchini would be good for otos...

[apratsunrthd]

No offense meant to you at all, Chil... I'm with anyone who calls Jay on typing like a 2nd grader.

And you're right about the zucchini... mine like cucumber more, however. Three of them can go through a decent sized slice in less than a day.

[Ghostshrimp55]

I know there are people here who will go into fits and convulsions over this but, I cycled my tank with a school of zebra danios, 3 julii cories and 3 schwartzii cories and a few plants. Almost a year later I still have all of the cories and they're all doing great (returned the danios after a few months.....very annoying fish). I don't supplement my cories' diet with anything. I just let them eat the flake food that reaches the bottom. They do a great job cleaning it up. None of them are scrawny. All have great color and they're all nice and plump. Don't know why all the fuss over the need for special treatment.

Ottos, however, are touchy mainly because of the way they are caught and shipped. To the best of my knowledge no one is really captive breeding ottos. I'm not certain about this but, from what I've read, it seems that they are all wild-caught. Because they live in environments with lots of branches and the like on the bottom they are nearly impossible to catch. That's why chemicals are used to stun the fish so they float to the surface. Then they can be scooped up with a net. The chemicals can be really harmful to their organs and the ones that survive are sometimes in bad shape. Next, they're stored in tanks without algae and shipped to wherever they're going to be sold. So, they're poisoned and starved. Not a good recipe for survival. That's probably the reason why they need a stable tank environment....to start off with. Once they're established, however, they are very hardy. I have 7 in my 55. When they're out in the day time (that's pretty rare, btw) I can see that they have nice plump bellies and thick tails. That's a definite sign that they are happy and eating well. Make sure that you have plants in the tank with them, that's kind of a "must." If you're worried about not having enough algae you can supplement them with blanched spinach, zucchini, cucumbers or lettuce. Just don't leave that stuff in there for more than a few days. It could foul the water.

When I first introduced my ottos to the tank I wanted to make certain they had a food source beyond the algae that was present. So, I did add blanched veggies for them in the beginning. Interestingly enough, while I'd find an otto or two eating a piece of zucchini or spinach every now and again, the cories completely ignored it. They invariably went for any scrap of flake food that reached the bottom without touching the blanched veggies. If there was no food, they just went back to hiding. Weird.

I think you indicated in your post that you would be feeding your fish brine shrimp? Ottos won't really bother with it (although some of the sources on them say they will eat flake foods and the like to get more protien on occasion). The cories will eat what hits the bottom. However, it should not be the only food source. Mix it up a bit. Feed your fish some frozen blood worms and flake food, too. Not all at the same time but, every other couple of days. Just change the menu now and then. Your fish will benefit.