Otos not eating?

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I have a 15 gallon tank with five otocinclus in it, no other livestock except a few pest snails. Tank has been established for a year, well planted. Water parameters still great, 0/0/5, nitrates rarely go over 5ppm. Otos look healthy, and still have nice rounded tummies whenever I see them. But they're not touching things like algae wafers anymore.

Until recently, I had guppies and shrimp in the same tank, so they also ate the algae wafers, while the otos are doing just fine on what they find around the tank. I certainly have plenty of algae in there -too much, but I know they only eat some soft algaes, not the problem ones like hair algae. Since moving the guppies and shrimp out last week, have become aware that the otos aren't really eating any extras I drop in for them. Although I haven't tried any blanched veg recently, maybe they would go for that since it's a rarer treat?

I just became aware of it because now when I drop an algae wafer or something in for them, I end up syphoning most of it out the next day. I never used to need to do that since guppies and shrimp would polish it off. I don't know whether the otos pick at it overnight, or if it just breaks down as it gets soaked and they're not touching it at all. They used to come and eat these algae wafers sometimes, but then, the shrimp were also competing with them for algae, so maybe they're just not feeling the need for it now the shrimp are gone?

I feel silly worrying about this, they're clearly eating well or they wouldn't have those rounded tummies. But it just feels wrong to have a tank with fish in it that I apparently don't need to feed... It just sits there and nitrates stay low, otos do their thing and I change 50% of the water once a week. I don't want to keep dropping food in that they don't want just to suck it back out again, but I can't just... not feed them either!

Obviously I still need/want to offer extra food. But how often should I be offering it?
Should I try offering more vegetable matter? I've seen them sit on courgette and things I've given in the past, but in general, the shrimp were more interested in it than the otos were.
Should I wait until lights out then drop food in, and look for activity? Try every other day, then every third day etc, until I figure out whether to offer food once or twice a week or something?
@seangee, and @Russjw I'd really appreciate your thoughts since you keep otos! And anyone else who has thoughts or suggestions, would be appreciated!

 

[mbsqw1d]

What brand of wafer is it? I think I would throw some blanched veg in there and see what the reaction is

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

What brand of wafer is it? I think I would throw some blanched veg in there and see what the reaction is

Use Hikari and King British. They used to sometimes eat them. Not flock to it like they were starving or anything, but I'd see them eating them sometimes. I guess they're finding enough food in the tank, and just aren't tempted by the wafers, but I'm only really noticing it now because there's nothing else in the tank cleaning up the wafers.

I think I'll give the tank a good clean when I can tomorrow or Thursday, the glass and filter are due for a clean this week anyway, have a good clean of the tank, then wait a day before offering a long slice of cucumber, spinach or courgette. See if they go for it then? I'm probably offering food too often. When they have round bellies and aren't going for extra food they've eaten before and know is food, I guess they just don't need it so often!

 

[seangee]

Favourites for mine are blanched spinach or corgette or raw cucumber, and they definitely are out and about more after dark. If you want to, feed these at lights out and remove them in the morning. I wouldn't worry about it too much if they look healthy. There may also still be adapting to their new environment.

If you can find it at a reasonable price Omega One Veggie Rounds are great and don't make a mess, even if left for 12 hours or more. Unfortunatley I have not been able to find these for some time at a sensible price, so at the moment I am using Hikari wafers which do make a dreadful mess within a couple of hours, and the fish prefer the Omega One.

Don't leave messy wafers overnight unless you are 100% confident of your cycle. I once threw one into an uncycled tank (without fish) as an experiment and the ammonia level within 24 hours was insane.

 

[seangee]

I think I'll give the tank a good clean when I can tomorrow or Thursday, the glass and filter

don't be too thorough about cleaning the glass. I only ever clean the front (the sides and back belong to the fish), and then not every week unless I see visible algae.

 

[AquaBarb]

Mine have never took to algae wafers. They tend to get what they need of the plants and wood. I put cucumber/courgette in once a week and they also like leaf litter to nibble on.

Omega one veggie rounds can be tricky to find but they are on Ebay at the moment. Got some last week

P.s i wouldnt clean you glass to well. Otos are good window cleaners and your tank walls are a good place for them to graze

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Favourites for mine are blanched spinach or corgette or raw cucumber, and they definitely are out and about more after dark. If you want to, feed these at lights out and remove them in the morning. I wouldn't worry about it too much if they look healthy. There may also still be adapting to their new environment.

If you can find it at a reasonable price Omega One Veggie Rounds are great and don't make a mess, even if left for 12 hours or more. Unfortunatley I have not been able to find these for some time at a sensible price, so at the moment I am using Hikari wafers which do make a dreadful mess within a couple of hours, and the fish prefer the Omega One.

Don't leave messy wafers overnight unless you are 100% confident of your cycle. I once through one into an uncycled tank (without fish) as an experiment and the ammonia level within 24 hours was insane.

Brilliant, thank you! I was wondering if there were some better prepared foods to offer, £16 for the smallest size I could find for the Omega One Veggie Rounds though! They're usually cheaper than that? Or do you have to find the right source?

Will try some spinach tomorrow, I haven't offered that before even though I usually have it in the kitchen. I've given peas, courgette and carrot, with mixed results.

They're not in a new environment, I left the otos in the original tank precisely because it's been established for a year, with plants and algae, and really stable water parameters small canister filter and a HOB just for surface disturbance. I'll be mindful not to leave it too long, thank you, that experiment says a lot! I only offer half of a disc at a time, but they are messy. This tank is my best for stable water parameters and low nitrates, the plants are brilliant and saved the day when meds caused a mini cycle. The big tank struggled with a mini cycle, but it barely registered in this tank. Love plants!

Another note: I want to switch the HOB for an internal filter I have, but the internal is super powerful despite being a cheapy one! But maybe they'd enjoy the flow? If it's near the surface especially, so they can escape it when they want? I tried it when guppies were still in there, but it was too much flow for guppies. But with otos only, maybe it would be better than the HOB?

don't be too thorough about cleaning the glass. I only ever clean the front (the sides and back belong to the fish), and then not every week unless I see visible algae.

Duly noted! I usually only clean the front and one side, and leave the back and the other, and when the problem algae is getting too much, switch and do the front and back, and front or other side on the next maintenance weeks, so there's always biofilm and soft algae on at least two tank walls. But there are also plenty of crypt and sword leaves they like to lie on and clean too.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Mind, it is sort of a new environment. Established tank of more than a year that they've been in since I got them (some last October, some last December I think it was?) so they've thrived there for months, nice round tummies once I fed them up after they came from the store thin and frail. Have even seen what I think was spawning behaviour, and this girl in the second photo appeared to be full of eggs, and maybe carrying them in that photo;

But I had to tear the tank apart a bit to catch all the shrimp out last week, uproot a lot of plants and remove and replace hardscape, and have some new wood in there too. And I began softening their water last week too, only one part rain so far though, doing it gradually. So they have had a lot of disturbance and changes this week, and might be adjusting to that.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Mine have never took to algae wafers. They tend to get what they need of the plants and wood. I put cucumber/courgette in once a week and they also like leaf litter to nibble on.

Omega one veggie rounds can be tricky to find but they are on Ebay at the moment. Got some last week

P.s i wouldnt clean you glass to well. Otos are good window cleaners and your tank walls are a good place for them to graze

Awesome, thank you! It's great to hear from others who keep otos. I'm still a newbie to the hobby, only a year, and I know otos can be sensitive and I've been lucky. @seangee has said before that I've done well with them to have kept them doing so well for 8-9 months, even in the wrong water, but I feel awful that I didn't know about hard/soft water before and kept them in much harder water for so long. I really want this tank to be theirs, and for the rest of their lives to be as good as I can make it. If I've shortened their lifespans, I want the time they have left to be spent in an oto haven. Really fell in love with these little fish.

I have Indian almond leaves in the tank, mine do seem to like those too! I wonder whether they get some protein from the micro organisms that break down the leaves? Or maybe just the biofilm. They're often found on the almond leaves though. One of mine has taken to sitting on the canister intake lately.

So do you think once a week feeding will probably be enough for my five? Should I try twice a week and see how much they eat, but if they ignore it and still have round bellies, go to once a week?

Would also appreciate any other tips or advice for how to make the tank even better for them! I'm thinking of switching it from gravel to a sand substrate at some point. Not just yet since they've already been through a lot and I have enough tanks that are newly cycled and need more care as they stabilise, but maybe in a couple of months. I feel bad for them when they sit directly on the gravel.

I've removed four plants and trimmed some back, like the hornwort that was harbouring hair algae and impossible to clean, but this is how the tank looked until I removed those, the shrimp and guppies, and trimmed the plants back. So they still have a good amount of plants to nibble, and two or three almond leaves.

Hopefully they've always been living mainly on tank algae, and only sometimes nibbling the offered foods when they came across them, but it's only noticeable now that they're the only stock in there. But I love these little dudes so much, and I'm a born and raised worrier. I had to see what others said.

 

[Gypsum]

My otos won't touch algae wafers but they will eat courgettes and all the algae produced by the tank.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

My otos won't touch algae wafers but they will eat courgettes and all the algae produced by the tank.

Thank you! They're such sensitive little things and I love them so much, I want to feed them! lol. I just know they used to eat the algae wafers sometimes, but they certainly haven't touched them lately. Gave them some spinach tonight, but no interest so far. Will give it a few days then try cucumber or courgette. They do all still have round tummies though, so I guess they're just happy enough with what they're finding in the tank.

 

[Byron]

Presumably they are finding sufficient food naturally. I wouldn't worry unless they stop eating all together.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Presumably they are finding sufficient food naturally. I wouldn't worry unless they stop eating all together.

Yep, those bellies are staying rounded on something!
It's purely psychological, it's just strange to have a tank you don't need to feed Will add some nano fish eventually, so that'll make me feel better about it I'm sure. Still undecided on what species to add though.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Welp, they weren't tempted by the spinach either, but they're still chubby and active, and I caught a few pest snails, so it was worth a try.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@Russjw and @seangee , may I ask some advice about flow in my oto tank please?

I've been reading about otos on Wet Web Media, a really good source, and they say that otos like cooler temps and well oxygenated water with good flow. Right now I have five otos in a 15 gallon, doing well, and I have a HOB filter on one side. I've just added an internal filter that has pretty good flow for such a small cheap filter, and pushed it down pretty low so there's more flow lower down in the tank. Hoping that will also help prevent dead spots and algae, since it's pushing debris towards the HOB.

Does this sound okay? I have a mini wavemaker in the cupboard too, but would need to find an adaptor for the plug. I'm still quite new to understanding and creating flow in a tank, and it's hard to gauge whether the otos like the addition of the internal filter or not! There is a big stone, wood and plants they can shelter behind to avoid it if they want, or they can go either side of the internal filter which is pointing through the middle of the tank (since that's as far as the cable will reach... heaters and filters should come with longer cables!!)

This is their tank layout now, except now the HOB is in the middle on the right side, and internal filter in the middle, halfway down on the left. I do think it could do with some more flow, and perhaps an airstone too to increase oxygenation? The HOB does disturb the surface, but maybe they'd want more?