Otto Feeding habits?

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Gundy

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
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150
Location
Kansas
I've had an otocinclus catfish for about a week or two now and I am concerned about him eating. He is in a 10 gallon tank with 5 other tiger barbs. The barbs don't even notice him, nor do they bother him. Hes a healthy fellow, pretty small but has a nice plump stomach. But I don't have that much algae in my tank (if any now) - or that I can see. But he does poo alot.. and I mean alot so he has to be eating something..

I've dropped a thin slice of cucumber in and he never touched it, the barbs didn't even like it either. I also tried some algae wafers, I broke it in half and put the pieces at opposite ends and he never even bothered to look for them the next day - again the barbs didn't even touch the wafers.

Should I be concerned? If hes pooing obviously hes eating something, but I have read at http://www.otocinclus.com/ that most of them die from starvation. Hes a cool little fellow and the barbs get along with him just fine, which is great. There are plenty of hiding spaces and a boat load of anacharis. He has been acting great to, swimming ALOT and he just loves the flexible air stone.

Any suggestions? Don't worry about it?
 
Poop out = food in

However, I agree with you that in time he will run out of diatoms and other things he likes to eat. I have never had luck getting them to eat algae wafers. Blanched spinach, lettuce, and zucchini stuck on the glass on one of those clips goes over pretty well with them in my tanks.
 
Mine don't eat wafers either. I cut up zucchini and then stick the slices in the freezer. That way I can thaw just a bit (and the freezing/unfreezing process makes them softer and apparently more appealing). The otos love it. I've heard they really like things mushy...and unlike my pleco have seemed much more picky, maybe for that reason. I also agree you're ok right now if he's pooping and has a round belly. :)
 
I was just worried because I don't see much algae in the tank anymore. But I guess hes eating something with the way hes pooin.

I tried cucumber awhile back and nuked it in the microwave and of course let it cool and dropped it in the tank, it flew all over until I put a little rock ontop of it. But none of the fish even bothered to touch it.
 
Also blanching your zucchini will make it softer and IME the otos will munch on it overnight. Veggies are a hit with my otos.
 
Freezing things is a great way to make them more appetizing to picky fish. The freeze bursts the cell walls and in my tank is the difference between my BN pleco eating the food and ignoring it.
 
Ottos eat algae but they also eat the slime coat that forms on the walls of the tank and items in the tank. Sometimes they have been known to attach to a fish and eat the slime coat from their body, to the detriment of the fish.

I have ottos in my tank, I don't do anything special for them. In fact I started with about 10 of them and although its hard to say for sure, I think they may actually be breeding because I could swear I have more than I started with. Actually counting them all to prove it is another story.
 
7Enigma said:
Freezing things is a great way to make them more appetizing to picky fish. The freeze bursts the cell walls and in my tank is the difference between my BN pleco eating the food and ignoring it.
Click to expand...

You just chop up a couple slices and throw them in the freezer.. and then when you want to feed them do you just toss the slice in the tank or let it thaw?
 
I wash a couple leaves and place them wet in the freezer. Then when I need them I pull one out and attach it to the side of the tank with my magfloat. A veggie clip would work even better but I don't have one and the magfloat suffices.

A cucumber slice or other vegetable/fruit would work the same way (just take longer to freeze).

I never had luck feeding any of my fish (especially the Oto's and BN pleco I was targeting) with a floating slice/leaf. I only get them to feed if its stationary and near the mid-bottom. A lot of people just weight them down with rocks, but I now have so many MTS that I would just be feeding them!

I'm going to hit the barter/trade forum soon to trade some of these guys for some plants/fish!
 
I keep hearing about these veggie clips, but my LFS thinks I am crazy when I ask about them!

Are they available anywhere online?
 
7Enigma said:
I'm going to hit the barter/trade forum soon to trade some of these guys for some plants/fish!
Click to expand...

Not to burst your bubble, but I have tried. The facts are that you can walk into petsmart/petland/etc and they will give you every one they can catch free of charge and then thank you for taking them off their hands. To them they are a pest that clogs their filters and are of no value and for that you can't trade or barter them, or even give them away for the cost of shipping.

If you have too many, the best thing to do is spend a few hours picking them out, putting them in a coffee mug and then giving them a nice scalding hot salt bath.
 
Alshain said:
7Enigma said:
I'm going to hit the barter/trade forum soon to trade some of these guys for some plants/fish!
Click to expand...

Not to burst your bubble, but I have tried. The facts are that you can walk into petsmart/petland/etc and they will give you every one they can catch free of charge and then thank you for taking them off their hands. To them they are a pest that clogs their filters and are of no value and for that you can't trade or barter them, or even give them away for the cost of shipping.

If you have too many, the best thing to do is spend a few hours picking them out, putting them in a coffee mug and then giving them a nice scalding hot salt bath.
Click to expand...

Well then I'm the exception to the rule.....since the way I got them was through a forum member (liquidphyre I believe), since no one in my area carried them (and we have PetSmarts and LFS' galore). :D

That method of extermination sounds a bit harsh too! 8O
 
SparKy697 said:
Some might disagree with you... I and others have done exactly that on this site. It's all about who wants what and what they are willing to trade for it.
Click to expand...

I don't think they are of no value, I do have a planted tank after all. The pet stores think they are. I couldn't find anyone who was willing to buy or trade something that they could get for free.
 
I picked up a veggie clip finally, from a petstore out of town. My only problem is, after leaving this past weekend I have green algae all over the front of my tank. And my otto hasn't touched it one bit.. could he just be well fed? The rest of the tank doesn't have much algae.

My wife got a 'rubber nose' pleco and it cleaned her ENTIRE tank over night. No sign of algae what so ever.. better then what my otto has done.. I was told ottos devour algae!
 
Honestly I do not know where that comes from. You hear that ottos eat algae all of the time. I have not found this to be the case. They go to town on the diatoms, but pretty much ignore the algae.

More urban legends I guess.
 
So they just eat veggies then? I keep hearing them as a clean up crew fish..
 
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