otocinclus info

[Stentorian]

Within the last few weeks I doubled the WPG in my 20Gtall tank. Thus far the plants seem quite pleased but so does the algae... I'm hoping to get some assistance from fish and shrimp at controlling it along with more frequent water changes. Otocinclus catfish seem to be the best bet as I have read they stay small and do a good job eating a variety of algae. My only concern is numbers... many people seem to recommend keeping 2 or more at a time but I was only looking to get 1. Would just one be okay on it's lonesome?

Thanks!

 

[Jason7894561230]

Yes they can but prefer to be in a group of atleast 3. Have you thought about getting rid of the angel as it gets much bigger? But if you do then you could afford to get atleast 6 more cardinals and some more gold barbs. And you could get some ottos a nice gruop of 4 they are much more entertaining when they play together!

 

[adeebm]

Also, it's best to get to the root cause of what's causing the algae, instead of trying to counter it. If you've doubled your WPG, you probably have a high light tank and will need to be dosing ferts and probably CO2. What algae is it?

--Adeeb

 

[mgamer20o0]

what kind of algae?

 

[BigJim]

+1 for adding CO2.

Otos will only eat certain types of algae. Mine really only chow down on diatoms. I've heard the same thing about keeping otos in groups. I had a pair in my 29g that would swim around together. After one died, I added three more, but now they all pretty much keep to themselves. I've got four in my 29g and five in my 20L and I never see them together.

 

[Stentorian]

Jason - I've never thought about getting rid of the angel, he's the oldest member of my tank and I'm pretty attached to him

The algae is a really deep, dark green color it's growing thickly on my driftwood and rock. It also begins as spots and then quickly forms a carpet on my live plant leaves which concerns me... I did read that CO2 is good for high light tanks but I didn't think 1.5WPG was that high. I saw a CO2 system the other day at PetSmart for something like $35 and have been meaning to research it since I can't afford anything super expensive nor do I fancy the thought of having a DIY yeast system in my bedroom where the tank is.

It seemed that otos would be the best bet for an algae-eating fish to help me out but maybe I'll be better of with the red cherry shrimp or nerites...? I know I need to control the algae mostly myself but I do want to add a little diversity to the tank by adding something in the cleaning department.

 

[Stentorian]

oh and the algae also develops small hairs on the plants so some of the leaves look fuzzy... maybe I have two different algaes going here