Otos (otocinclus) are great. I got mine when I first noticed brown diatom algae growing on my plants (need more light and then, CO2). I thought the plants were dying because of my lighting situation but then I noticed I could rub the brown off. So, I went to the LFS and bought 5 otocinclus cats. Overnight the algae was gone! I also put in some blanched spinach, a sheet of dried, cooked spinach (like nori only made from spinach) and a piece of cooked cucumber. They're strictly herbivores (well, mostly) and I wanted to make sure that they had enough food, especially since I just introduced them) and I didn't know which they would go for more. Apparently, they like everything I've put in there, so far.
From what I've read about them these fish are all wild-caught, and can be pretty delicate. This is mostly because the way in which they're caught is extremely stressful. Make sure your tank is cycled and your pH is stabilized and near neutral. I wouldn't get more than 1 per 10 gallons, at least that's what I've read. Also, they can die from stress in about a week so don't buy new arrivals. Try to get fish that have been in the store for a little bit. They might also benefit from an extra long acclimation period when introducing them to your tank. I let mine sit in the bag, in the tank, for about an hour. I added a few squirts of my tank's water to theirs at 10 minute intervals during this time. Next, I strained them into a net and released them into my tank. They're all busily eating now. We'll see how they do over the next week but, right now, they seem really cool and do a really good job of eating algae.
From what I've read about them these fish are all wild-caught, and can be pretty delicate. This is mostly because the way in which they're caught is extremely stressful. Make sure your tank is cycled and your pH is stabilized and near neutral. I wouldn't get more than 1 per 10 gallons, at least that's what I've read. Also, they can die from stress in about a week so don't buy new arrivals. Try to get fish that have been in the store for a little bit. They might also benefit from an extra long acclimation period when introducing them to your tank. I let mine sit in the bag, in the tank, for about an hour. I added a few squirts of my tank's water to theirs at 10 minute intervals during this time. Next, I strained them into a net and released them into my tank. They're all busily eating now. We'll see how they do over the next week but, right now, they seem really cool and do a really good job of eating algae.
