Otocinclus

[bubbles10]

I have a 10gal tank and recently I have had a lot of brown algae growing on the fake plants and decorations in my tank. It started spreading and is now starting to grow on the sides of my tank and on the gravel. I decided to get an otocinclus to help out with the problem, but I feel like it really isn't eating any of the algae? I know they have tiny bellies so he probably won't clear it up very quickly, but I guess I just wanted to double check to see if they do in fact eat the brown algae?

 

[BHead707]

do you have lights on the tank? if so what is your light schedule hours on vs hours off

 

[bubbles10]

I have a fluorescent bulb and it turns on around 2pm and shuts off around 11pm. Water temp stays around 80 degrees F.

 

[siva]

Otos should be stocked in groups of 3, with no more than 1 per 5 gals, so I don't think they are a good candidiate for a 10 gallon tank.

It should be eating the brown algae. They usually land in your tank already starved, so I'd expect it to have at it.

 

[jcolon]

I have a 10gal tank and recently I have had a lot of brown algae growing on the fake plants and decorations in my tank. It started spreading and is now starting to grow on the sides of my tank and on the gravel. I decided to get an otocinclus to help out with the problem, but I feel like it really isn't eating any of the algae? I know they have tiny bellies so he probably won't clear it up very quickly, but I guess I just wanted to double check to see if they do in fact eat the brown algae?

"BA" is the result of excess silica in the water, common in new tanks. The diatoms use the silica's to form their shell, giving the brown color. It usually goes away on it's own, however if your PWC is from tap that contains silicas, common with ground water, then "BA" may never go away.

Yes ..Ottos are known to devour "BA" ... I've heard a solitary Otto can do ok, but they thrive best in groups of 3 or more.

 

[bubbles10]

Are they like the catfish in that they do most of their eating at night time when the other fish are sleeping?

 

[siva]

Yes, they are catfish. Mine are pretty shy and our out grazing the most after lights out. If you are keeping it alone, it's likely to be very shy and scared. They are wild caught fish that are always in the company of others of their own kind.

 

[VioletEmber]

I swear I just read that Oto's don't eat the "grown up" algae, just the very baby algae. So s/he can help you maintain a clean tank but you'll have to fight the current algae on your own. So sayeth the internet.

 

[mfdrookie516]

This is why it's never a good idea to buy a fish to 'fix' a problem. Some otos will eat diatoms, some wont. Diatoms and new tanks go hand in hand. If you don't have diatoms at some point in the first 6 months, you're one of the lucky few. They don't cause any problems and almost always go away on their own. What was your plan for the oto once they went away?

 

[aqua_chem]

As 'rookie put it, this is why many of us ardently fight stalking a maintenance crew rather than dealing with the problem (which in this case was to just wait it out). You now have an algae eater that didn't play like you wanted to in what some might consider a suboptimal stocking situation.


IMO and IME, algae eaters at munching on a health growth of algae in your tank (like any tank should have, especially if it's heavily planted), but they do surprisingly little in the face of a bloom.

 

[bubbles10]

Well I heard at one point that it is good to have an algae eater in your tank whether you have a ton of algae present or not.. I think they are a good fish to have and since having him doesn't make my tank overstocked, I'm not stressing out too much over the fact that he may not be able to help with the brown algae. I will just make sure I put in algae wafers and veggies so he won't starve himself.

And from the sounds of what everyone is saying, the brown algae will eventually go away on its own and is no harm to the tank/fish? So if this is the case, then that is good news to my ears!

 

[siva]

Hopefully it will eat the supplements. Often oto's dont take well to wafers, but I've had better luck with blanched shelled peas and zucchini. They do best in mature tanks, so if it's a newer tank being diligent with supplements is a good idea.