Otos Eating Plants?

[AntonyB93]

I think my otos have started to snack on my plants due to the lack of algae as it isnt a mature setup. Can they have a bit of melon spinach cucumber etc. ? Thanks

 

[Akasha72]

Hi, oto's should only clean the plants, I've never come across them eating them but to answer you - they will eat Courgette or cucumber although it can be difficult to get them to notice it at food. Perseverence is the key. Don't leave it too long, I don't leave it in my tank for longer than 48 hours - although by then my oto's, BN and SAE's have devoured it anyway.
 
There are two ways to get it to the oto's. You can either cut a small piece, slit it and pass a plant weight through so that it stays in one place on the floor of the tank (some people weight it down with an old spoon aswell) or if you a plastic clip you can clamp it in that, all some string through it and suspend it in the tank. The oto's should take it either way
 
Good luck  

EDIT: I forgot to say, my oto's love New Era plec pellets. I've not had any success in getting them to eat any other kind or brand and I've tried a lot but the New Era one for some reason gets fought over

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have seven Oto's and have never seen them eat plants, only algae (and the odd bit of stuff I've put in for them). The damage to your plant in the picture just looks like plant 'melt' and with suitable fertilizer it should pick up again ok.

 

[Liv15]

give them a slice of courgette or cucumber, leave it in there for a couple days and it should have softened up and they should start eating it. After that they will get used to eating it and you wont have to leave it in so long.

 

[AntonyB93]

Hi, oto's should only clean the plants, I've never come across them eating them but to answer you - they will eat Courgette or cucumber although it can be difficult to get them to notice it at food. Perseverence is the key. Don't leave it too long, I don't leave it in my tank for longer than 48 hours - although by then my oto's, BN and SAE's have devoured it anyway.
 
There are two ways to get it to the oto's. You can either cut a small piece, slit it and pass a plant weight through so that it stays in one place on the floor of the tank (some people weight it down with an old spoon aswell) or if you a plastic clip you can clamp it in that, all some string through it and suspend it in the tank. The oto's should take it either way
 
Good luck  

EDIT: I forgot to say, my oto's love New Era plec pellets. I've not had any success in getting them to eat any other kind or brand and I've tried a lot but the New Era one for some reason gets fought over

Hi, great info thankyou. The otos are definitely eating/damaging my plants, there isnt much algae at all in there. Also a new issue, an apple snail has taken a liking to the cucumber before my otos have recognised it.
Here is a pic of the greedy devil.
.

I have seven Oto's and have never seen them eat plants, only algae (and the odd bit of stuff I've put in for them). The damage to your plant in the picture just looks like plant 'melt' and with suitable fertilizer it should pick up again ok.

This was my thought until i saw them causing damage. I blamed my snails at first but they prefer dead plant matter and bloodworm.

 

[Akasha72]

it's a good idea to put some veggie's in a few times a week if you have oto's, snails or plecs. NickAu added a list on another thread about plecs recently ... it listed all the veggies and fruits that can be added if you have a plec. Oto's may not eat all things that are on the list but it's worth trying various things off the list to see what you can suppliment their diet with

 

[Bubbelzzz]

Your oto's aren't able to damage your plants. They simply can't eat them. 
 
As ShinySideUp mentioned, it is more likely to be a problem of insufficient fertilization. Your plants will be damaged from that and it can create holes in the leaves of the plants. The oto's or snails might be able to eat the all ready dead parts as they are softer. However, this still means that not the oto's but the fertilization causes it.
 
Oto's are hard to get them to eat. An algae stone might help you with this.

 

[NickAu]

 
it's a good idea to put some veggie's in a few times a week if you have oto's, snails or plecs. NickAu added a list on another thread about plecs recently

 
Meat/Protein based foods

• 
  Worms- bloodworms, blackworms, nightcrawlers etc (a side note, i've never had a young carnivorous plec refuse bloodworms)
  
• 
  Mysis
  
• 
  Beefheart
  
• 
  Prawn
  
• 
  Shellfish- mussels, cockles etc
  
• 
  Squid
  
• 
  Silversides
  
• 
  Spirulina
  
• 
  Brine Shrimp
  
• 
  Crustaceans
  
• 
  Other Insect Larvae
  
• 
  Fish Eggs
  
• 
  Krill
  
• 
  Daphnia
  
• 
  Chicken Liver
  

Vegetables (remember to wash all veggies of unwanted bugs and blanching veggetables isn't necessary- it takes away nutrients)

• 
  Cucumber
  
• 
  Zucchini
  
• 
  Potatoes (I would soak these for a long time and wash thoroughly as they contain a lot of starch that is bad for water quality, although otherwise a great food source)
  
• 
  Sweet Potatoes
  
• 
  Shelled Peas
  
• 
  Broccoli
  
• 
  Carrots
  
• 
  Lettuces
  
• 
  Cabbage
  
• 
  Courgette
  
• 
  Yams
  
• 
  Parsnips
  
• 
  Squash
  
• 
  Suede
  
• 
  Spinach
  
• 
  Beans
  

Others

• 
  Melon
  
• 
  Bogwood
  
• 
  Mango
  
• 
  Apple
  
• 
  Kiwi
  
• 
  Rotting Leaves (or live)
  

 

[Akasha72]

Admin ... is there any way we can get this list pinned somewhere? It's a good source of info and it would be good to be able to point new plec keepers in the right direction easily