ottos......alge eaters...?!?

[GuppyDude]

i just bought 3 of what iv been calling ottos to keep down the alge in my tank. they were sold as chinese alge eaters but iv always thoght it was just another name for ottos, they all look the smae to me. i read somewhere that chinese alge eaters dont accually eat alge..... this would make sense considering my alge is still very abundant. are ottos the same as chinese alge eaters and do either of them accually eat alge?

 

[sylvia]

Otos are a kind of catfish. Chinese algae eaters are more like the 'sharks' and are also known as 'sucking loaches' and 'golden algae eaters'. All their names are misleading - they aren't loaches, aren't true algae eaters, they aren't even chinese! Basicaly, no, they aren't the same. Otos are small, peaceful 2" fish that love algae, are pretty much strictly herbivorous and like to be in groups. The only downside to them is that they can be fragile. CAEs eat algae when they are young. They get to 10", grow increasingly aggressive as they mature, hate others of their kind or similar looking fish and, once they reach about 5" in length, can be a real hazard for tankmates. They suck on other fish' slime coat, they take out eyes and eventualy they eat small fish altogether. They deffinately kill and cause havoch anyway, that can be said for certain. Some people might say these are good community fish but those people also haven't kept mature CAEs. IME, and I know others agree, they are terrible tankmates for pretty much anything and don't like each other either. Their size also means they aren't suitable for most average community tanks. To tell a CAE apart from an oto (besides size), you'll notice that otos have a single, slightly blotchy but straight line running down the length of their body, through the eye and up to the tail. At the tail there is a large blotch or dark spot and the color is usualy a darker grey above and near-white below. In contrast, CAEs have a distintly jagged, zig-zag stripe and spots in the tail (otos have some markings here too but they aren't little speckled spots like those of the CAE). Also, the body shapes are distinctly different though you need practice to tell sometimes. Something else to look out for is the pectoral fins (the ones behind the gills). These are small and transparent in otos, big and usualy quite opage in CAEs.

I'll try and get some pics in a minute.

 

[sylvia]

Forgot to mention that there are several species of oto. The one I described is the most commonly sold. The others can have very different markings but generaly, you can't confuse these other species with CAEs anyway.

Good article about cyprinid algae eaters that includes an accurate description of the CAE and compares it to the SAE and related species (not to otos though as they are catfish): http/www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

Some CAEs (including gold color morph): http/www2.biology.ualberta.ca/jackson.hp...aymonieri_2.jpg
http/www.thebudmaster.btinternet.co.uk/f...ges/Loachyb.JPG (beautiful fish though aren't they?)
http/www.azgardens.com/images/Gold-Algae-Eater.gif (a couple of young golds)
last one: http/www.vitawater.ru/papers/pict/sae/img214.jpg

Now various otocinclus catfish: http/www.aquahobby.com/img/oto1.jpg
http/www.planetcatfish.com/images/full/l.../vittatus/1.jpg
and another oto but a more unusual (and beautiful) species: http/www.planetcatfish.com/images/full/l...ofrenatus/1.jpg


Hope that helps.

 

[wrs]

ottos are dwarf plecos.

the two links sylvia gave say no hot linking premitted, but to see the pic, go to the URL and just hit enter, and that will bring up the bicture.

BTW, CAE's get aggressive when older.

 

[GuppyDude]

o crap i got cae alright, theyt are an inch long now, if any of u guys know much about them id liek to know what they eat, how fast they grow, and when they become aggressive. im a little mad now, i wouldn't ahve bought then had i known they dont eat alge, and im alredy pretty attached to them

 

[wrs]

30 gallons or larger.

get aressive when reach ful 6 inch size, usually stop eating algea then.

 

[sylvia]

They grow pretty quick IME but that depends on a lot of variables. I think I pretty much answered your other questions in my first post. They'll eat any of the normal fish foods though (in case I over-looked that and concentrated more on their sucking/fish-eating habits ).

 

[bunjiweb]

If possible take them back to the store (making sure to ensure they will be resold and not culled). Get yourself some real ottos or a BN plec or some japonica (algae eating) shrimps.

Ben

 

[GuppyDude]

iv alredy got a pleco and he does an awsome job eating alge, i just bought these little guys because the tank im useing them for just cant stand up against that bulldozer of a pleco ill try to take them back this weekend, i hate takeing back fish. as long as the fish isnt sick or has and attitude problem they wont cull them, i just tell them that i did some research and i cant keep em. thank you guys for all the help, its muchly appritiated