Feeding Otos

[The-Raven]

I bought a pair of otos today for my 29gallon. My tank is in the nitrite stage of it's cycle, and I noticed an abundance of brown algae starting to spring up.

I put them in the tank and as I suspected, they pretty much just stick around the sides of the tank, and seem to not even be interested in the algae growing on the plants and rocks.

Will they eventually take interest - or will they simply starve? I did buy algae disks to throw in there every now and then, but I wasn't planning on doing that until the algae already there got cleared up.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

well, there's a good chance they'll just kick the bucket; otos are rather sensitive fish. don't feel bad or anything; they'll keel over in perfect conditions just as quickly. fickle little things...

i'm not certain if they'll eat brown algae or not. brown algae is a new-tank issue that generally clears up on its own. just to be safe, i'd throw in a wafer once a week or so. that'll keep them from starving in any case...

 

[fishdudein]

Yes, just be patient, once they get settled they are excellent algae eaters. Mine pretty much eat whatever they can find, though, so if I do occasionally overfeed then the algae goes untouched.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

just give them some time, oto have a chance of dying when you first get them. it has something to do with the bacteria in their stomach

 

[The-Raven]

well, there's a good chance they'll just kick the bucket; otos are rather sensitive fish. don't feel bad or anything; they'll keel over in perfect conditions just as quickly. fickle little things...

i'm not certain if they'll eat brown algae or not. brown algae is a new-tank issue that generally clears up on its own. just to be safe, i'd throw in a wafer once a week or so. that'll keep them from starving in any case...

Well according to the description : http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=35094 they 'love eating brown algae'... after reading that I went to the store immediately.

I read that they are sensitive and I hope they don't die, but dying fish is just part of the game I guess.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

Well according to the description : http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=35094 they 'love eating brown algae'...

well, there you go!

 

[gaya]

my oto's didn't do much initially either. though i threw a pleco in there to do the major clean up work and the oto's have managed well with the upkeep.

 

[The-Raven]

my oto's didn't do much initially either. though i threw a pleco in there to do the major clean up work and the oto's have managed well with the upkeep.

I don't really want to get a pleco because... well first of all i think they're hideous. I've found pictures of some that i like the coloration of - but my LFS doesn't have any of them. Secondly, they get too large. I could have one, but then by the rule of 1 inch to 1 gallon, that'd severely cut my stocking options.

 

[gaya]

my oto's didn't do much initially either. though i threw a pleco in there to do the major clean up work and the oto's have managed well with the upkeep.

I don't really want to get a pleco because... well first of all i think they're hideous. I've found pictures of some that i like the coloration of - but my LFS doesn't have any of them. Secondly, they get too large. I could have one, but then by the rule of 1 inch to 1 gallon, that'd severely cut my stocking options.

i don't mean for you to get one. i was too impatient for them to get going on the mess. I had a good amount of algae in there and i think it may have been too much for them cuz they're so little but once the majority of it was gone (and i removed the plec) they've kept up with it just fine. maybe you could just do a good cleaning to help them get started. and plecs are so cute. rubber nose plecs only get to be about five inches long from what i understand. my guy is a total hoover vac.

 

[freddyk]

The best thing you can do is try to grow healthy green algae. Even if your otto's end up eating the brown diatome algae (if they have no choice) it is not providing them nutrition. I'd highly recommend feeding them yourself from the start, and make sure you do a lot of water changes, they can't handle a cycling tank very well. Good luck.

 

[The-Raven]

The best thing you can do is try to grow healthy green algae. Even if your otto's end up eating the brown diatome algae (if they have no choice) it is not providing them nutrition. I'd highly recommend feeding them yourself from the start, and make sure you do a lot of water changes, they can't handle a cycling tank very well. Good luck.

The wafers I bought say that they're made up of blue green algae... whatever that means.

Sucks about the cycling tho.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

make sure you do a lot of water changes, they can't handle a cycling tank very well. Good luck.

read his post more carefully

 

[The-Raven]

make sure you do a lot of water changes, they can't handle a cycling tank very well. Good luck.

read his post more carefully

guess I should pay more attention to posts

 

[veen]

my otos love blanched zucchini but don't really seem to like the wafers. my pleco, on the other hand, will hoover up anything!

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..agree with the above....sometimes in the first few weeks of buying them, Otos kick off without any warning. Has to do with transporting, change in diet, etc. Don't feel bad if they do. I have a 50% success rate. I'll tell you what they love...SPINACH leaves. Get the large leaf bag in the produce area....and freeze the leaves. That breaks up the cellular structure and softens it. Get one of those veggie clips and clip it to the tank wall 1 or 2 times a week. Pretty soon you'll see him clinging to the leaf and holes punched in it. Never had success with spirulina pellets (algae pellets). Good luck. SH