How Many Otos?

[lisie]

Hey everyone,

I think I've pretty much decided that I want to get a bunch of otos as the "cleanup crew" for the 55 gallon I've got cycling right now (I'd feed them other stuff too of course). No pet stores around have otos though so I'm either going to have to special order them (preferably) or order them online. Kinda about that because I know it's better to get them once they've been in the store for at least 3 weeks but unfortunately thats not possible.

Anyway, what I want to know is, based on your experience/knowledge, how many otos should I order to keep my 55 gallon tank somewhat algae-free?

 

[Durbkat]

Well you should wait till the tank is well established, has to be running a good 6 months or more and good water stats and you have to already have some green algae in the tank to help get the good bacteria in there stomachs since they can't stay at the store for a couple weeks to see which ones are healthy.

 

[bunjiweb]

I think 6 months is a bit OTT. If they are good enough quality Ottos a 2-3 months old aquarium that is otherwise not heavily stocked should be able to take a group of ottos.

Depending what other fish you are having in the tank a group of 8-12 ottos would do well.

Ben

 

[lisie]

Thanks for the replies. Yah I wasn't planning on getting them until the aquarium was established for a while... just trying to figure out how many I'd be getting so I knew how many other fish could go in there.