New Tank, Few Questions, Ect Ect Ect

[Snooks1!]

While I was at the Really Not so LFS ( an exta 30 miles farther than the not so LFS I go to... and much better of a store too....) early today to help my mom get some fish to cycle her tank with I picked up a catfish...The name of this fish eludes me still....and my first question was this:

Could some-one ID this fish? It's name started with an O


His name is Otis...Which had something to do with the type of fish he is but, I'm having a huge brain fart at the moment.

Secondly....I also bought a female betta and a 10 gal tank for my female sorority with a whisper 10 filter and heater. My question about this is....Would taking the media from my other betta's fitler and put it into my new tank make it so I don't have to cycle?

And lastly... ( aesthetics only ) Do you guys , and gals! , think that I should add another 5lbs of black gravel to darken up the bottom.... or do you think it's decent looking as now?

 

[rabbut]

Otis is an oclocinctus (spelling)

A bit of mature media will greatly help speed the cycle, and may even prevent you from having to perform one.

A bit of black wouldn't go a miss IMO

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Snooks1!]

Cool Cool, thanks for the speedy reply Rabbut! I really appreciate it. Now I just need to find out the correct spelling of oclocinctus...

 

[rdd1952]

The correct spelling is Otocinclus and here is a link to some info on them. They seem to be extremely delicate and prone to sudden deaths. As a general rule you should ask how long the shop has had them before buying. They are all live caught and don't travel well so there is usually a large die off when they arrive at the shop. if they hae had them for a couple weeks then most of the ones that aren't going to make it will have already died. Even at that, I (and a lot of other members) have still had no success keeping them.

As for the filter, while there will be beneficial bacteria on the filter from the betta's tank, remember, there will only be enough bacteria to handle the waste of the single betta so putting it in a sorority tank with several other bettas will most likely result in some type mini-cycle depending on how many fish there are. Keep in mind that under optimal conditions (proper pH, higher temperatures, etc.), beneficial bacteria usually double their masses about every 24 hours so if you go from 1 betta to 4, it will take 3 or 4 days for the bacteria to catch up so will need to keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and do water changes as needed.

 

[Snooks1!]

The correct spelling is Otocinclus and here is a link to some info on them. They seem to be extremely delicate and prone to sudden deaths. As a general rule you should ask how long the shop has had them before buying. They are all live caught and don't travel well so there is usually a large die off when they arrive at the shop. if they hae had them for a couple weeks then most of the ones that aren't going to make it will have already died. Even at that, I (and a lot of other members) have still had no success keeping them.

As for the filter, while there will be beneficial bacteria on the filter from the betta's tank, remember, there will only be enough bacteria to handle the waste of the single betta so putting it in a sorority tank with several other bettas will most likely result in some type mini-cycle depending on how many fish there are. Keep in mind that under optimal conditions (proper pH, higher temperatures, etc.), beneficial bacteria usually double their masses about every 24 hours so if you go from 1 betta to 4, it will take 3 or 4 days for the bacteria to catch up so will need to keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and do water changes as needed.

She said it was the last one that they had in stock. She said that he'd been there for a while ( few months) . She was using him for cleaning her tanks when the algae got a bit out of hand in them. Didn't want to part with him he was so helpful she said, .

I don't plan on getting any more females for my sorority for another week or so at least. I wanted to make sure I had the bacteria built up enough to handle more fish.

 

[rdd1952]

One other thing about the otos, they prefer to be in groups just like tetras, corys, etc so it would be best if she could find 2 or 3 more. They really don't produce much waste so they won't be a factor in your stocking scheme.

 

[Snooks1!]

One other thing about the otos, they prefer to be in groups just like tetras, corys, etc so it would be best if she could find 2 or 3 more. They really don't produce much waste so they won't be a factor in your stocking scheme.

Aye, that's what I read. Although, Otis was by himself for a while in the store, he seemed to be doing just fine. The lady recommended him in particular over a few pygmy corys ( Which they didn't have in stock sadly enough...).

He's acclimated well to my tank, active and getting all the algae he can handle. I woke up this morning to see him riding along on top of Stinky ( my apple snail ) . He's already learned to come sit upside down on the surface during feeding time, much to Shatners distress.

 

[Luketendo]

Otis to Otto.

He'd like friends.