bio load

[corydoralover]

I read that dwarf corys and partocinculas ( bulldog pleco ) has a small bio load so could like 5 corys and 5 bulldogs be alright in a 10 gallon planted tank?

 

[Fishfur]

Dwarf cories, like the Pygmy cory, do have a lower bio load than full size cories do. But I have never heard than any plecos are low load. Plecos are said to be as dirty as goldfish if not worse than goldfish. I doubt you'd get away with keeping that many in so small a tank.

The dwarf cories would be fine, but even one pleco would be a bit much for a 10G.

 

[aquandrew]

i wouldn't put a single bulldog in anything less than a 20 long or 29

 

[Goldfish loach boy]

What, you must be kidding, no offense but plecos are a very dirty fish, plus in anything smaller than a 20 gallon, it can become agressive to tank mates

 

[Coursair]

I read that dwarf corys and partocinculas ( bulldog pleco ) has a small bio load so could like 5 corys and 5 bulldogs be alright in a 10 gallon planted tank?

Be careful with Common names.
Parotocinclus sp are Pitbull Plecos. Bulldogs are much larger and AKA Rubberlipped Plecos.

This is your almost exact question
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35848&start=20

The experts were rather split on keeping Parotocinclus in a 10g. The one guy who said go for it was recommending a breeding group and no other fish. Parotocinclus are cleaner than most Plecos and smaller.

I would probably still recommend Otocinclus over them.

Why do you want 5 Plecos in such a small tank ?

My Corydoras habrosus did very well in my 10g. My Otos as well.

I haven't kept Pitbull Plecos personally.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/common/species.php?species_id=236

 

[corydoralover]

So could 5 dwarf cories and 5 ottos be ok?

 

[Samzter]

So could 5 dwarf cories and 5 ottos be ok?

They would but the ottos would need lots of algae. You would have to wait like 5 months before adding them

 

[corydoralover]

Is there a way to make algae grow? In every tank I've ever had algae never grew

 

[Samzter]

Natural light or leave your lights on for a little longer than usual.

 

[corydoralover]

Oh alright

 

[Coursair]

They would but the ottos would need lots of algae. You would have to wait like 5 months before adding them

5 is still a lot of Otos. I have 3. You do not need to grow Algae all over your tank. They should have a well established tank, so the parameters are stable. I clean the front glass and leave the back and sides. If needed, you can put smooth rocks in a shallow pan of water in the sun and grow Algae feeding stations. Mine also eat Omega One Algae wafers, blanched Romaine, Zucchini and Spinach as well as other fish food. With Otos you must remember they are Wild Caught. Look for fat healthy fish , check that bellies underneath are filled out and not sucked up. Same with most of the tiny Cories. The ones you want are C hastatus C habrosus Or C pygmaeus Some "dwarf" Cories are quite large for a 10g. So you want Pygmy Cories species. Learn the scientific names and what they look like. I've seen many Cories mislabeled. I hate Common names as they are confusing. A "Peppered Cory" is C paleatus. I've seen them get very hefty at 3-4" A "Salt and Pepper Cory" is a C habrosus they only get to 1-1.25". Most people incl stores do not use the habrosus' common name. But I've seen members here buy paleatus by mistake. If you have successful well planted tanks, you shouldn't have problems with Algae. Otos eat Biofilm as well, which they love to suck off larger plant leaves ( my Crypts are a favorite ). I almost crashed all my tanks when I was sick earlier this year. My Otos survived.

Btw if you get Diatoms ( soft brown Algae, common in newer tanks, Otos love it ).

 

[corydoralover]

Thanks. So c. Pgymy is the smallest of the 3?

 

[Fishfur]

Coursair, I envy you those Otos who are willing to eat so many things. Mine eat only algae and biofilm. Algae tabs and pellets are ignored. I grow algae on rocks for them, but it's a challenge to keep them well supplied. They are such charming, busy little fish, and fun to watch.

Unfortunately, they can be starving to death and still appear to have fat bellies. This is because Otos are a bit like cows, as odd as that may sound. Cows and Otos both rely on huge numbers of gut bacteria to digest the tough cellulose in their primary foods, which is grass for cows & algae for Otos. This symbiotic relationship with their gut flora works beautifully for Otos in the wild.

The Germans call them Aufwuchs grazers. Aufwuchs is their term for a diet of algae plus any infusorians or other micro fauna that live in the algae layer and are consumed along with the algae, so they're not truly strict vegetarians.

You're quite right about them being wild caught. Cyanide is used to stun them to make harvesting easier, then they're held until a shipment is ready to go. During this time, they may not be fed very well. Without a regular intake of algae, the gut bacteria begin dying of starvation.

So when they arrive at the store, both fish and their gut flora are truly starving, only to be presented with totally unfamiliar foods, and most of the time, no fresh algae. Many of them don't learn to recognize what they are offered in the store tank as food, so a lot of Otos won't eat algae tabs or veggies.

If they don't eat the man made stuff, they subsist mostly on biofilm and any bits of algae they may find. Algae grown on rocks or some other surface is the best food you can offer them. I put any jugs I culture green water into their tank when they're empty and the Otos clean up every single scrap of dried or left over algae inside them, leaving the jugs looking like new, ready to sanitize and use again.

Once they arrive in the store, in the first week, the weakest fish die. After 2 or 3 weeks, those that are left have the best chance to live a good life. I don't buy until they have been in the store a minimum of 7 days, but I prefer to wait 3 weeks. I may still lose some in the first few weeks after I buy, but after two months at home, I don't expect to lose any more.

So the main reason many Otos die within a few weeks after purchase is starvation. Since they're usually not very expensive, people generally just buy more, never knowing why any of them died.

 

[Coursair]

Thanks. So c. Pgymy is the smallest of the 3?

Yes, but not by much. They are all around 1".

 

[Coursair]

Coursair, I envy you those Otos who are willing to eat so many things. Mine eat only algae and biofilm. Algae tabs and pellets are ignored. I grow algae on rocks for them, but it's a challenge to keep them well supplied. They are such charming, busy little fish, and fun to watch. Unfortunately, they can be starving to death and still appear to have fat bellies. This is because Otos are a bit like cows, as odd as that may sound. Cows and Otos both rely on huge numbers of gut bacteria to digest the tough cellulose in their primary foods, which is grass for cows & algae for Otos. This symbiotic relationship with their gut flora works beautifully for Otos in the wild. The Germans call them Aufwuchs grazers. Aufwuchs is their term for a diet of algae plus any infusorians or other micro fauna that live in the algae layer and are consumed along with the algae, so they're not truly strict vegetarians. You're quite right about them being wild caught. Cyanide is used to stun them to make harvesting easier, then they're held until a shipment is ready to go. During this time, they may not be fed very well. Without a regular intake of algae, the gut bacteria begin dying of starvation. So when they arrive at the store, both fish and their gut flora are truly starving, only to be presented with totally unfamiliar foods, and most of the time, no fresh algae. Many of them don't learn to recognize what they are offered in the store tank as food, so a lot of Otos won't eat algae tabs or veggies. If they don't eat the man made stuff, they subsist mostly on biofilm and any bits of algae they may find. Algae grown on rocks or some other surface is the best food you can offer them. I put any jugs I culture green water into their tank when they're empty and the Otos clean up every single scrap of dried or left over algae inside them, leaving the jugs looking like new, ready to sanitize and use again. Once they arrive in the store, in the first week, the weakest fish die. After 2 or 3 weeks, those that are left have the best chance to live a good life. I don't buy until they have been in the store a minimum of 7 days, but I prefer to wait 3 weeks. I may still lose some in the first few weeks after I buy, but after two months at home, I don't expect to lose any more. So the main reason many Otos die within a few weeks after purchase is starvation. Since they're usually not very expensive, people generally just buy more, never knowing why any of them died.

Yes, very true. I am lucky mine eat well. Rapashy gel foods are another good one to try. My friend feeds her Hillstream Loaches this as well.

My Otos even suck on Omega One Shrimp pellets .
Omega One has few fillers and good ingredients.