Otocinclus

[ChrisWalker]

Hi all.

I'm considering getting a couple of these guys and have a couple of questions.

1: Algae has always been a problem in my planted tank (BBA - not expecting the otos to eat this, now under control due to Excel). On the glass there is what looks like a dusting of green algae. It's not too bad but it looks messy. It is scraped once a week, but would adding otos control this a little more?

2: Diet, other than algae, would these guys eat the catfish pellets I have for my corys? Also, what other foods might they like?

3: I've read they're somewhat delicate, how true is this? It shouldn't be too much of an issue as my water is good consistently.

4: Group sizes...What's a good, small group size of these? Do they need to be in groups? Or is 2 a good number for a 28 UK gallon (33 US) tank.

Thanks.

 

[Marinemom]

Ottos are a great addition and will eat most kinds of algae except the green slime algae. They especially like the brown algae called diatoms. I would suppliment thier diet with some algae wafers since they really are busy little guys and are constantly looking for food. For some people they do tend to be on the delicate side and are sensitive to poor water conditions. They are very social little creatures and will play better togather if they are maintained in a group of three or more.

Hope this helps.

Marinemom

 

[Hound]

My ottos seem to forage durring lights out and pretty much every other day or so will be hanging out in my group of cories as they eat their sinking wafer food. I use both hikari algae wafers and sinking wafers.

I'd try to keep them in a group of three or more myself.

If at all possible observe ottos at your lfs. If they seem healthy for a couple of weeks then buy some from there. Also acclimate slowly. What I did was to essentially float their bag and add 1/2 cup of aquarium water every half hour for about 4 hours.

 

[icecubez189]

1. otos will each just about all types of algae except for Blue Green Algae (which is acutally just bacteria. I've seen them consume BBA algae.

2. sinking wafers such as algae and spirulina. supplement with fresh veggies such as cucumbers, zucchini, spinach.

3. they are quite delicate and easily stressed in different water conditions. you'll want to acclimate them like every other fish only a bit more slowly. I did mine over a couple of hours and the water in the bag was changed 3 or 4 times. still, out of the 3 i purchased, 1 died a week later after introducing them. the other 2 are doing great. after the first month of having otos in your tank, it should be healthy from then on.

4. you'll want to get 2 at the least, 3 and more is very much preferable as they very social with each other. you have a pretty spacious tank so 4 or 5 is an acceptable amount.