Advice About Adding Oto's Please....

[Mr Bee]

Following on from a previous thread here about something to help keep my tank clean, I am leaning towards maybe adding some Oto's.

I think a BN (although lovely) may be a bit big at their full size, as are apple snails, and so I think the best option is to add some Oto's as they only grow to an inch or so.


I just wanted to ask and check a few things though.....

1) My tank is fairly small (60L or ~13 UK Gal.) and I currently have 5 Neon and 6 Glowlight Tetras in there. Will adding some Oto's be ok? - I'm thinking in terms of general bio-load, and oxygen usage, I don't want to be overstocking.

2) I've read they are best kept in groups as they are not happy on their own - how many could I accomodate in my tank, would 2 or 3 be ok; both for stocking and for their happiness?

3) I get mostly brown algae in my tank, will Oto's eat this?

4) How do I keep them healthy, happy and well fed - is adding algae wafers and veg like courgette (zucchini), green beans, peas etc. a good idea, and do you remove it after they've spent a few minutes eating it or anything??

5) I've got gravel substrate, would they just munch along the top or would they dig into it?

6) Do they need any special requirements such as a place to hide under or in at night or anything?


Sorry for lots of questions, but I'm trying to find things out and do my research, and see if they are suitable before I actually go and buy any.

 

[mikev]

Oto's are not cyprinids, but here goes:

1. 3-4, but you are overstocking, so stay on top of water changes.
2. See previous answer.
3. They love brown algae. Putting new oto into a tank with diadems ime is the best way to assure their survival.
4. I use zucchini and cucumber. Thin slice. Soften them first (I use microwave, for 12 secs) Do not remove it too fast, fish would often wait for the veg to soften further before eating.
5. No digging.
6. Lots of plants. Good oxygen level helps. Having moderate/strong corner in one corner of the tank helps.

hth

 

[fishncan]

1) I would not go with more than 2 due to tank size. They prefer a bigger shoal , but they will be fine at 2

3) they do a fantastic job on brown algae

4) algae wafers are good. also, your other fish may peck at it to get rid of it. I would just split one into a small portion to see how it goes. Overfeeding anything is bad

5) they will not did in the substrate

6) they'll adapt to what you have

 

[oakes]

I agree with the comments already made, especially the importance of water changes. What is not known is your filtration. Ensure adequate media capacity and turnover rate (at least several times tank volume per hour). Both tetras and otos like clean (and preferably slightly soft) water. The cleaner the better. Personally i would go with 3 otos, but the main thing is that the water is clean and low in nitrates. This also highlights the importance of not overfeeding.

 

[Mr Bee]

OK, thanks for the info so far, but now I'm confused .......

I posted this same thread (adding Oto's) in the catfish section, and another member (nmonks) kind of implied that I shouldn't add Oto's, but Nerite snails or Cherry shrimp would be better.

So now I dont know what to add

1) Oto's (2 or 3)

2) Nerite Snail (? how many)

3) Cherry Shrimp (? how many, 2 or 3 maybe)


Yeah, I do want something that might keep some of the algae down, mainly on the rocks and decoration, as the glass is easy to clean anyway. Its the rocks and plants (synthetic plants) that I cant keep clean and they're covered in brown algae. So something to reduce or eliminate this would be great, as well as a bit of variety and something different too.

Oh, if its important, the tank has been set up for about 8 months, with my current Fluval 2 filter being in for the last 2 months (after my original filter packed up), but I moved the media from the old filter into my new one. And all the substrate is the same, so it should be a fully mature tank.

 

[mikev]

No real plants?
Then Oto's are indeed not a good idea. I would not put shrimp into an unplanted tank either.

If you were to plant the tank, btw, brown algae will be quickly gone; the plants will take away the nutrients....