Ottos

[Neal]

What category do ottos come under? I'm thinking of getting some but want to research them first!

Thanks in advance,
Neal

 

[WILDER]

Very sensitive to water quality.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=35094

 

[smmetz]

Pitbull Plecos are not much bigger than Otos - are they a bit less sensitive to water conditions?

 

[Bloo]

If it's for your 7 gallon - I suggest Amano Shrimp instead. Fabulous algae eaters as well as gravel cleaners 4 Would be good.

 

[SirMinion]

Otos are Loricarids, part of the catfish family that includes all plecos.

 

[Neal]

If it's for your 7 gallon - I suggest Amano Shrimp instead. Fabulous algae eaters as well as gravel cleaners 4 Would be good.

Do they like stir the sand? I'm looking for something that looks quite good, is an algae eater, stirs up sand and is easy to maintain. Please could you post a picture of an Amano Shrimp or pm me? and are they common to find?
Neal

 

[Bloo]

I did a profile on them which has pics and much more info in They are fabulous creatures

 

[Torrean]

If you want something to stir sand I suggest Malaysian trumpet snails. Khuli loaches, corydoras, and plants are also known to help with stirring sand.

 

[Bloo]

Absolutely right - but that tank is too small for a bunch of Kuhlis or Corys as they really need to be kept in groups of 4 or more.
And once you have MTS, they are incredibly hard to get rid of and they "can" become a real pest that's difficult to keep under control.

 

[nmonks]

Only if you dramatically overfeed the tank / have a lot of dying plants. Since all they eat is leftover food or decaying plants, they can't magically multiply if you don't provide them with those things.

They aren't difficult to cull if you need to... either sift the sand with a net, or use a snail trap (e.g. the JBL Limcollect). They crawl onto the glass when the lights are out at night, and you can catch them easily enough by scraping the glass with a net, too. Some people sell them, others just give them away to other aquarists. I consider these snails essential in tanks with sand substrates, and beneficial in most other aquaria.

Cheers,

Neale

And once you have MTS, they are incredibly hard to get rid of and they "can" become a real pest that's difficult to keep under control.

 

[Neal]

I don't really want snails though as i've heard they make the tank slimy and dirty, i'd rather have plecos or shrimp or something. Still, nobody has answered my question, would they churn the sand regularly to keep it ok?

 

[nmonks]

Ottos won't churn the sand at all. They are basically aufwuchs feeders, meaning they are adapted to living in rocky streams where they graze on green algae and the tiny animals within it. They will also take a variety of aquarium foods, but only relatively soft ones. Mine enjoy slices of courgette and cucumber, but will suck the juices out of a bloodworms, too, leaving the empty husks behind. Ottos are tricky for the first few days, but once settled in their relatively low maintenance. They can be annoying by sucking the mucous from larger fish though, so they are best used with small, fast fish like tetras. Not with anything slow, like a goby or cichlid.

Almost all bottom dwelling catfish will move sand about a bit, but Corydoras and Brochis are two nice fishes to think about. Loaches can be good too, but choose these with care as many are pretty mean tempered. Spiny eels, mormyrids, some puffers, and most gobies will also do some digging, with how much depending on their size.

Some snails don't really make a tank dirty any more than fish, and Malayan livebearers certainly don't. Unless you come down at night and watch them, you probably won't even know they're there. Most of the problems people have with snails are because snails are (a) hardy and (b) eat decaying plants and fish. So as soon as an aquarium starts going wrong and the plants and fish die, the snails thrive. Hence, post hoc, ergo propter hoc, people blame the snails for the dead plants and fish. There are some snails that eat live plants, and there certainly are some (marine) snails that catch and eat fish, but generally snails benefit from our mistakes, they don't cause problems themselves. Population explosions of snails, for example, come about after consistent overfeeding: what the fish don't eat, the snails do.

Snails do produce slime, but I've never heard of a tank being made a mess from it. It is water soluble, so as soon as the snail has moved along a bit, the slime trail behind it dissolves. It isn't like having slugs in your garden!

Cheers,

Neale

I don't really want snails though as i've heard they make the tank slimy and dirty, i'd rather have plecos or shrimp or something. Still, nobody has answered my question, would they churn the sand regularly to keep it ok?

 

[Neal]

I meant do the Amano shrimp churn up the sand? and are they easy to maintain? (If I had 4 of them)

 

[Bloo]

They don't burrow into the sand, but they will certainly walk along the sand and very lightly move/rake the top layer as they "sift" through it looking for bits of food or algae.

They are extremely easy to "maintain" and require no special attention, apart from live plants and some algae. Just do not add any chemicals to the tank - apart from the normal dechlorinator / heavy metal remover (such as API Stress Coat).

Edit: and make sure your ammonia and nitrite levels are both rock solid at zero. They don't tolerate even the smallest trace.

 

[Neal]

The only real plants I will tend to have is potted ones (I don't know the name) and java fern/moss if I can get hold of it.