Alternatives to otos?

[Derringer]

I think the otocinclus might be too small for my 75g - at least running an RUGF with powerheads ...

I purchased 6 yesterday and today I found 4 of them dead on the ledges of my two Aquaclear 70s (2 on each) I guess they got drawn in by the suction in that area - didn't even know that area created a powerful suction but it must.

I was sort of worried that they would get drawn into the main intake, which is actually the discharge in reverse, but no they were caught up in a different area. IMO there should not be any suction in that area; as it sure doesn't lend itself to a safe environment for some fish!

I've never had otos before; but had read the are the best when it comes to brown algae. Hopefully I can fidn some bigger than 3/4" - maybe some full sized 2" otos; that wont be lured into the sucking of the powerheads.

If this darn RUGF is that hazardous to smaller fish; I might have to rethink my stocking plan; which consist of mostly fish around 2" full grown - meaning most when purchased will be closer to 1" maybe less.

Either that or I scrap the RUGF; geesh what a way to start out!

 

[Jayhawk]

Healthy otos shouldn't be sucked onto the intake or the ledges of your AC70s. Otos, like most plecos, are designed to handle currents.

However, otos really do best in established tanks only. Even when adding bio-spira, there is a bit of a cycle. Heck, anytime you add otos there is a chance you will lose some because they're stressed by shipping and often come in starving and too far gone to survive. Here's my thoughts on getting and keeping otos:

1) Only add to an established/fully cycled tank. Actually, it's best if it's been up and running for a few months minimum and has some tasty brown algae in there, so don't scrape the glass for a week or two before adding them.
2) Do not buy from new shipments. Watch the LFS for a week or two and only buy ones that you can tell have been eating (i.e. - no sunken bellies).
3) Slowly acclimate to your tank's water - using either drip acclimation or slowly adding tank water to the bag (it takes me 2 hours to acclimate any fish in my tank - I add small amounts of tank water every 15 minutes until I've double the quantity in the bag).

Even then, you can still lose an oto or two when adding them to your tank. However, once they're there, than can live a goodly amount of time (my record has been 5 years with two different otos).

Eric

 

[Derringer]

I guess I picked the wrong "first" fish to add into a new tank. Chemistry wise everything was perfect; so I dont think it had anything to do with the tank; if it wasnt the powerhead, then I'll take your word for it that they were most likely just too stressed.

Not only that they were from a new shipment at petsmart; I shouldnt have bought that day but having just received my shipment of bacteria the urge got me. They had a lot of dead fish in their tanks yesterday - the keeper said the fish were stressed that they had just got many of them in.

I had punctured the bag and floated it in the tank for an hour to let water transfer and the temperature level out. I then cut a larger opening and let the fish slowing come out on their own - it took close to 3 hours before they finally all found their way out. All 6 of the otos we purchased had sunken bellys - the remaining two still do. I placed a couple wafers in there - hopefully if they are starving they will find them and eat!

If/when I go with otos again I will look for some that are bigger than 3/4 inch; they were so delicate.

 

[ct-death]

Otos actually prefer swift water as this is their natural habitat.

I have 2 Otos in my 75G and they love it and do an ample job.

As for Otos, try to get some that have been at the LFS for a week or better and that look a tad 'fat' or plump (health-looking).

And yes they really need a well established tank to survive: 1) for algae (food), and 2) b/c they are usually in a weakend state (see below):

The reason for is in the way they are collected in the wild (Breeding in captivity has not proven effective or realiable enough). They use cyanide usually to temproarily paralize them and float them to the surface for collection. Thsi does perminent damage, and they will generally survive this, but those do not only last a couple of weeks...just long enough to ship them and get sold to people like us!

 

[Aislinn]

You shouldn't puncture the bags and let the water mix with your tank water. You can never be certain what's in that water - maybe it's fine, maybe it's got who knows what in it. Float the intact bags in your tank water for 20 minutes to let the temperature adjust. Then add very small amounts of your tank water to the bag every 15 minutes until you've doubled the amount of water in the bag. With Otos, you want to spend at least 2 hours acclimating them to your water chemistry. They are very sensitive when first introduced. Then net the fish out of the bag and add them to your tank.

One other thing you need to be aware of is that Otos can be incredibly finicky eaters. Some will never accept anything but live algae growth. This is why they should never be recommended to beginners, and shouldn't be added to new tanks. Some Otos can be trained to accept veggies or prepared foods, but it's not easy and it doesn't always work. Hopefully yours will learn to accept something other than algae growth, which I'm guessing your new tank doesn't have. Try blanched zucchini. That might tempt them more easily than the wafers, which they most likely don't even recognise as food.

 

[Jayhawk]

Good suggestion on the zucchini - deshelled frozen peas might tempt them, too.

ct-death - interesting stuff on how they're caught. That explains their poor initial survival rate - I'd always thought they starved during shipping and simply didn't recover.

They really are hardy little beasts if you get healthy ones, and quite dedicated to ridding your tank of algae.

Derringer - except for the choice of fish, you did everything right. What else you wanna stock that tank with? You should add the fish soon to keep the bio-spira bacteria alive.

Eric

 

[Aislinn]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention earlier - most Otos, or at least all the ones I've ever had, spend little to no time on the substrate of the tank. Mine are almost always on the glass or driftwood. Sometimes I'll see them on a leaf, but usually it's the glass or wood. My plants are fake, though, so maybe they'd spend more time on them if they were real. They certainly do love real driftwood.

Anyway, my point - I really do have one, honest! - is that it helps to get the food where they are, in the hopes that they'll bump into it as they're zipping around, realise it's yummy and eat it. What's always worked well for me when training Otos to eat veggies is to use one of those suction cups with a little hook on it. Some stores have them in with housewares for hanging window ornaments or some nonsense, and others have them in with the bath stuff for hanging puffy net sponges in the shower. I spear blanched veggies on one and hang it on the wall of the tank. If you put the veggies right in the way of where they're plowing over the glass looking for algae, they just might eat them.

I really hope it works out for you. Otos are fantastic little fish. Cute as buttons and super hardy once they're well established. Chubby little piggies, too. Mine'll eat just about anything. They LOVE zucchini and brussels sprouts. They also like spinach, cabbage, cucumber, kale, collard greens, peas, broccoli, green beans, kiwi, and honeydew. They'll accept wafers, but they don't go crazy for them by any means.

 

[Derringer]

Otos actually prefer swift water as this is their natural habitat.

Yah, I just read that a bit ago; so I am comfortable that it wasnt the powerheads that took them out. ctdeath, thanks for the informative post - sure helps put my mind partly at ease; while at the same time making me upset with the system - poor critters; I'm confident they were just over-stressed. (blaming the system and not myself - LOL)

What else you wanna stock that tank with? You should add the fish soon to keep the bio-spira bacteria alive.

Jayhawk, I went with a hardier fish; a friend told me choose either black skirt or bleeding heart tetra; I went and purchased 8 of the later.

You shouldn't puncture the bags and let the water mix with your tank water.

Hmmm never had a problem with that before; but I understand the potential for issue.

... Otos can be incredibly finicky eaters.

I have a pleco in another tank feed him veggies on the suction cup clip all the time - had planned on doing the same with the otos; but I'll have to wait and give the tank a few more weeks/months to age - the last two ended up in the powerheads shortly after I last posted.

Chemistry is still ok; I just had some bad luck ...

PH: 7.5
TRI: 0ppm
TRA: 0ppm
AMO: 0ppm
TEMP: 75F
Water: Slightly Hard

The tetra look awesome when they are schooling!

 

[Jayhawk]

I like both black skirt and bleeding heart tetras myself.

Otos at PetSmart can go pretty quickly (either through sale or death on arrival). I tend to look in the tanks on the same row as the oto tank, but not in the oto tank, a couple of weeks after they get a new shipment. Often, a few will sneak between the slits in the dividers they use, and these may be doing really well and be missed by most buyers...just a tip.

Eric