How do you get your Otto cats their algae wafers? My endlers are pigs!

[thrujenseyes]

Well, sadly I lost one of my little ottos the other day.

I'm sure it was because he couldn't get enough to eat. All of my water parameters have been excellent since I discovered that I needed to be using half RO and half tap. That's been months now. I'd had the ottos for exactly a month (which I'd read that once they make it past the first few weeks, they've a much better chance).
Although if they're not getting enough to eat...that's not going to help anything.

I've tried everything to get algae wafers and veggies to them only to have my endlers crowd the snack and push them away.

They didn't seem to care about the algae wafers much anyway but a few days ago I witnessed something pretty funny...
I broke a little piece and placed it right in front of the otto that I knew wasn't going to make it. All the endlers immediately swarmed the nugget and about 20 seconds later my amano shrimp came out of nowhere, grabbed it and ran (and i mean ran) off with it! He took it under a piece of spider wood and nestled himself upside down in a nook where the fish couldn't pester him and ate the entire thing.
I wish I'd been videoing that!

And last night I'd boiled zucchini slices and added one to the tank after dark for the remaining ottos. Again the endlers went nuts. I saw one otto attempt to eat some but got annoyed by the endlers and left.

The endlers ate until it was gone (but the skin) and looked super fat.
Will they eat until they explode?!

So I'm still at a loss on how to get my poor ottos to eat.

If my tank wasn't so dense with plants and wood, I'd net them and feed them in they're own little quarantine at this point but that's impossible and would probably stress them the heck out anyway.

As I mentioned before, my anubias is very large and hits the top getting too much light which causes algae on the very top leaves. That's where the ottos hang out and eat. They sit in the current under the bright lights.

Should I move the plant? But if I do am I taking away they're only food source (as it won't get algae if I move it.

Sorry for being so wordy.

 

[Bluesand1313]

I've had otos with my bettas, and my bettas have always loved algae wafers. I usually put in 2-3 wafers on opposite ends of the tank (one on the far left, one on the far right, and one in the back). That way, the other fish will focus on one or two, and the otos will be able to have one all to their own!

It's worked for me, anywho.

 

[thrujenseyes]

I've had otos with my bettas, and my bettas have always loved algae wafers. I usually put in 2-3 wafers on opposite ends of the tank (one on the far left, one on the far right, and one in the back). That way, the other fish will focus on one or two, and the otos will be able to have one all to their own!

It's worked for me, anywho.

This was going to be my next experiment.

It's hard when the tank is as tiny as mine as I don't want to gunk it up, plus I worry that the endlers will eat it all and explode.
They're all still fat from the zucchini the other day.

We shall see.

 

[Bluesand1313]

I have a 5 gallon with not so great filtration, and the algae wafers are usually all fully eaten in a day or two, so it shouldn't gunk up your tank.

And well, your endless might be eating a lot but you still gotta feed your other fish!