Lazzy Otocinclus Dwarf Catfish

[MarvinUK]

Hi,

I've got 3 Otocinclus Dwarf Catfish, had them for about 3-4 weeks and they are not very active, they seem to rest on the bottom of the tank and do nothing else. They will feed if I put a pellet in, but dont seem to eat any algae.

Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Tank : 20gl
Current Stats;

• pH 6.8,
• No2 0,
• GH >7d
• KH 4,5d
• CO2 20 mg/l
• Temp 25c (76F)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Otos aren't terribly active during the day, they tend to get more active when tank lights are off. They're also more active when they're in a larger group, they are a schooling fish, so a group of six or more is best.

They only eat certain kinds of algae. A lot of people get them hoping they'll eat problem algae like hair or black beard algae, but they're specialised eaters who only eat soft green algae, and sometimes diatoms. Can you get a photo of your tank please?

Have you tested the tank for ammonia? How long has the tank been set up, and what other fish are in the tank?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Otos are quite shy fish too, they don't have much in the way of defences, and are easily bullied or scared by more boisterous tankmates. They also appreciate a lot of cover in a tank, like a densely planted tank gives fish more places to hide, which actually means you see them more, oddly! When fish know they have plenty of places to hide should they need to, they feel safer to be out in the open.

Also bear in mind that otos are all wild caught. They're very hard to breed in captivity, so they're caught wild, often after being stunned by cyanide. Then they're kept in large warehouse ponds that don't contain enough algae for hundreds of otos to survive on, given limited food, then shipped to stores which also have clean, algae free store tanks. They're often half starved and incredibly stressed by the time they reach a home aquarium, so it takes some time for them to adjust. For a fish that needs to graze constantly, it's quite an ordeal for them, and they have a high mortality rate as a result.

I currently have five otos in a 15 gallon, and don't see them as often as I'd like! But watch for activity when the tank lights go out, that's when they're most likely to glass surf and dart around, especially if they're in a decently sized group. I lost a few over the last few months, so plan to get some more to up their number back to eight or nine. They're wonderful fish and do a great job of cleaning soft green algae, but they're not going to remove every trace of all kinds of algae I'm afraid

Some shots of mine, being adorable!

 

[MarvinUK]

Otos aren't terribly active during the day, they tend to get more active when tank lights are off. They're also more active when they're in a larger group, they are a schooling fish, so a group of six or more is best.

They only eat certain kinds of algae. A lot of people get them hoping they'll eat problem algae like hair or black beard algae, but they're specialised eaters who only eat soft green algae, and sometimes diatoms. Can you get a photo of your tank please?

Have you tested the tank for ammonia? How long has the tank been set up, and what other fish are in the tank?

This tank is 8 weeks old, just moved up from a 5gl tank, is ammonia same as chlorine? If so yes and the level is 0. Took a couple of photos don’t judge on scaping as I know it’s rubbish but I’ll try again once I make sure the fish are ok.

 

[MarvinUK]

Otos are quite shy fish too, they don't have much in the way of defences, and are easily bullied or scared by more boisterous tankmates. They also appreciate a lot of cover in a tank, like a densely planted tank gives fish more places to hide, which actually means you see them more, oddly! When fish know they have plenty of places to hide should they need to, they feel safer to be out in the open.

Also bear in mind that otos are all wild caught. They're very hard to breed in captivity, so they're caught wild, often after being stunned by cyanide. Then they're kept in large warehouse ponds that don't contain enough algae for hundreds of otos to survive on, given limited food, then shipped to stores which also have clean, algae free store tanks. They're often half starved and incredibly stressed by the time they reach a home aquarium, so it takes some time for them to adjust. For a fish that needs to graze constantly, it's quite an ordeal for them, and they have a high mortality rate as a result.

I currently have five otos in a 15 gallon, and don't see them as often as I'd like! But watch for activity when the tank lights go out, that's when they're most likely to glass surf and dart around, especially if they're in a decently sized group. I lost a few over the last few months, so plan to get some more to up their number back to eight or nine. They're wonderful fish and do a great job of cleaning soft green algae, but they're not going to remove every trace of all kinds of algae I'm afraid

Some shots of mine, being adorable!
View attachment 119070View attachment 119071View attachment 119072View attachment 119073

They look cool, I guess I was worrying to much, and I don’t expect them to remove algae just 99% . I know I have to do my cleaning just worried something was wrong

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

This tank is 8 weeks old, just moved up from a 5gl tank, is ammonia same as chlorine? If so yes and the level is 0. Took a couple of photos don’t judge on scaping as I know it’s rubbish but I’ll try again once I make sure the fish are ok.

View attachment 119077
View attachment 119078

Tank looks great! Nothing wrong with your scape, stop being hard on yourself It'll be a lush jungle as those plants grow in. It's great that you have water lettuce too, fish appreciate the shade and cover floating plants provide, and my water lettuce grows and propagates like crazy.

The other fish are fine with otos, and all three of yours are out at the front there! I can see a nice rounded tummy too, so they're getting enough to eat

Ah, no, chlorine and ammonia are not the same thing. Chlorine and sometimes chloramines are usually in most tapwater. Added by water companies to kill bacteria and make it safe for humans. But chlorine and chloramines are toxic to fish, so we use water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine/chloramine.

This is also why you should never wash your filter media in untreated tapwater, since chlorine kills bacteria, and we want nitrifying bacteria in our filters. So when you need to clean the filter, use water you've removed from the tank, or a bucket of tapwater that you've dosed with declorinator, to rinse it.

Ammonia is a different thing, and it's important to know what it is and how it's produced in our aquariums. It's a part of the nitrogen cycle, which is what keeps the water safe for fish. This video explains it far more clearly than I can:

They look cool, I guess I was worrying to much, and I don’t expect them to remove algae just 99% . I know I have to do my cleaning just worried something was wrong

Normal to worry, it's okay! They're a different kind of fish from platies or tetra, they don't swim about the way other fish do, going back and forth all the time, I guess because they feed differently. Otos graze leaves, the glass etc, they don't have to be actively looking for unpredictable food like insects the way tetra or platies do. When otos swim, it tends to be a quick dart from one spot to another. When you see them on the glass or a leaf and they're sort of wiggling, that's when they're eating algae and biofilm from the surface they're on.

So don't be alarmed if they're just sitting and resting a lot, that's normal for otos. But do keep an eye to see them surfing the glass or darting about when the lights are off! If you have a blue light setting on your lights, turn the light to blue for an hour before you turn all the lights out, and you might see them get active then. They look good, so keep giving them the extra food as you have been. If they start to lose interest and stop eating the food you offer, check their tummies. If they're still nicely rounded, then they're fine, they're just finding enough to eat in the tank. Mine rarely take extra food now, but offer it now and then just in case, but be sure to syphon it out if it's uneaten after a few hours.

Tank looks really nice, be proud of it!

 

[AtomicFish]

Your tank is looking good. I know OTOS are pretty hard to keep. I had a few once but they did not last long.

 

[MarvinUK]

Tank looks great! Nothing wrong with your scape, stop being hard on yourself It'll be a lush jungle as those plants grow in. It's great that you have water lettuce too, fish appreciate the shade and cover floating plants provide, and my water lettuce grows and propagates like crazy.

The other fish are fine with otos, and all three of yours are out at the front there! I can see a nice rounded tummy too, so they're getting enough to eat

Ah, no, chlorine and ammonia are not the same thing. Chlorine and sometimes chloramines are usually in most tapwater. Added by water companies to kill bacteria and make it safe for humans. But chlorine and chloramines are toxic to fish, so we use water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine/chloramine.

This is also why you should never wash your filter media in untreated tapwater, since chlorine kills bacteria, and we want nitrifying bacteria in our filters. So when you need to clean the filter, use water you've removed from the tank, or a bucket of tapwater that you've dosed with declorinator, to rinse it.

Ammonia is a different thing, and it's important to know what it is and how it's produced in our aquariums. It's a part of the nitrogen cycle, which is what keeps the water safe for fish. This video explains it far more clearly than I can:

Normal to worry, it's okay! They're a different kind of fish from platies or tetra, they don't swim about the way other fish do, going back and forth all the time, I guess because they feed differently. Otos graze leaves, the glass etc, they don't have to be actively looking for unpredictable food like insects the way tetra or platies do. When otos swim, it tends to be a quick dart from one spot to another. When you see them on the glass or a leaf and they're sort of wiggling, that's when they're eating algae and biofilm from the surface they're on.

So don't be alarmed if they're just sitting and resting a lot, that's normal for otos. But do keep an eye to see them surfing the glass or darting about when the lights are off! If you have a blue light setting on your lights, turn the light to blue for an hour before you turn all the lights out, and you might see them get active then. They look good, so keep giving them the extra food as you have been. If they start to lose interest and stop eating the food you offer, check their tummies. If they're still nicely rounded, then they're fine, they're just finding enough to eat in the tank. Mine rarely take extra food now, but offer it now and then just in case, but be sure to syphon it out if it's uneaten after a few hours.

Tank looks really nice, be proud of it!

Thanks for you help, just tried the blue light and watched them swim around for a bit so they are not a lazzy as I thought Just watch the video so kind of understand it now, just need to test the ammonia level tomorrow as all the other levels are on my current test kit and are all ok. Again thank you its much appreciated.