Veggies for oto's.

Nepherael

Nepherael

AC Members
May 11, 2012
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Warsaw, IN
Real Name
Brandon
I got some oto's recently and thought they were doing good but I found one dead this morning. I know they're fragile and everything and I do have algae for them to eat but I want to make sure they are well fed. I'd like to put some veggies in my tank and I wanted to explain what I was gonna do and see what you guys thought.

I know people prefer zucchini but I can't get any for a bit (like this evening or in the morning) so I have lettuce. Can I blanch that and use it or is it not nutritious enough? I would think micro organisms would start growing on it after a bit which is what the oto's really want anyway. I have angels and mollies that love algae wafers too so should I put at least 5 small pieces in there to keep the other fish busy?

Also I have some tall grass like this

1338961994250.jpg

It's on the left. The oto's like to hang out on the blades. Do you think if I buried the lettuce in that to keep it away from the other fish the oto's would get to it? I have a feeling I underestimate my fish a lot. I thought my angels wouldn't get into that rock pile but they'll turn sideways and swim through there lol.

Also can I leave it in there til it is gone or does it rot after a while?

1338961994250.jpg
 
I've only fed mine zucchini but if you have any kind of squash or cucumber (not a pickle though) readily available it would be fine. Don't know about lettuce specifically but I don't *think* it would be bad for them. It's also possible your loss was due to the stress of shipping, store tank, and then your tank. It's my understanding that is fairly common with otos.
 
Yeah I actually figured that. Just makes me worried XD they were pretty active at first but they seem to be slowing down a bit. I wonder if I should be worried about having non organic veggies or if that is even a problem
 
That shouldn't matter as long as you are cleaning and blanching them in clean water and not adding any chemicals yourself. I always cut off the skin just to be sure. And my guys calmed down a lot as well, once they got settled in.
 
Awesome, well I'm feeling better now then. I'll keep an eye on them and hope the ones I got weren't too fragile. I know people lose these guys all the time
 
I almost never see my otos. I have a very heavily planted tank and they hide in the plants all the time. I've heard of lettuce being used to feed plecos and other herbiverous fish, and I'm use otos would eat it too, the problem is that if you blanch it, it turns to mush, and then how are you going to get it into the tank where you want it?

Otos have a softer rasp than other fish (the part of the mouth they scrape across things to get algae and diatomes) and can't eat anything that's very firm or tough. I've blanched zuchini and put it in the tank and it sits around for 2 days before the otos go for it because it has to rot and soften a little. After that, they loved it though.
 
Another reason to only put them in a well established tank......
 
Rbishop said:
Another reason to only put them in a well established tank......
Click to expand...

Hmm I had mostly heard just make sure your water is clean and levels are right. For any fragile fish I've heard you should put them in a well established tank but, to be honest, when it comes to a 2 dollar fish that is recommended to be left in the LFS a couple weeks to 'weed out the weaker ones' (which is what I've read over and over) I'm less concerned about waiting months to buy them than I am about just making sure my waters clean, levels are right, and knowing that the ones that do well will likely live a full and happy life.

Update: decided I was worrying too much and didn't put the lettuce in. Made sure I put some algae wafers in after the other fish were asleep. The Otos have been great. After they settled in more I see them a bit more active rasping on my glass and plants and all their tummies rounded out more than at the LFS already. I lost the one out of four and that was within days of getting them home but the other 3 seem to be great and my other fish have completely welcomed them (the Otos have shown no fear which is contrary to what I've heard. They've stayed out in the open with all my fish around them and rasp on the glass or lounge on a plant leaf). I was thinking about adding some zebra Otos to the mix down the road.

Sent from my Droid Incredible using the Monster Aquaria Network app
 
I stated in your previous thread to wait....and there is plenty of information out there on why.....
 
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