Please tell me something about Otos

[frog girl]

Sorry to hear about your oto troubles but also a bit suprised.

My otos are the toughest fish in the tank (have 6) and love to play together in the outflow from my pump. I have had them all more than a year & in that time have lost 2 rubber nosed plecos (one after several months). I am not a big water changer. I really only do it when its vacuuming time about every 3-4 months. Water changes just seem to stress all my fish out terribly (no no chlorine in water). I usually don't refill the tank entirely right away but do so gradually over a couple day period.

As with other veggies they are very fond of peas (pealed & steamed).

I also have real driftwood in my tank though which the otos chew on occasionally so maybe that is what makes the difference??

Good luck.

 

[blang]

I do have driftwood in the tank which he spends a lot of time hanging on to. I tried spinish yesterday but he didn't seemed too interest. Do the peas sink? Maybe I'll try that? So far the only food he really likes is the zuchini.

My tank would be a disaster if I waited that long to vacumn and clean. It is a 10 gallon and is heavily stocked. I had a major fight between two fish so I had to move a couple of fish to this tank in order to keep peace.

 

[blang]

OK, I bought my second otto yesterday. He's very small compared to "Tom" but very active. This morning I went to check on my fish and couldn't find the new otto (Jerry). Everybody in the house was looking and then suddenly, my son noticed that the biowheel wasn't turning. I picked it up and there was the little guy, stuck in the biowheel. I tried to catch him but he jumped away too fast and went into the plastic part, underneath the biowheel. I have an eclipse hood. After trying for a half hour or so to coax him out, we had to give up and leave for the day. I took the biowheel out and floated it in the tank and prayed.

When I got home, about 8 hours later, he was happily cleaning the glass as nothing special had happened that day.

 

[RoK]

Good thing you left the biowheel floating, glad he's ok.

 

[black udder]

There are a number of pleco strains which grow from 3" to 18". The bristlenose get around 4-5 and there are some that get around 7", too.

I wouldn't sweat the Otos. As long as nobody is picking on them, if things go well, they'll adjust and they'll find food after-hours.

I've had a raphael cat for over a year and I haven't seen him eat yet.

Just give them some time to adjust to the tank. Hopefully, they'll adjust and be fine and you won't have to worry about the algea or feeding them