otto or cory?

[Sahabo]

Which do you suggest for a 10 gallon planted tank with a betta in it and how many should I get?

 

[bs6749]

Definitely ottos since cories are larger and would take up more space. Like ottos they'd prefer to be in groups. I would suggest 5 ottos for your setup.

BTW, are you putting all of that java moss in your 10g setup or is some of it going elsewhere? Five golfball sized portions is a LOT of moss for that tank LOL!

 

[Sahabo]

the java moss will be split up into several tanks plus I'm planning to make a moss carpet in one of them.

so ottos would be your recommendation. I don't know a whole lot about them yet. are they easy to care for?

 

[bs6749]

Ottos are hit and miss as far as quality. Some people claim that they are hard to care for but in my experience with them they weren't as "fragile" as some people said they were. It's all a matter of obtaining good stock I suppose. I must have been lucky and gotten good ones because I never really had any problems with them.

 

[new2betas]

I just bought an otto last week from Petsmart and he is thriving in my 29g community tank. It does have a lot of soft green moss in it (on the walls, etc.) though, so I don't know if that is why he is doing so well or not. I have also heard that they are hard to care for, but mine seems to be doing great. I did take about an hour to drip acclimate him, however. They only had one of the little guys in stock and he looked well fed, so I took a chance....

 

[mike47517]

Ottos and cories both like to be in groups. I have 3 albino cories in my 10 gallon, and they do just fine. But i have heard that this wasnt the best choice for my tank, They sould have some more space like a 20 gallon tank or so. IMO i would get a few ottos like 4 or 5. And for how difficult it is to care for them i have never had a problem and i agree in saying their not as fragile as most people say.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I strongly suggest ottos. Like people said both like to be in groups but cories are bigger. So a group of 5-7 ottos in a 10 gallon would be good. Plus cories don't really eat algae which ottos do. So ottos would be over all better choice for a planted aquarium.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Be sure to feed Ottos some algae wafers and maybe some veggies every now and then, especially if you get a big group.

 

[OldMan]

My personal favorites are the pygmy cories. You could easily keep 4 or 5 in a 10 gallon with a light stocking like your betta. I keep C. Habrosus, C. Hastatus and C. Pygmaeus. All 3 get to less than 1 1/4 inches long at adult size and seem much smaller. Of the 3, I think the habrosus have the best personalities but all of them are a delight.
I also have a few otocinclus. The otos can be a bit hard to keep after they clean out all the algae from your tanks. I have successfully kept 2 in a 10 gallon but more than that would never get enough to eat.

 

[Sahabo]

thanks everyone! After all your feedback, I'm leaning towards getting 5 ottos. So once they clean up all the algae, I'll make sure to have some wafers/vegies on hand.

Just out of curiosity, could a small group of ottos do ok in a planted 5 gallon as well?

 

[bs6749]

I'd say you could do 4-5 ottos in a 5.5 with a betta for example. Ottos are small and don't need tons of room. They dont' produce lots of waste either. The only problem is that they'll quickly eat all of the algae so it'd be important to feed something like algae wafers as mentioned.

 

[tomherndon]

I'm promoting the Oto love. They're not as obvious as cories, but when they are out darting around, they're pretty too. I really enjoy the vertical at rest position they frequently take on hardscape and aquaria walls.

Mine are best observed with the tank lights out, but fair overhead lighting in the room. And they go for the spirulina wafers as well as shrimp pellets in my tank.

 

[Sahabo]

excellent thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[Taelen]

Just thought I'd add I have 3 cories in this type of setup and I think they're great. =)

 

[mike47517]

IMO 3 ottos in 5g just fine.