How Long Do They Live? + Obsession

[Bluesand1313]

Hello, not only do I have an obsession for betta fish, but I also have an obsession with otos, and I don't even know why!
 
I just love the little guys to bits, I have two but I'm planning on getting two more, possibly even MORE if I can! I just want a little clan of them, they are super adorable!
 
And apparently they are hard to keep? I can't seem to find much about these little guys and I'd really like to learn more
Does anybody know quite a bit about oto's? I'd like if you could share your knowledge with me! I love learning, especially about animals, so anything goes!
 
Also, as for the question in the title, anybody know how long they live? I've had mine for almost a year now, which is obviously not long but I'm just wondering how long they DO generally live for.
 
Thanks! - Bluesand1313

 

[Lillefishy]

Oto's are best kept in groups of 5+ the more you have the happier they are.
They don't like a consistently strong flow, though mine often play in the filter flow, then rest in the quiet area of the tank
Most Oto's are wild caught as they're hard to breed in captivity, though some people often find they may start with 5 then find out they have 6, so they will breed if conditions are right
They can be hard to keep as a lot of them you see in the Lfs are starving & many die.
They need an established tank with plenty of algae, they also need supplementary feeding with algae wafers, green veg such as courgette & you can grow algae for them on a sunny window ledge, just place a rock or pece of wood in tank water & a week or so later you should see a nice green covering of algae.
As for lifespan, as they're mostly wild caught you don't know the age when buying, I have some around 4 years old still going strong

 

[snazy]

I am not of much help but I love ottos too for some reason. They love checking out new stuff in the tank and come up to my hands too.
I actually never checked how long they live, good question.
On another hand, I don't find them hard to keep at all without any extra effort about the water quality. But mine do not eat anything I put in the tank and rely solely on algae and natural stuff growing in the tank. Hence I was always reluctant to try big groups as they may run out of food. For many people though ottos do eat cucumber and other veg like zucchini but my personal experience with two different ottos purchased at different times from different places is that they won't touch the food and veg I've tried.

 

[Chad]

Betta live 2 - 3 years.
Ottos on the other hand can live 10+ years if well kept.

 

[Bluesand1313]

 
I hope mine live that long! I love them so much, they are often misjudged because they are so little but I don't know, I love them! c:
 
Thanks for all the new information! It's good to finally learn things about the little guys. Next time I get paid I have to buy a hamster wheel for my gerbils, but I should have money left over so I'll buy some more little guys!
 
How many max could I put in my 10gal WITH my betta + snail? I have enough algae wafers to last them quite a while, and I'm currently attempting to try to grow algae in the tank, might be a while though.

 

[Chad]

One important thing to remember about them is they do best in a tank that's at least 6 months old.  This is because it has plenty of micro algae for them to eat. I would not keep too many in a 10 gallon.
 
Here's a good article on feeding which is the main issue with a group in a small tank from my experience.

 

[Bluesand1313]

I just gave my otos some romaine lettuce and I am waiting for it to sink
I hope they like it!