My Ottos won't eat

[Maya~4Ix12chen]

Hi,
I just bought 3 ottos and they will not eat. I have had them for 1 day now, should I be worried??
I placed 2 alge discs in the tank and even a piece of cucumber.. they won't even go to the bottom. They stay on the glass in the tank.
I phone my LFS to ask what they were feeding them & I was initially told "shrimp pellets" Needless to say I told them they were feeding them the wrong food!! The lady put someone else on the phone & Then they told me that they had been feeding them alge discs.
Any advice on how to get them to pay attention to the food I put in the tank??

 

[iggy01]

Hi Maya, I bought 3 otto's once and unfortunately lost them all. They can be difficult to acclimatize to a new tank. Try this link, hope it helps!Otto's

 

[Maya~4Ix12chen]

Thanks for the link but I did do some research on them and had ran across that link before. It doesn't tell me how to get them to eat however.

I tried to stick the alge to the glass but it falls down!!

Any one who can give me some advice from expierence please???

 

[gwlee7]

Try zucchini or brussel sprouts. Also, the veggies need to "break down" and become soft. I usually zap mine in the microwave for about 30 seconds in a small bowl of water and then let them cool for a few minutes before putting them in the tank.

 

[wvleo]

Hi, yeah cukes works for Me . I would be surprised if they ate at all for a few days . Takes them a bit to come out of there stress from moving . If they come out at all. I have 4 and three love the cuke and munch all the other surfaces of the tank, #4 still sitting at the side of the tank after 8 days . Must be eating enough not to die ,must be depressed ??........WVleo

 

[Griz]

Spinich and romaine lettuce are two other things to try. The algae discs should sink to the bottom and the veggies can be attached to something to weigh it down.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

well my ottos before always ate at night and since it was heavy of brown algae when i placed them in the tank they did not touch the cocumbers i placed inside the tank just look at your ottos and if they look fat as in healthy otto fat and not otto about to explode fat they should be happy

ottos are really adorable lil catfishes i always try and look for my 2 ottos when i take a peep at my tank

 

[Maya~4Ix12chen]

Thanks for all the advice. I did put a piece of cucumber on the bottom. the problem was they would'nt go to the bottom
Yesterday morning one was dead
but at the sasme time I found the dead one, one of the ottos was eating my cumcuber!! yay!! so at least one is eating. I have two left and they seem to be doing ok so far.the alge wafers that I put in the tank started to go bad already & they hadn't even touched them so I took them out.
I put a piece of brocholi in the tank to see if they are interested but that has to come out now too. Next, I will put another piece of cucumber and try a piece of lettuce and see what happens
Thanks again for all the advice, you all are great

 

[TorPeteO]

My oto (formerly otos) would never eat algae wafers right away. I'd drop the thing in, and it'd take probably a day, until the thing softened up, for them to be interested at all. They don't usually find food with their eyes, they find it with their mouths, so they have to come across it before they start eating. Just make sure that you don't pollute your tank, I'd say 2 wafers for 4 otos is a lot! Maybe put one in one day, and put another in when it's gone (if they start eating them, that is!).

Don't beat yourself up about the oto you lost. I doubt it starved, it was probably just the shock of the new surroundings. Otos are very sensitive fish, so good luck with them!

 

[kenneth_kpe]

i agree with him they are really sensitive fishes have fun with em they are really cute remember not to leave food inside the tank for too long, not more then 2 days or 3 days maybe because it will make your levels spike up a lil and might cause algae in the long run if left unchecked

 

[aznmidnite]

Hello,
Try not to worry too much. I have 2 otos with my 1 male betta. I've had them for about 1 month and a half. Are your otos that are sticking to the glass, moving around the glass? If they are, they could be sucking any soft algae that is on the inside of your tank's walls. My 2 otos still only go to the Spirulina Algae Tablets sometimes, after it's been in the tank for about 2 days and starts to soften.

I also put a clear PVC tube that lays on the bottom of my tank. The PVC tube was from a spone filter I had (but didn't use the PVC tubing attachment). My otos hide inside there sometims (I also put an algae tablet and/or zuchinni in there too). I mainly put it in there so they can eat in peace (sometimes when they're wiggling around eating, when the lights are on, my red male betta will swim over to the commontion, an kind of chase them (but not alot).

I do have enough algae in my tank though, as they don't look skinny (but not overly fat either).

I read that alot of otos will also be more active @ night (or in the dark), so they could be eating (whether it's tank algae or some of the algae tablet) when the lights go out.

One thing I did notice, is that my otos don't seem to "move" around as much as they did when I first got them. I wonder why? I notice ones in the pet store tanks that seem like they are ALWAYS moving about. Anyone know? Or are mine all lazy in the day time cuz they were maybe active when the lights went out (when they eat)?

Good luck with your otos!

 

[TorPeteO]

Well, I know that otos like being in large groups, of five or more. That's not to say that they don't survive on their own, I have one who's by himself with a dwarf puffer in a 5 gallon tank, but they just like groups better.

That might be why they are more active, and act more 'natural', when they're in the pet store; the LFS generally keeps a bunch of them in the same tank, so they feel comfortable with their company.

I'm hoping to upgrade my 5 to a 15 gallon ASAP, and when that happens, I'm going to buy a whole whack more o' otos. Hopefully, my lethargic loner will wake right up when I do.

 

[Maya~4Ix12chen]

Yes they do seem to be more active at night. yesterday they ate the heck out of some lettuce I had in there so I am over my initial freakieness about them

they seem to be eating something on the glass on the tank but they are not constantly moving. it seems they find a place to thier liking and sit there for while not moving. then they are off again to a new palce.

but yes , deffinitely more active at night.

They are so adorable !!