Otocinclus

[Loony Fish]

the title says it all.

 

[jesse217]

As theyre good algae eaters and fun to watch ( had some when I started the hobby but now theyre dead).

 

[nmonks]

Not everyone loves Otocinclus.

I consider them poor fish for the average aquarist. The vast majority of Otocinclus die within weeks or months of purchase. Being so small, they are half-starved by the time they get into the shops, and few retailers, let alone fishkeepers, have any idea how to care for them. Too many aquarists keep them excessively warm (they need cool water, 22-25 C) and give them not enough to eat (they must have green algae, or viable substitutes such as algae wafers). For every ten specimens sold, I doubt even one specimen lives for a decent 3-4 years in captivity.

They are schooling fish and must be kept in big groups (certainly more than six specimens) to be happy. But most aquarists seem to add "one or two" to their miniature aquarium.

Under some conditions they become notorious mucous eaters, quite possibly because they are starving, but perhaps also because that's part of their natural repertoire in the wild. They latch onto slow moving fish such as angels, and rasp away at the skin. This causes major damage and makes the victim subject to secondary infections of all types.

Unless you are an expert fishkeeper able to provide cool, spotlessly clean water and can provide lots of green algae by use of strong (2+ watts per gallon) lighting, you have no place keeping Otocinclus. Simple as that really.

Cheers, Neale

 

[kewskills]

I don't like them either.

Must admit i have had some twice and they did not live long. as stated by Neale above probably my fault.

 

[simonas]

I have one I never notice. I didn't buy him a fishkeeper who sold me an L128 and L264 bagged him up with them by accident

he seems to be doing ok although hes in a tank with Channa Orientalis and the temperature isn't high.

he's on his own though and I suppose I should get some more to keep him happy

 

[aaronnorth]

i like them as they are small & eat some algae, ideal for the smaller tank, i have 4 and they are active enough. (i used to have 5 but lost 1) they are hard to acclimatise but after that it is easy going with them.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

have to say i've always loved otto's and have had a reasonable amount of sucess keeping them alive in Ian's planted tank.

The group we had recently died off (old age i think ) and we've decided to get a couple of bristlenoses instead, have to sya I think I'm gonna be converted to BN's over Otto's, great fun to watch, they've totally bulldozed the algae in the tank and seem to be a whole lot hardier than the otto's.

 

[nmonks]

I'd argue against this. If confronted with, say, a 20 gallon tank, I'd always recommend a single small loricariid such as a bristlenose or clown plec over a school of six Otocinclus. The problem is that Otocinclus are so dependent on good water quality that newbie aquarists simply won't be able to provide that with a 20 gallon system. So even though Otocinclus are small, I'd consider them suitable for nothing smaller than 40 gallons.

Cheers, Neale

ideal for the smaller tank

 

[aaronnorth]

I'd argue against this. If confronted with, say, a 20 gallon tank, I'd always recommend a single small loricariid such as a bristlenose or clown plec over a school of six Otocinclus. The problem is that Otocinclus are so dependent on good water quality that newbie aquarists simply won't be able to provide that with a 20 gallon system. So even though Otocinclus are small, I'd consider them suitable for nothing smaller than 40 gallons.

Cheers, Neale

ideal for the smaller tank

i never said that they are suitable for newbies, it is ok to sell them after their tank has been running for about 6months IMO. They are ideal for smaller tanks of less than 40g, for axample my 15g, i wouldnt put a BN in that.

 

[Sunny_Bee]

I just got two of these little guys last month to help eat my algae. Unfortunatly the worker at the lfs was WAY too rough when he caught one and it didn't make it, but I still have one and he's really growing on me. I like to watch him and he is different looking compared to most fish in my tank so he adds variety.

My problem is I bought the last 2 in the store and none of the shops here have had any since, I really want to get another 4 or 5
In the meantime, belive it or not he seems to hang out with my cories a bit. When they come out to feed he comes with them, maybe he's getting their scraps, I'm not sure.

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

I think it's the same with every type of fish really, that people need to research the fish before they purchase them.

I have a nice set of 6 Ottos which have recently spawned (see my post in this forum) as I have a high light, co2 injected planted tank. I also supply with cucumber and algae wafers often to keep them nice and fat.

When buying them, I did hear about bad reports of high death levels after purchase, so I made sure that my Ottos were bought from a good LFS who have looked after them whilst they have been in their display tanks.

I prefer them over my previous BN plecs which unfortunately died as they're always active and out and about. Each has it's own personality and I can tell which is which by how they're acting. Some a paired up and some are loners.

I wouldn't recommend them to those without planted tanks with high light as they won't have sufficient natural algae to eat.

 

[ally86ozzy]

I think it's the same with every type of fish really, that people need to research the fish before they purchase them.

I have a nice set of 6 Ottos which have recently spawned (see my post in this forum) as I have a high light, co2 injected planted tank. I also supply with cucumber and algae wafers often to keep them nice and fat.

When buying them, I did hear about bad reports of high death levels after purchase, so I made sure that my Ottos were bought from a good LFS who have looked after them whilst they have been in their display tanks.

I prefer them over my previous BN plecs which unfortunately died as they're always active and out and about. Each has it's own personality and I can tell which is which by how they're acting. Some a paired up and some are loners.

I wouldn't recommend them to those without planted tanks with high light as they won't have sufficient natural algae to eat.

u say u hav 6 ottos but ur sig says 5??? -heart , ally86ozzy

 

[snowflake311]

I had 3 and one died a day after I put it in the tank the other 2 lived longer so I got 2 more so that made up 4. Well with in a few months I was down to 3 then 2 and now I have one left. He is doing pretty well. He has learned where to go to get the best left overs. I know I should get him some friends but they are just so fragile. I hate losing fish. once he goes no more otos.

The main reason these guys die so quickly is because they are caught in the wild in a very stressful way. Most die in transport if they survive that they die in the store or as soon as they get to your tank. The stress from the many moves take a toll on these little guys. They don't adapt well to life in the tank. I am pretty sure most of mine died from starvation. I wold try and feed them veggies, algae wafers, and there was plenty of algae in the tank. But these little guys just did not last. I am so proud of my one survivor I have had him for 7 months. He is still doing well.

I will never get these fish again. My first 2 did an ok job at cleaning but not all that great. They are cute but are hard to keep. Unless you get a smart one like mine that learned from seeing the other fish eat. for the most part they do not adjust well to life in the tank sadly. They are fun to watch when you have a few of them.

 

[Elrohirthehasty]

have to say i've always loved otto's and have had a reasonable amount of sucess keeping them alive in Ian's planted tank.

The group we had recently died off (old age i think ) and we've decided to get a couple of bristlenoses instead, have to sya I think I'm gonna be converted to BN's over Otto's, great fun to watch, they've totally bulldozed the algae in the tank and seem to be a whole lot hardier than the otto's.

yes, but does it eat the plants too?

 

[matchstickman47]

have to say i've always loved otto's and have had a reasonable amount of sucess keeping them alive in Ian's planted tank.

The group we had recently died off (old age i think ) and we've decided to get a couple of bristlenoses instead, have to sya I think I'm gonna be converted to BN's over Otto's, great fun to watch, they've totally bulldozed the algae in the tank and seem to be a whole lot hardier than the otto's.

yes, but does it eat the plants too?

no they do not bn are fine with plants