Otocinclus question

[ajbettle]

are they ok with guppys and neons? (i know guppys arnt fast but they dont have a big side like dicus etc)
would it be ok?

 

[Griz]

Otos will be fine with guppies and neons.

 

[ajbettle]

how about honey gouramis!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Oto's would be fine but they need a mature/cycled and stable tank to thrive, they have a reputation for being difficult to acclimatise to tanks in the long term. Neons would need more space than a 6gal though- you could have 3female guppys(or one male and two females) and 3 oto's in there though .

 

[ajbettle]

mm that sounds good, but im thinking more of:

- 2 Cherry barbs (1male/1female) - (b4 anyone says anything they can be kept i pairs!)
- 4 Black phantom tetras
- 2 Ottos -

would this be ok?

 

[Qays]

youll need at least 5 tetras, and oto's should only be kept in a tank which has been cycled for a few months.

 

[Bloo]

Nmonks recently mentiond they can indeed suck slime - on slower flat bodied fish more commonly - and that he's witnessed this.

The only 'plecs' I have seen eating slime have been Otocinclus. Just yesterday I had to remove the Awous goby from my community aquarium because the otos were attacking it. I hadn't realised what was causing the 'rash' he had until catching these naughty catfish in the act. Since the otos have free access to vegetable foods as well as algae, hunger isn't the reason, and I think these otos simply like to eat slime as well as green foods.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[ajbettle]

ooo, black phantoms and cherry barbs are only slim tho..

 

[david m.]

mm that sounds good, but im thinking more of:

- 2 Cherry barbs (1male/1female) - (b4 anyone says anything they can be kept i pairs!)
- 4 Black phantom tetras
- 2 Ottos -

would this be ok?

The barbs might nip at the otto's but I think the tetras will be fine.

 

[nmonks]

Indeed I have.

Otos seem fine with fish that are either too small or too fast moving to be attacked. I'd wager that guppies would be fine. Surprisingly enough, dwarf puffers are routinely kept with them, though they seem ideal targets, so I don't know exactly how otos choose their targets.

They made quite a mess of my goby (which was about 10 cm long, so not a tiny little fish). Whether they were attacking an already damaged bit of skin or actually causing the damage in the first place, I do not know.

Cheers,

Neale

Nmonks recently mentiond they can indeed suck slime - on slower flat bodied fish more commonly - and that he's witnessed this.

 

[insanityseeker]

i keep ottos neons AND guppies together and i've never had any problems.