Feeding Otto's

[degsod]

I have got some Otto's in my cycled tank, the problem is they don't appear to be eating, I have put some algae tablets in a couple of days ago but they are still on the bottom, there is some algae on the glass but not much.

The otto's are only small and I have 6 of them. What is the best way for me to get algae to grow, I ahve increase the photoperiod to 12 hours last Sunday.

TIA

 

[Littlemonkey]

Have you plants and wood in your tank, my ottos love to graze on both, ie the alge not the plants. I have never seen my otto's eat any of the food except the time I put some apple in. All mine (3) are doing well. Increasing the hours the light is on if you do not get direct sunlight will help alge growth. As I have both ottos and Apple snails they do a great job of keeping it down, I just clean the glass when I do a weekly 50% water change.

 

[degsod]

Have you plants and wood in your tank, my ottos love to graze on both, ie the alge not the plants. I have never seen my otto's eat any of the food except the time I put some apple in. All mine (3) are doing well. Increasing the hours the light is on if you do not get direct sunlight will help alge growth. As I have both ottos and Apple snails they do a great job of keeping it down, I just clean the glass when I do a weekly 50% water change.

Yep, I have plants and wood in tank and have increased the lights to 12 hours per day

 

[Truck]

you should never keepp ottos in a new tank...you should have left it 6 months before adding them...they feed on brown algae...which grows on slow growing plants and ornaments

 

[degsod]

you should never keepp ottos in a new tank...you should have left it 6 months before adding them...they feed on brown algae...which grows on slow growing plants and ornaments

The tank is not that new, it has been cycling for over 3 months and the filter was seeded with 50% mature media. There is some brown algae on the sides of the tank, I just don't think there is that much, on my other 2 tanks there is no algae at all and they have been running for over 6 months one of them is in direct sunlight.

As I said before I have increase the photoperiod which should help.

 

[Truck]

you should never keepp ottos in a new tank...you should have left it 6 months before adding them...they feed on brown algae...which grows on slow growing plants and ornaments

The tank is not that new, it has been cycling for over 3 months and the filter was seeded with 50% mature media. There is some brown algae on the sides of the tank, I just don't think there is that much, on my other 2 tanks there is no algae at all and they have been running for over 6 months one of them is in direct sunlight.

As I said before I have increase the photoperiod which should help.

3 months still isnt enough...thats new in my book.
ottos have one of the lowest survival rates of all fish because they are put into tanks that are unsuitable and thats why they only last a few months

 

[Littlemonkey]

Truckasauras123 is correct that these are very sensitive fish. I started with 6, 3 now left, mine have now reached their full size and are doing very well, even more surprising mine were originally posted to me, so that any survived is an added bonus. I love em.

 

[degsod]

It makes you wonder how they survive at all, mine came from Columbia originalley, then have been shipped half way round the world then put in a spotlessly clean tank at the LFS before going into my tank. I will keep an eye on them, they have been in there for 6 days now and they all seem healthy swimming up and down the glass. They all seem to congregate in the back left hand corner. Ocassionally swimming upto the far end and back. They have great character, I have still to name them yet thou