bbfeckawitts

I have brown algae.... I got it right after my tank finished cycling. It is sooo ugly! Will it go away on its own or be a constant thing that I need an Algae eater for? I have heard mixed opinions so I want to set things straight. Thanks,
Brianna

atmmachine816

Diatoms, common new tank sign, will go away by itself though you can wipe it away on your own if you wish. Nothing to worry about

bbfeckawitts

Thanks, Thats what I did, took the decor out and cleaned it. Then I did a water change to keep my Nitrates down, so that there is less nutrients for the algae to use.

vin

Otos LOVE diatoms!!!!

atmmachine816

Yup they do, though the diatoms wiill go away eventually so you don't have to buy them unless you want too.

Jim

I just bought 2 little oto's for the same problem. I've never seen such busy eaters! I plan on buying a few more when the LFS gets them in!

atmmachine816

I love mine too, they eat regular brown algae that I sometimes get too, there fun to watch too.

new2fish

Can someone tell me... if I only have brown algae, is it OK to get the Otto's?? I was told by several LFS's that i should not get anything till I see green algae

I have been told brown algae is is from not enough light & then that is was from too much light??

I thought green algae was from too much light?

Can anyone set me straight on this??

Thanks a bunch

vin

Sure you can get otos.....You can feed them algae wafers or veggies such as zucchini or cucumber until algae begins to form......

armadillo

I think the reason the shop said that is that otos very quickly die of hunger, so they recommend to put him in a very established tank with an important algae colony. An oto, unlike other fish, is very healhty if he has a nice rounded belly. The only thing you need to do is to absolutely make sure they get something to eat (slices of cucumber go down a treat, and so do the algae wafers) if your tank isn't that covered in algae. That's what I did and they're absolutely fine. Oh, and the drs website sell this great thing: sheets of algae as a treat for fish. It's basically like the algae sheets they serve with sufhi. it's great because it gives them a huuuge surface to munch on.

new2fish

Well, I got 2 Otos, they are going to town on the brown algae! I guess I will keep an eye on them & Wait till they have it pretty =well gone before I supplement any other food for them?
They are swimming around & don't know where to start they swim from one side of the tank to the other, then to a plant, they something else... they are going to be busy for awhile

Thanks for the info!

armadillo

I've always left a cucumber or an algae pill out for them, and they still seem to eat the algae. It's just that I read they are very sensitive to hunger and prone to starvation.

0morrokh

They will be fine as long as there is algae to eat. I have found that mine can actually go a while without being fed (like when I'm on vacation). In an established planted tank they can usually find something to eat. However, you should feed them algae wafers or veggies when the algae is basically gone. The best algae wafers are the Veggie Rounds made by Omega One.

The reason Otos are so prone to starvation is because if they don't eat for too long, then the digestive bacteria in their stomachs will die off. This means that even if they get fed, they can't digest the food to get nutrition and will starve. This is mainly a problem in the empty, sterile tanks of fish wholesalers and pet stores, where there is no algae anywhere (which is one of the reasons newly bought Otos are so prone to dying).