Oto - Is this true ?

[rvijay07]

Is it true that Oto is NOT a hardy fish and that it is difficult to keep them alive ? Please share your experience. Thanks.

Vijay

 

[targaboy78]

I don't think I would classify them as "difficult to keep them alive" but they require high filtration along with high aeration.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=923

A planted tank with rocks and driftwood will provide plenty of hiding spaces to prevent the fish from becoming stressed. Lots of vegetation and some algae will sustain the Otocinclus. However, if algae are not present, supplement with a vegetable-based flake or wafer food.

However, my personal experience, I HAD three of them. ('HAD' being the key word)

 

[shawmutt]

I have two out of four left, I don't think they're that delicate. However, I don't particularly like them and won't be buying any more.

 

[loganj]

I have had them in the past. I have found them to be somewhat delicate at first. Once you get them acclimated, they seem to do well. They may require supplemental feeding if there isn't enough algae in the tank to sustain them though. If you buy some, I would acclimate them slowly and offer some pelleted algae based food occasionally.

 

[d9hp]

Hmm, I bought two, sat in a parking lot for an hour and a half, went home acclimated them and they lived until I took them back, then again, they never cleaned a thing

 

[rvijay07]

My Oto's are almost 3 weeks now. There is always an excess of algae in my tank. They will not touch bottom feeder pellets. Will they eat vegetable pellets ? Can I assume that they have been acclamatized to my tank now ?

I feel that usually people buy too many Oto's and when the algae in the tank are gone the Oto's die.

Vijay

 

[Spy_90]

i got 3 of them yesterday, all 3 are doing fine today : )
and they have made a big dent in my algae already =D

 

[TankGirl]

Otos eat mainly the diatoms, or the brown algae. The problem is that when they arrive at the fish store they are put in tanks that are generally free of algae, so by the time you get them they are rather starved. In my experience the ones that last a few days to a week in your tank are the ones that will last a good long time. They will not eat the blue/green (cyanobacteria) algae, hair algae, and for me they don't do much for the green spot algae. If you be sure and adjust them to your water parameters, which should be as close to the fish store's as possible, by slowly adding your tank water to the bag over an hour or so, then netting them into your tank, you are doing as much as you can do. I have some Amano shrimp that do a great job on hair algae, but many, many types of fish will eat those so you have to be careful about tankmates!

 

[rvijay07]

What is good for Green Algae removal ? I am glad that you adviced me in this regard. I have a tank with green algae and was considering buying Oto's for this.

 

[rvijay07]

By the way, my tank is flooding with brown algae again. However, my Oto's are staying is just one corner. Why is that ?

Also do Oto's breed in captivity ? What are the conditions ? How to tell male from female ?

 

[TankGirl]

Otos usually do eat brown algae, so I have no ideas about why they are not eating it. How many do you have? They are a schooling fish, so you need a few of them (at least four, if your tank is big enough) so they may be lonely if you have only a few.

The plecos are good at cleaning green spot algae. If your tank is small or if you are close to being stocked then go with the bristlenose or the rubberlip - they stay small and are good cleaners. They do prefer some driftwood to munch on, tho, and that makes them serious waste producers, so factor that in. It may be simpler to scrape the algae yourself

 

[rvijay07]

I Have 3 Oto's. This corner that they are in, also had some browm algae before.

Is it easy to breed Oto's ?

Vijay

 

[TankGirl]

Not easy to breed, if memory serves.

 

[rvijay07]

Thanks. This is good to know. That is what I felt. So, would you say that most that are sold in the stores are wild caught ? Thanks.

Vijay

 

[TankGirl]

Otos are almost always imported. The best way to ensure that you keep a school of them is to create a "conditioning" tank for them before you introduce them to your community tank. You put a small (5-gal or so) tank in a sunny window with a few guppies and a sponge filter, and when you get your brown algae, you purchase your otos, about 6-10 of them. You condition them in this tank and once they are quarrantined there for a couple of weeks they are ready for your main tank. This will ensure more success. Visit planetcatfish.com and read some of the articles on this interesting fish.

 

[rvijay07]

That is a very informative site indeed. I have book marked it and will read it at my leisure. Thanks.

 

[TankGirl]

Yes, I can't recommend this site enough for any kind of catfish, from corys to plecos and beyond. Click on the Cat-e-log and choose the common name sorting feature.