Feeding Otos

[hroom88]

I got my second batch of Otos for my 75g a fortnight ago. So far they are all thriving and done a great job cleaning up the glass. Problem is, soon there will not be much algae left for them to munch on. Fearing this I am trying to get them to eat a variety of veggies, problem is they don't seem to be interested at all. I've tried cucumber, spinach, algae wafers, blanching them or serving them raw but they simply wont eat any. Anybody has any suggestions or found themselves in a similar situation?
I was thinking of moving them to a small quarantine to get them used to served food, but don't if its going to work.

sry for the bad pics.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Are you sure they don't eat the wafers?

Get a brighter light and grow some more algae! lol

 

[Rivercats]

Many oto's won't eat processed or fresh foods. They are all wild caught and while some do learn to eat algae wafers or raw zucchini or cucumber many won't. The main diet of oto's is biofilm which is in abundance in a mature tank. It coats all surfaces. Oto's eat bio-film, diatoms, and green dust algae for the most part. I have had good luck with many eating Repashy Algae foods. They are a powder that you make a gel out of.

 

[hroom88]

If they wont eat processed foods, and biofilm isn't in abundance whats the alternative?

 

[hroom88]

Get a brighter light and grow some more algae! lol

Lol!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/can-anyone-identify-this-algae-311215.html

And no, they dont eat all kinds of algae.

 

[Rivercats]

You obviously have a planted tank and trust me if it's over 3-4 months old all surfaces are coated in bio-film. If you feel your tank glass, or leaves on your plants you will notice all have a coating which is the bio-film. Unless you have way too many oto's for a tank where there isn't enough bio-film to support them your oto's will do fine.

 

[hroom88]

You obviously have a planted tank and trust me if it's over 3-4 months old all surfaces are coated in bio-film. If you feel your tank glass, or leaves on your plants you will notice all have a coating which is the bio-film. Unless you have way too many oto's for a tank where there isn't enough bio-film to support them your oto's will do fine.

Yes its planted. 7 months old. 9 otos-75 USg.
Thing is biofilm takes time to grow. But the otos eat 24*7. That way they would be finishing quicker than the biofilm can grow. And that was my concern.

 

[foxyhasswag]

Don't forget that they will eat any leftover foods and dead plant matter


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[hroom88]

Well someone suggested I keep some blanched veggies in the tank for a day. They need to get adjusted to a particular food. Apparently they have a taste that's acquired. Might be worth a try.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Many oto's won't eat processed or fresh foods. They are all wild caught and while some do learn to eat algae wafers or raw zucchini or cucumber many won't. The main diet of oto's is biofilm which is in abundance in a mature tank. It coats all surfaces. Oto's eat bio-film, diatoms, and green dust algae for the most part. I have had good luck with many eating Repashy Algae foods. They are a powder that you make a gel out of.

biofilt? Is that the crap that gets all over my airhoses and pump hoses? Aprently it "Grows" better on vinyl hose than anything else lol.

Lol!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/can-anyone-identify-this-algae-311215.html

And no, they dont eat all kinds of algae.

I got a simple Aquaeon modular LED on my 29 and with 2 daylights and a colormax BAM brown algae all over.

Don't forget that they will eat any leftover foods and dead plant matter


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Yeah I always over feed flakes a bit for my bottom feeders, I'm planted too so I'm hopping phosphates aren't much of an issue but my Pleco and Pictus seem to clean everything up in the night.

 

[Rivercats]

Don't forget that they will eat any leftover foods and dead plant matter.

Oto's do not eat left over fish foods or dead plant matter. On rare occasion some oto's learn to eat algae type processed foods such as algae wafers, New Era Plec Pellets, and especially the Repashy gel algae foods.

Remember all these fish are wild caught and some acclimate to processed and fresh foods but some never do. Biofilm once established grows quite quickly on everything. Feel how fast the inside of your glass gets coated after cleaning it with an algae magnet. Unless you literally have way too many oto's in a tank it won't run out of enough bio-film to feed them.

 

[hroom88]

Unless you literally have way too many oto's in a tank it won't run out of enough bio-film to feed them.

What about 9 for a 75g?

 

[Rivercats]

Honestly if the tank is planted IMO that is not too many. Remember bio-film grows on every surface which means if you have plants each leaf top and bottom has bio-film as well as every other surface in the tank and glass. I just broke down my 220g a couple days ago and took over 60 out of it. I have 8 in my 55g and am adding more since I don't have any nerite snails in the tank.

 

[hroom88]

Honestly if the tank is planted IMO that is not too many. Remember bio-film grows on every surface which means if you have plants each leaf top and bottom has bio-film as well as every other surface in the tank and glass. I just broke down my 220g a couple days ago and took over 60 out of it. I have 8 in my 55g and am adding more since I don't have any nerite snails in the tank.

This pic was taken a month ago. Have made minor changes, but the flora is more or less the same.

 

[hroom88]

...edited...