Yeah I read all that on otocinclus.com but you were the only one of all my resources that suggested waiting upwards of a year (I actually didn't go to that link you provided in my old thread and used the oto website I mentioned). It's not that I'm saying you're wrong I just know that there's a lot of answers in this hobby and I know that they had plenty to munch on from that film to the soft algae that usually grows big time in newer tanks (which I read they loved so thatished me in the direction of being ok with them also). Most everything I read mentioned what you mentioned (as far as catching practices with cyanide and stuff) and that's why it suggested to not buy them from a lfs til they've been there a while to let weak ones 'die off'. Not my words. So I took the plunge using my best judgement based on what I read. I do dissolve the algae wafers and they aren't hard when I put them in spots for the otos, just mushy and I'm pretty confident the rest of them will do fine as there's plenty to eat. There's enough soft stuff growing I'm pretty sure they're not even caring about the algae I'm adding either lol
I think it's important to separate the various issues here:
1. Wild-caught otos can be damaged by their capture and subsequent starvation during shipping and time spent in the LFS (which causes loss of the special gut bacteria that enables them to digest algae; once that bacteria is gone, the oto will starve to death no matter how much it eats). So, if at all possible, it's much better to buy domestically bred otos like that from James0816 on these forums. IMO, waiting to buy the older ones from the LFS will only work if the store keeps their otos in tanks with a plentiful supply of soft algae/biofilm. Most do not and so waiting to buy them might not have the desired result.
2. Otos, wild-caught or domestic, are highly sensitive to water conditions and changes in those conditions. For that reason, an extended (3 hour) drip-acclimation is sometimes recommended for all otos, regardless of their point of origin. Additionally, I believe that adding several otos to a tank can cause enough of a blip in water quality to affect these sensitive fish, and I'm beginning to think that it would be wise to do WC every day for a week after adding them to a tank, as a safeguard against even the briefest of mini-cycles.
3. A new tank does not have the necessary biofilm/aufwuchs to properly feed otos. Yes, they will eat diatoms that appear as new tanks are becoming established — but that's not a ready, ongoing source of food. Your tank really will need to age and become fully established for there to be a full complement of aufwuchs for your otos to eat. Although it is possible to feed veggies, etc. that is intended to supplement a food supply that should be present at all times and which does not exist in a newly established tank. Also, wild-caught otos may not feed on anything other than algae/aufwuchs. Most will learn to eat softened zuchinni, etc. but otos often won't eat algae tablets (dissolved or not), especially not brands containing fish meal. Look for 100% vegetable content — or buy
veggie flakes from Kens Fish. (Grind them into very, very tiny flakes, add tank water to make a slurry, and then add the slurry to the tank at lights out. It makes a very fun blizzard effect, btw.) Otos do have to learn to eat the Kens flakes, too.
4. RB may have been the only resource you found who recommended waiting more than a year to add otos — but every source I've read, and multiple threads here on AC, recommend waiting six months or more to age a tank properly prior to adding otos. I think it's a bit disingenuous of you to claim that because recommendations vary you couldn't wait even a few months. Unfortunately, it's a common event for people on AC to ask for information about fish they are considering adding to a tank, then add them immediately without waiting for responses, and then argue with those who respond to the thread because they don't like the information provided.
I do wish you all the best with your otos. Keep up with the supplemental feeding and do lots of water changes to keep tank conditions as stable as possible. I really enjoy my otos — but I learned the hard way just how necessary it is to provide exactly the conditions they need.
