A Beginners Mistake

[bboorreedd11]

there are green spots algae on my tank. and being the newb i am, i thought that some algae eaters like oto can solve the problem...so i proceeded to buy 4 otos from my LFS...untill i found out that otos do not eat green spot algae...so i thought i would try out peas, cucumbers, zuchinis and lettuce..but they all dun work...i tried feeding them raw ones and also blanched ones..but they do not touch it...i also left it in there for 2 days...so for the past 3 days they have been in my tank i do not think they have eaten anything...even algae wafers do not help...is there any way i can get them to eat? or can i grow algaes that they do eat for them? pls help thanks

 

[Corleone]

Otos are sensitive and picky eaters. What are your water stats (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? I found if anything at all was amiss, they'd refuse to eat, and they seem to be among those fish that will merrily starve themselves to death if they're not completely happy. Mine also would never feed near more active fish - if a platy happened by and picked at the zucchini, the otos would scatter and wouldn't come back for several minutes.

 

[minxfishy]

Ottos like brown algae more I believe (not that ive kept any), the easiest way to get some is to put some rocks in a plastic tub on a window that has alot of direct sunlight and the algae grows on them in no time.

However, as they have only been in the tank for a few days, it may take some time for them to settle in. So dont start worrying too much just yet.

 

[bboorreedd11]

Otos are sensitive and picky eaters. What are your water stats (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? I found if anything at all was amiss, they'd refuse to eat, and they seem to be among those fish that will merrily starve themselves to death if they're not completely happy. Mine also would never feed near more active fish - if a platy happened by and picked at the zucchini, the otos would scatter and wouldn't come back for several minutes.

ammonia:0
nitrite:0
nitrate:10 ppm

 

[petertr]

Some fish tank weeks to settle down and start eating.

I know my discus did, and it scared me to bits thinking I was going to lose them all!

 

[OldMan47]

I keep reading about how sensitive otocinclus are but it flies in the face of my own experiences. The only thing I have seen with otos is that if you put a couple in a tank covered with algae, the change in the tank is remarkable in the first week. The only difficulty I have had is feeding them after the algae is gone.

 

[waterdrop]

OM, I think you have company, I believe Dave or one of the other planted guys said they totally disagreed about them being sensitive and had put them in a new heavily planted but uncycled tank straight-away as a way to do a plant-assisted cycle.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[bboorreedd11]

can i grow my own algae for them?

 

[bordercollie05]

Try some sinking algae wafers. Mine really enjoy those!

Laura

 

[bboorreedd11]

Try some sinking algae wafers. Mine really enjoy those!

Laura

mine wun eat anything i give it....

 

[LauraFrog]

Try frozen lettuce... get lettuce leaves, wash them really well, freeze solid, then defrost and put in the tank. It's very soft and a very effective food for tadpoles that are obligatory algae eaters and can be difficult to feed. Maybe your otos will take it.

 

[vinylman]

If you can make sure that Otos are eating in the shop tank, you'll be ok. They are VERY poor travellers and, after their journey to the UK, then on to the shop, they can take a while to start eating properly. If they look well fed and plump in the shop, you'll be ok. I've had my six for over three years now, no problems. I always leave the back glass alone when I clean the rest of the tank. Cardinal Tetras are reputedly difficult to keep according to what I read; acclimatise them very slowly and they're fine, too.