Otocyntlus Catfish Vs Flying Foxes

[trojannemo]

well i had originally purchased 3 flying foxes to go in my 33G tank as a means to control algae that may grow.
i also had purchased 6 otos for my planted betta tank, one of which died. so i had 5 otos in that tank. well the betta tank got demolished to make way for a nano reef, and in the meantime i placed the otos in my 33G tank together with the flying foxes.

now i have to get rid of either one of them as my stocking wont allow me to keep both (and i dont want to either).

would a planted tank benefit more from 3 flying foxes or 6 oto cats? i like the look of the foxes more, but i feel as if the otos are doing a better job. besides, neither one of them are intended to be centerpiece fish (rainbow tank).

i also keep apple snails and am looking to get many shrimp (red japanese bee, amano, singapore flower, cherry, etc...whichever i can find!) so those would be helping with algae control.
i also know that there are other ways to deal with algae, i'm doing this tank as properly as i can to avoid it in the first place, but i dont want the algae to surprise me, i'd rather be prepared when/if it shows up!


what would you planted tank experts recommend? thanks!

EDIT: reading my own thread over, i find i'm more inclined now to keep the Otos as they seem to do good work without stealing the spotlight from my rainbows. comments on this?

 

[Million]

I'd go with otos, having kept both. One thing I would say that you haven't mentioned, is that shrimp and otos are on much the same 'scale', if you know what I mean, whereas flying foxes can get reasonably large in comparison.

I also think to make an educated decision it depends on the decor of the tank - whether you're going for an Iwagumi look or an Amano nature aquarium style

 

[trojannemo]

I'd go with otos, having kept both. One thing I would say that you haven't mentioned, is that shrimp and otos are on much the same 'scale', if you know what I mean, whereas flying foxes can get reasonably large in comparison.

I also think to make an educated decision it depends on the decor of the tank - whether you're going for an Iwagumi look or an Amano nature aquarium style

i hadn't thought of doing any one style as it's difficult to find specific plants around here. thanks for the suggestion with the otos, i had of course considered the size difference, where one flying fox can grow almost as big as two otos

 

[vinylman]

I'd go with Otos. The most important thing, though, is to have a good look at them in the shop. Otos don't travel very well, and after they arrive in this country they can take a while to start eating properly. IMO that's why people lose them early on - they buy Otos that haven't recovered from their journey properly, then they're moved again to the new owner's tank and get more stressed. If the ones in the shop are looking plump, then they're eating properly and there shouldn't be any problem. Around 4-5 should be ok.