Getting otos on Wednesday, any advice?

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Dragonchild85

Aquarium Advice Regular
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Dec 7, 2004
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Hey.

I ordered two otos for a 40 gallon tank covered in algae, and will be here Wednesday. (I order them through a lfs that does not stock live animals, but there is a fish breeder in town that every monday they order their fish, and he drops them off Wednesday on his way into work). I didn't realize at the time how small they stayed. As I did more research, I discovered that apparently, they are extremely difficult to keep alive for the first couple of weeks. Any advice here? I do NOT use the float bag method...I ease the bag and water and fish into a clean pitcher used only for fish transport, and use airline tubing to syphon off tank water at a rate of ~5 drops per second. I was told by a saltwater pet store manager that this is the best acclimation method on 'delicate' corals and etc, so why not use it on less delicate freshwater fish?

Aside from that, is there anything I can do to keep them alive? Do oto's get territoral? Is 2 too many, or too few? I orignally had plecos, but they get too big, and the other lfs told me corydoras would clear up the algea, but they haven't been, they stay on the bottom playing tag and scavenging like they are supposed to. So, otos are my next best bet I guess. The tank is covered...the main ship decoration looks very realistic due to the algae, and all the glass rocks are 'furry', and my mom commented that the 'live' plants were coming along very nicely...she thought the plastic were real due to the algae!

My light is on for about 6 hours a day, during peak visual times, and I am extremely reluctant to cut it back anymore. If otos won't do the job, then I'd rather remove the decorations and scrub every week then cut back the light.

After much rambling, any and all advice would be most welcome!!
 
I would get one or two more otos. Otos need to be constantly grazing and feeding to be happy and healthy. A plump little belly means a happy oto. Check them when you pick them up that they are not too skinny. If the breeder is bringing them to the store right before you get them, they should be fine. It's when they stay at the lfs for any length of time that they may not get enough to eat since lfs like to try to keep the tanks algae-free.

It sounds like you'll have plenty of algae for them to eat in your tank. After they clean up the algae a bit, you can also supplement with algae wafers, veggies like zucchini, squash, broccoli (the stalk), and spinach leaves. I used to get one spinach leaf a week from the bulk bin at the grocery store when I had a pleco. See which veggies end up being a favorite in your tank!

Here's a good otocinclus webpage: http://www.otocinclus.com/newoto.html
 
I agree with lonewolfblue, groups of three or more are suggested, and for your size and algae load, the more the better! I started out with four of them in my 20 gallon. Two of them died about two days after getting them, but the LFS warned me about taking them because they just got the shipment in earlier that day. The two I have now seem very happy, even though there is not hardly any algae in my tank. They are very active suckers, and should be very happy in your tank.

I have read that if the otos are fat when you get them, then they should survive for a long time, but if they are skinny they may not make it. The two I have remaining were fat upon purchase, but the other dead ones were tiny.

Makes sense.
 
get five, I have five and their loving life and they dont get paid for my clean up job lol
 
i only have 2 in my tank and they are very happy and healthy. they always hang upside down on my plant leaves as they sway from the current of the filter lol. kinda funny to watch
 
I can agree that they are often difficult to keep alive initially. I bought 3 last week after watching the tank of them at the store for a few days. The day after they arrived at the store, I saw several of them dead, but no apparent disease in any of the LFS's tanks. So I waited a few days and bought some of the survivors. One of mine did not make it a day, but the other two seem very happy.
 
Thanks guys. So it pretty much seems to be hit or miss on the apparent deaths?

I just wanted to be safe that I was not overcrowding the otos on grazing areas, or if they were territorial.

I will call the lfs tomorrow and see if they can still tack on some more otos. I've ordered 2, would making it six be too many?
 
I agree on the "hit and miss" theory with oto deaths. It's a mystery as you may get hardy ones or weaker ones. I recall the first few I tried a few years ago wouldn't last more than a couple of months. Now I have 2 in my 29gal and 2 in my 10gal for well over a year and they seem be plump and happy. I have not observed any type of aggressive or territoruial behavior. As a matter of fact, they tend to hang together and prefer company.

I don't think 6 is not overcrowding otos in a 40gal. You'd be surprised how small they are... I don't think any of mine are more than an inch and they are fully grown. I would say my small cory catfish seem larger than otos.

Good luck and I hope they work out.
 
Six sounds about right. Expect to lose a few. They seem to like a current, but also do fine without. Coloration should be strong with a dark brown stripe along the sides. Most of mine are about 1 1/2".

Good luck!
 
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