what won't oto cats eat?

[MMantelli]

I decided to get a few oto cats today and was wandering if there's any kind of algae they won't eat? And if there is will an amano shrimp eat it?

 

[Coursair]

I decided to get a few oto cats today and was wandering if there's any kind of algae they won't eat? And if there is will an amano shrimp eat it?

Algae eating Shrimp and fish typically eat soft green Algae. BBA and other nasty types aren't usually eaten.

That's why you should feed your algae eaters and control algae by timers on the lights , not overfeeding and PWCs.

I leave my back walls alone to grow biofilm and a little green algae. I wipe down the front as needed.

Live plants help and Rapashy Gel foods are good to try for Otos. Super Green.

 

[MMantelli]

I was just wandering I have a little algae here and there on some of my slower growing plants. I keep my lights controlled by a timer and dose glut and pps pro. So its not like its out of hand or anything. And I also do the same thing with the black glass. I feed all my fish New Life Spectrum only and I have there H2O wafers for my clown loaches in a different tank that should work for them right?

 

[Coursair]

I was just wandering I have a little algae here and there on some of my slower growing plants. I keep my lights controlled by a timer and dose glut and pps pro. So its not like its out of hand or anything. And I also do the same thing with the black glass. I feed all my fish New Life Spectrum only and I have there H2O wafers for my clown loaches in a different tank that should work for them right?

Otos are Wild Caught. They may or may not eat prepared food at first. That's why they need an established tank.

Mine eat flakes
Omega One Algae Wafers
Shrimp foods
Rapashy gel foods
Etc

When they are new, if needed ill put smooth rocks in a bowl of water in the sun, to grow them some green Algae.

 

[MMantelli]

There's algae in there for them to eat. My main question is what types of algae will they not eat?

 

[Coursair]

There's algae in there for them to eat. My main question is what types of algae will they not eat?

I did answer you, I'll try putting it another way:

They like Diatoms ( soft Brown Algae) and new Soft green Algae.

They won't / can't eat every other kind.

Blue-Green
BBA
Green Spot
Hair Algae
Etc...

Plan to offer food. Blanched zucchini , Spinach, Romaine, shelled peas, Rapashy.

If you search AA you'll find lots of posts on feeding Otos. I don't know NLS content. I feed Omega One algae wafers, once they started accepting them. Plus my tanks are heavily planted.

 

[Avocado Man]

I have never figured out what my otos eat. I have had them for three years and they survive even when other fish die, and I have never been able to feed them anything, try as I might - they reject veggies, sinking algae wafers, etc.

Somehow they survive, probably off of tank algae (diatoms like Coursair mentioned) and whatever deliciousness grows on the driftwood that they spend 90% of their time hiding in. They certainly avoid hairy algae.

I stressed out about not being able to feed them at first, but somehow they are the hardiest fish in my tank. I no longer worry about them.

 

[MMantelli]

I did answer you, I'll try putting it another way:

They like Diatoms ( soft Brown Algae) and new Soft green Algae.

They won't / can't eat every other kind.

Blue-Green
BBA
Green Spot
Hair Algae
Etc...

Plan to offer food. Blanched zucchini , Spinach, Romaine, shelled peas, Rapashy.

If you search AA you'll find lots of posts on feeding Otos. I don't know NLS content. I feed Omega One algae wafers, once they started accepting them. Plus my tanks are heavily planted.

Thank you that's clearer now time to I'd the algae I do have and figure out how to rid my tank of it.

 

[Fishfur]

Otos need soft algaes. If a tank hasn't got much, or they eat it all, which they can do in a very short time, you need to feed algae tabs or sinking pellets with algae in them. They usually will clean the the stuff that grows on leaves off very efficiently, so long as it's not black brush or hair type, which is too hard for them to eat.

Blanched spinach is often appreciated, but you have to cook it until it is very, very soft or they won't take it, because it is too hard. It may take them a few tries to figure out they like it. Mine swarmed over a spinach leaf, but did not actually eat any for a few days. Now they love it. Be sure to remove any uneaten veggie the next day, or it will just rot in the tank.

As Coursair said, they really can't manage any of the firmer, or hard algae types, like hair and green spot, etc. And they won't eat blue green, which is actually cyanobacteria, not algae.

They rely on bacteria in their guts to digest the cellulose in their diet for them, and this is one reason newly arrived Otos often do not live long. Because they are caught using cyanide, and then held for a bit before shipping and they are not fed, the gut bacteria start to die off. So once it gets to a store, a fish may eat until it's stuffed and still starve, if the bacteria have not grown back yet. Best to wait at least a week before buying. You can't really sure they will survive until they've been in the tank about two months. If they live that long, they should live for years. They are surprisingly hardy, once they get past the trauma of being caught and shipped and their gut flora return to normal.

It is thought they probably also eat small critters than live in the algae mats they graze on in the wild, what the Germans call Aufwuchs. Full of bacteria, tiny crustaceans, probably insect larvae, that kind of thing. Very small, no hard shells, and they get eaten sort of by accident. So some pellets with a bit of fish or shrimp in them may also be taken, and make a nice change now and then. But unless your tank has plenty of algae in it all the time, be sure whatever you feed has some good algae in it, spirulina is one of the best. I have seen them eating microworms, but don't know if they ate them because they like them or because the worms were on top of what they actually wanted.

 

[MMantelli]

Thanks for all the advice I hope they make it I like the little suckers. LoL