Feeding Otos.

[garytodd]

I've just restocked my tank with 2 Oto's and 6 male Guppy's. The shop owner advised algae 1/2 an algae wafer for the Oto's. She said that they would smell it out. This seems to be alot and creates lots of waste. Please advise if a 1/4 would be better or if that is even too much with only 2 Oto's.

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[King puff]

First things first, there are a few problems with stocking. Ottos are shoaling fish and in the wild swim in groups of up to 100. Therefore, need a group of at least 6. The second problem is the 6 male guppies. Because you have only males, they may beat up on each other and become stressed. If you have a big tank, this may be fine but I would not suggest it. Also, how big is the tank?

 

[garytodd]

Thanks for your reply.
The tank is 30 litres.
My last 2 fish have been fighters, which I love but the kids wanted more action.
We went for guppies because of their activity and different colours.
I went for all male because I work away and wouldn't be able to manage the breeding. I also didn't want to explain to the little one that they eat there own as he wouldn't understand yet.
I was assured that all male was OK. I've had them for 9 days and they seem to be getting on fine.

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[King puff]

I still would not recommend 6 guppies. Guppies have a high bio load that is very hard to keep up with in a small tank. This and the high bio load of the Ottos will make maintenance very difficult. If possible, I would return the ottos and at least 3 of the guppies. To replace the algae eating behavior of the ottos, I would recommend nerite snails, rams horn snails, or Malaysian trumpet snails. I you want, you could get a female. You will probably not see the babies get eaten and many of them will survive. But, you will have to find out what to do with the babies.

If you have an API test kit or a LFS it would be helpful to test your water.

 

[NickAu]

The tank is 30 litres.

Hate to say it your tank is too small for Ottos and Guppies.

 

[garytodd]

Thanks for the info. I'm gutted. The kids have taken a real interest. I will take 3 back and the Oto's.
I've read up on the snails you suggested. As I don't want then to breed it looks like Nerite Snails will be best as I've read they won't breed in a tropical tank. Would you say 1 or 2 would be a good number?

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[garytodd]

I should have said that I do have a testing kit.

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[King puff]

With the high bioload, I still would really recommend MTS. What is wrong with them reproducing? As I said, I have 50 or even 100 plus snails in my tank and the water parameters are fine. The snails mostly come out at night so it's not like they will be all over the glass. They also clean up fish waste, decaying plant matter, and leftover fish food. The most helpful thing is that they clean the places under the substrate that we can't get to which releases toxic bubbles and aerates the substrate.

Also take what nick said into consideration. This tank, as he and I said, will be hard to maintain and is not suitable for guppies.

 

[garytodd]

I had read that if they get out of control there is no turning back.

Is Nick saying that I my tank is no good for any amount of Guppies. I thought he was agreeing with you. This is getting worse.

For a 30 litre tank, and having already done Fighters, what would you suggest if guppies are no good?

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[Byron]

It would probably be best to return the otos. Getting them to eat from prepared foods is not always easy. I won't explain that, but move on to the guppies.

A 30 liter tank (= 8 gallons) can work for guppies; I understand the aspect of your child and a near-empty tank is not going to hold his/her interest, so if you are regular with your maintenance, and careful not to overfeed, and if there is some décor you might bee OK. And before someone jumps down my throat, sometimes there are situations where we would not advise this or that, but when it is already a done deal, we try to make the best case for success. Floating plants which are easiest to care for would also be a good idea.

No mention was made of water parameters, and guppies like all livebearers require some mineral in the water. The GH is the general or total hardness, and gives us this value. You might be able to track that down on the website of your municipal water authority. The pH is related, and should be basic (above 7) for these fish.

 

[garytodd]

Thanks Byron.
The GH is slightly hard.
PH is 7.4 to 7.8
I was just about to get some floating plants anyway.
How many guppies would you suggest I could keep?


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[Byron]

Thanks Byron.
The GH is slightly hard.
PH is 7.4 to 7.8
I was just about to get some floating plants anyway.
How many guppies would you suggest I could keep?


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As you have the six, fine. Regular (once a week) partial water change of half the tank volume, not overfeeding, no problems.

 

[garytodd]

Brilliant thanks.

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[Essjay]

If you are in the UK and got your GH from your water supplier's website, you need to be aware that the term 'slightly hard' is misleading. UK water companies class 'slightly hard' as 40 to 60 mg/l Ca which converts to 5.5 to 8.3 dH and 100 to 150 ppm

5.5 to 8.3 dH is not really hard at all.


This is why numbers are more informative than words.

 

[garytodd]

If you are in the UK and got your GH from your water supplier's website, you need to be aware that the term 'slightly hard' is misleading. UK water companies class 'slightly hard' as 40 to 60 mg/l Ca which converts to 5.5 to 8.3 dH and 100 to 150 ppm

5.5 to 8.3 dH is not really hard at all.


This is why numbers are more informative than words.

Thanks essjay. The hardness is 4.7mg/l

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