Amazing Otos!

E

evster

AC Members
Oct 12, 2006
76
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0
San Diego, CA
Just had to share my experience. I was having a small problem with brown algae covering the leaves of some of my plants, so I added 3 Otos to my 10G last night on the recommendation of some of you on this forum.

I came home from work today and the tank is literally spotless!! (Ok there are a few patches of algae that remain, but you get the idea :)) My plants have never looked more alive and vibrant. Its great. I highly recommend getting some Otocinclus catfish if you have algae problems like I did. Pictures of my 10G and also my 20G coming soon!
 
yep, they'll do that.
 
thats why I need a couple
 
well you better find something else for them to eat now or they will starve...algae wafers or a slice of Zuccinni.
 
they do be awesome .... but are dang hard to keep alive...in my short time keeping fish they do seem to be the most sensitive fish I have. I am trying bulldog plecos....they stay small and have a ferocious appetite for algae as well...keeping fingers crossed....started with 6 ottos and 3 bulldogs and now down to 4 ottos and only has been three weeks. By the way...dang fish need to be radar tagged or something...darn fish can hide better then a needle in a hay stack! Drives me nuts counting fish and not being able to get a good count on the ottos!

Anyways grats on the algae removal!!! Keep them guys fed!
 
Thanks guys. I agree that they may be hard fish to keep alive. I actually got 2 of them a couple months ago, but both died within a week. I was having some problems with a very low pH and a mini cycle I caused by throwing away my filter media back when I didn't know better. I don't think those Otos ever felt comfortable enough to make a dent in the algae.

Now my readings are perfect and the new Otos are doing their job much more quickly than I anticipated. Is zucchini the best vegetable to feed them if they tear through all the algae?
 
Zucchinis are quite handy. I usually put a slice in a glass with a bit of water (just enough to cover the slice) and put it into the microwave. One of my otos loves zucchini. The other one is not so fond of it, but likes cabbage leaves. Just try what your otos like.

Don't worry about dying otos. It's normal that nearly half of them dies shortly after introduction into the aquarium. The survivors usually make it much longer. I think it's just stress-related. They don't take stress very well.
 
They don't take stress well, and most people think they're seriously mistreated (poisoned or worse) when captured. Vast majority of ottos sold are wild caught.

They're kind of the canary in the coal mine fish. They're usually the first to go when something goes wrong.
 
Definitely the canary! It its always best, IMO, to not introduce otos until your tank is very well established, 6-9 months down the road. Good Luck with yours! :)
 
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