ottos sucking onto other fish

i don't know that you can stop the otos, do they seem to be doing any damage to the other fish?
Lovely tank, by the way.
 
msjinkzd said:
i don't know that you can stop the otos, do they seem to be doing any damage to the other fish?
Lovely tank, by the way.
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Hi Jink.

At this rate, they'll have a tendency to suck on the slime coat which protects the fish from pathogens and skin diseases.
 
right, i get the slime coat thing, but is it likely to cause an issue with the fish he has? I would imagine the only way to alleviate the problem would be to move the otos.
 
msjinkzd said:
right, i get the slime coat thing, but is it likely to cause an issue with the fish he has? I would imagine the only way to alleviate the problem would be to move the otos.
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It will likely since any pathogens will easily penetrate the epidermis without the slime coat shielding it.
 
I find that this behavior stems from the LFS you get them from. Oftentimes at the LFS, they are underfed if fed at, because of the common nonhobbyist belief that they only eat the algae on the tank sides. You need to throw algae tablets in there for them to get them more focused to them. When I got the last 3 ottos I got just recently, they also exhibited this behavior and when I added the tabs, the behavior dwindled and now they don't do it at all. IMO, any fish that targets slime coat feeding is underfed.
 
I agree, DD. Algae alone not enough, it should be home to lots of micro-foods. It's not always allowed to grow enough to support these other lifeforms, we like clean tanks so we can see our fish.
Not all otos adapt to manufactured foods offered. Mine seem fond of Tetra wafers & Tabimin; algae wafers, veggies & flake, not so much.
 
i feed the tank flakes, colorbits, pelets, and vegetables every day. they are definetly not underfed. maybe they were starving in the store though. im thinking of just removing them. i add stress coat every day and occasionally medicate for ich as a precaution. do siamese algae eaters, flying foxes, or bristlenose plecos suck onto other fish? maybe these guys and common plecos are the only ones that exhibit this behavior.

thanks for the compliment jink, i put a lot of work into it and will continue to do so (been set up for only a month). i have a source for tons of moss and just cant seem to run out of places for it. either way i guess my tank will be a case of survival of the fitest.
 
jaysen said:
do siamese algae eaters, flying foxes, or bristlenose plecos suck onto other fish? maybe these guys and common plecos are the only ones that exhibit this behavior.
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A lot of plecs can suck on slime coat. SAE's and flying foxes don't. CAE's do and will get this habit as they mature.
 
so i guess im making an order for sae's and some foxes. i have a pair of bristlenose plecos and they actually get pestered by the otto's, would they also suck onto fish once i remove the otto's?
 
jaysen said:
so i guess im making an order for sae's and some foxes. i have a pair of bristlenose plecos and they actually get pestered by the otto's, would they also suck onto fish once i remove the otto's?
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No. It will depend on the fish. Provide them plenty of foods so they will not resort to sucking slime coat to satisfy their appetite.
 
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