Should I replace my Oto Catfish?

[flip_lx]

Heres the "situation" i purchased an oto and gold algae eater for my 10 gallon with live plants(cant say planted yet as there are still lots of gaps to fill in). For some reason he upped and died on me yet all other fish are doing fine. In the tank i have the GAE, some pristella tetras and a group of MTS(got for free from lfs when tetras where bought). I can't say i have an algae issue but when the Oto was in my tank he never touched the plants(i bought him because i read they eat the algae off plants without harming them) will the GAE or MTS fill his void if i develop algae or should i replace him?

 

[CaysE]

Otos are pretty fragile for the first month or so in a new tank. I would feed him Hikari algae tablets for the first couple weeks if he doesn't start eating on his own if you replace him. I have two of them, and after a lengthy acclimation (floated the bag and dripped tank water into it for well over an hour), they started eating as soon as I dropped them in.

 

[Thebluyak]

can you keep these oto's with malawi cichlids, red top zebra, yellow labs and a peacock?

 

[Tong]

You should get rid of your Gold Algae Eater. I don't know the exact adult size of a Gold Algae Eater off hand but I know they get huge and aggressive. Traits that do not fair well in a 10 gallon.

Otos occasionally do die during acclimation for no good reason. Most stores have a 14 day guarantee on fish. If it is still within this time period, then simple take him in and replace him for free.

Snails would probably do a sufficient clean up job but I'd still recommend getting otos. What they lack in physical appearance they more than make up for with personality. So much so that I'd buy them even if they never touched algae. I would recommend getting at minimum 3 otos, perferably 6 but that depends on space. This is because otos are schooling fish and like others of thier own kind around.

Edit:

I have two of them, and after a lengthy acclimation (floated the bag and dripped tank water into it for well over an hour), they started eating as soon as I dropped them in.

I acclimated mine for 4 hours and I still lost one. I've bought 7 otos total and have 6 otos survive. That lost oto was the only fish I've ever lost during acclimation. Sometimes they really do just belly up for no good reason...except...he didn't belly up...rather just sat on the bottom and got real stiff...but I digress.

 

[flip_lx]

the thing is the Oto didnt die during acclimation he. I evened the temps dripped then released he was in the tank for roughly 3 days sucking on my glass and driftwood but never touched the plants which is why i was wondering if i should really replace him

 

[Tong]

the thing is the Oto didnt die during acclimation he. I evened the temps dripped then released he was in the tank for roughly 3 days sucking on my glass and driftwood but never touched the plants which is why i was wondering if i should really replace him

Mine was in the tank for 2 days and eating everything in site. Then one morning I woke up and found him dead. I think if an oto can make it a week in a tank they'll be alright and are actually pretty hardy. I give a fish a week before I actually consider them acclimated.

I have heard that they die off during this time because of poor catching and shipping methods. Most otos are wild caught as breeding them in captivity is somewhat rare. During shipping, they are more or less starved the entire time such that by the time you get them, it is too late for all but the hardiest of them.

By the way, my otos are never on the glass, heater, or anything unnatural. They are always on the plants.

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you don't have visible algae, I'd skip the otto. They need a constant supply, because most won't eat any supplements you give them. Some will eat algae wafers and mine even eat shrimp pellets every now and then. The gold algae eater will take care of any algae you have now. I also suggest taking it back because they get around 8 inches, stop eating algae eventually, and get more aggressive with age. Not a great fish to be kept in a peaceful community tank. The 10g is also too small for him.

Take the GAE back and get a refund or credit...then later on when you have visible algae, get a couple ottos.

 

[sherry]

feed the otos kale...buy a bunch, keep it in freezer and twice a week clip a leaf to ur glass with feeding clip... i started doing that six months ago and havent lost an oto in all that time. i am 6 for 6

 

[CaysE]

the thing is the Oto didnt die during acclimation he. I evened the temps dripped then released he was in the tank for roughly 3 days sucking on my glass and driftwood but never touched the plants which is why i was wondering if i should really replace him

Mine didn't touch the plants for a few days either but eventually started nibbling on them. They go back and forth now.

 

[fish_4_all]

My personal opinion is that otos don't do well in tanks that are not stable and have been set up for at least 1 year. They really don't like any variability in the tanks. I just got 4 of them and they are the first ones to survive more than a couple days, 2 weeks now so I have seen it first hand. I think they are the best for small tank mates that will eat algae but needs to have at least a couple of them and a well established tank. If you have this, try getting at least 2 of them if your tank can support them.

IMHO, they do not eat enough algae to make a difference and have not touched my old or new hair algae growth.

 

[sherry]

I disagree. My tank won't be a year old until November. I got my otos in February. The difference between these and otos in other tanks I've had is that I supplement their diet. That is it.. the tank has LESS algae but the little guys are busy at it all of the time. I am very happy I have them. They just starve to death under the wrong conditions. Buy them with round bellies, because if they ahve been starved on the way to the lfs, they may not be able to recover. and make sure you supplement their diet... GOt most of my ideas of picking and keeping them on planetcatfish and it made a huge difference. All of my otos before this in established tanks even died.

 

[fish_4_all]

I would go with sherry then. I can agree that I supplimented mine also when I got them but I used zuchinni. Have never heard of using kale. Will have to try that and see how they do. Mine eat all the time and I can't say I have seen skinny bellies so maybe I just got lucky and had healthy fish this time.