Oto's Food

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JackSpadesSI

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
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Michigan
I've currently got an otocinclus alone in my 10-gallon tank. All of his tank mates moved to my 30-gallon. I was going to leave him in the 10 when I introduced the female guppies to that tank. However, after seeing how vicious those guppies are, I'd like to move the oto to the 30-gallon for his safety.

I worry, though, that there aren't enough diatoms or algae in that tank yet (it has only been up for a short time). He completely ignores algae wafers and blanched zucchini. Would he eat off of one of those "moss balls" that my LFS has (I'm not sure if those are algae or moss... or if there is a difference).

Your input is appreciated!
 
You could try the moss balls (if all else fails you have some new decorations in your tank). Have you tried any frozen foods? Sometimes all it takes is a couple blood worms to get him going. Guppies can be traumatizing =)
 
those mariimo balls are actually algae i have one in my tank. have you tried algae wafers or algae or seaweed sheets ikkno carey uses them to feed something in one of her many tanks
 
You can culture algae for them if you really want to. I know a lot of guys that will grow algae on rocks just to feed their algae eaters.
 
You know, I thought they were too. But I've had them eat blood worms. They like the frozen algae too.
 
Oto's should be supplemented with a high quality algae wafer, I reco Hikari, and fresh veggies like zucchini or cucumber. You can get a veggie clip at the lfs that will suction to the tank and hold the veggies for them to graze on. Oto's are prone to starvation, so you're right to be concerned. One key to success with them is to add them to tanks that have been established atleast 6 months. If yours hasn't been, I would supplement daily.
 
My ottos won't touch any food I put in their tank. I put some aquarium rocks in a bowl on a sunny windowsill. Fill the bowl up with water from a pwc, put a few flakes in and let the magic happen. Within a few days I've got nice green rocks, and I just put one in at a time :)
 
Oto's should be supplemented with a high quality algae wafer, I reco Hikari, and fresh veggies like zucchini or cucumber. You can get a veggie clip at the lfs that will suction to the tank and hold the veggies for them to graze on. Oto's are prone to starvation, so you're right to be concerned. One key to success with them is to add them to tanks that have been established atleast 6 months. If yours hasn't been, I would supplement daily.

As I mentioned, though, my oto couldn't care less about wafers or zucchini. I bought the moss ball with hopes that he would eat off of that while the tank matured.

The moss ball has been in his tank since last night and he hasn't even noticed - he's still licking the glass. I fear the moss ball was a waste.
 
Is the water level in your tank right at the top? If it isn't, try raising it a little bit. There's often biofilm above the waterline (from when water has evaporated etc.). If you raise the water level, the ottos will be able to eat that, and it might give you time to grow some algae.
 
LOL I'm sorry I don't know how I missed that :rolleyes:

Yeah, I never see any of my algea eaters on my moss ball besides shrimp. I think the best bet is going to be culturing some algae for them. It's not uncommon for them to be picky eaters...another thing that makes them more sensitive.
 
Another thing you could try is either upgrading your lighting or leaving it on longer. More light=more algae!
 
Rosenweiss said:
Another thing you could try is either upgrading your lighting or leaving it on longer. More light=more algae!

Oh yeah, I forgot that :) my lights are on from 7.30 in the morning til 10.15 at night :)
 
My ottos won't touch any food I put in their tank. I put some aquarium rocks in a bowl on a sunny windowsill. Fill the bowl up with water from a pwc, put a few flakes in and let the magic happen. Within a few days I've got nice green rocks, and I just put one in at a time :)

this really works? and this algae is safe for them to eat? i might have to try this out.

our tank was at least a few months established before we added our otos. there wasn't much green algae in there but tons of diatoms and brown algae from the silica in the PFS we have. they cleaned up the tank within two days and i had to start supplementing. i blanch zucchini and use Hikari algae wafers.
 
mommytron said:
this really works? and this algae is safe for them to eat? i might have to try this out.

Yeah, it's fine for them :) try and get a brand new bowl if you can so it hasn't got any traces of washing up liquid on it. And make sure it's deep enough for the water to cover the stones :)
 
Oh yeah, I forgot that :) my lights are on from 7.30 in the morning til 10.15 at night :)

Oh wow. Well maybe all you need is more time then! My tank took a bit before algae started to grow, even with lights on many hours in a day.
 
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