Isabella

Hey Everyone

Here are some pictures of my Otos. Bought them just 2 days ago, and they're in my Q tank for now. I really hope they make it (since they're reputed to be such sensitive fish). Keep your fingers crossed for me!

COBettaCouple

they're beautiful! great coloring on those cute little otos!

Tom

They look great. They look exactly like mine too. They have those cute little eyes.
Tom

Butterfly

Such cute little fat bellies
Carol

Isabella

Carol, you think they've fat bellies? I thought they were skinny, lol , so I packed the tank with food ... Anyway, I am glad they're not skinny in your opinion, as I've never seen Otos in real life before, so I wouldn't know if they're skinny or not. So far so good - they're still alive and very active (in fact, they seem crazy!).

neverendingninja

If they're eating, they should be just fine. Usually, thats where people seem to make a mistake. If a new oto doesn't eat within the first 24 hours, they probably won't make it too long.

Anyhow, good luck. I'm sure you're taking good care of them.

Isabella

Yes, they are eating Or at least it appears like they are! I am doing everything to make sure they eat A LOT (I am way overfeeding them because of my fear they'll die of starvation + performing daily water changes to be removing the uneaten food). By the way, how much and how often should I feed them?

Peterpiper

They look fantastic! Dont know much about Otos. I think if their eating that must be good.

armadillo

I never target feed them. I leave them to browse on the algae, the veggies and if they're still hungry, there's still the live plants (but I know you like your live plants, so perhaps best to not let it get there).

So I don't really know how often they eat.

Allie

Sooo cute!! I have to get one or 2 of them to put in with my betta.

neverendingninja

I used to keep veggies in my tank pretty constantly, but they didn't seem to eat on it much, so I left them to their own devices and they're quite happy.

Just make sure there is always something in the tank for them to munch on.

COBettaCouple

i've read that they won't overeat and as long as they have a outward curve to their belly, they're not underfed.

Butterfly

Yes they have cute chubby tummys and if their eating the biggest battle is won. Once their in the main tank I would target feed them about every other to third day. This way they will keep the tank cleaned up.
Carol

Isabella

OK, great Thanks all!

armadillo

So what do they munch on now? Can you suggest something that my mollies won't get to first? I'd love to not have to refresh the stupid veggies every day.

COBettaCouple

anything that i'd feed the otos, i'd leave in the tank at most 12-24 hours.

Isabella

It appears my Otos like veggies better than commercial fish food for algae eaters (algae waffers, tablets, etc.). I mean, I see them munching on commercial food every now and then, but I'm more likely to find them eating zucchini for example, rather than algae waffers for example.

So, they're still alive and looking well. Their tummies are actually even bigger now! So I know for a solid fact they're eating, if not feasting! LOL

COBettaCouple

sounds great!

Isabella

I don't know if it would be safe to move them to my 75 gallon tank after only 1-2 weeks of quarantine, but I am really starting to get some serious algae in my 75 gal. tank ! I need some algae eaters in there ASAP! And the SAE will be at my LFS maybe a week from now, and I repeat: MAYBE ...

neverendingninja

My otos eat the tiny bits of algae I do get in my tank. If their bellies start to get smaller, I feed them some veggies for a week and let the algae come back a bit.

COBettaCouple

is the algae just on the glass or is it on some decorations. When we had those otos in quarantine, i'd take a decoration with algae on it out of the tank that had the algae buildup and they'd happily clean it off for me.

Isabella

Dave, it's beginning to grow on my plants! Particularly on the top of my Vals! I need algae eater(s) in my 75 gal. tank really ASAP! It seems that I get more algae after each addition of Flourish. The less Flourish I add, the less algae I get. I am getting mainly hair algae on the tops of my Vals, and some brown/green algae on other plants. But if I take no action, there'll be a lot of algae everywhere very soon.

I think I'll move the Otos this weekend. But I need everyone's OK on that first (particularly Carol's or Dino's and yours Dave). The Otos are doing GREAT by the way. They're really FAT now! I know they're healthy, I can tell without a doubt.

POTENTIAL PROBLEM: Otos are very pH sensitive, right? Will moving them from around neutral pH to around 7.8 pH hurt them? Of course, I'll be acclimatizing them for at least 3 hours.

Butterfly

The 3 hour acclimatization should be fine. They are really healthy looking and will be fine until they find the algae in the 75G
Carol

Isabella

Thank you Carol Oh, they will indeed find a lot of algae in the 75 gallon tank! I am just about to perform a 30% water change in my 75 gallon tank - well actually, I'll make it a 40-50% change, since I'll be adding Otos to the tank this weekend - and I think I'll leave the algae alone this time. I always cleaned them off tank surfaces manually, but now that the Otos will be introduced to the tank, there better be some algae in there. I hope they like green and brown algae. I doubt they'll eat hair algae, will they? Because they'd have a big feast with this type of algae in my tank, lol.

P.S. I'm thinking of buying 2 more Otos, so that there is a total of 6 of them. They're so small they really can't produce that much waste. But, I've first to do my inch-per-gallon calculation (as well as taking into account all of my fishies' body mass).

COBettaCouple

yea.. that Flourish.. i guess it makes sense that it feeds the algae as well as the plants. I think acclimating the otos over that long should adjust them to the change in pH. I'm not sure if they eat hair algae since we only had green & brown algae for ours to eat.

Isabella

Dave, they most likely don't eat hair algae . That's why I want to get the true SAE, because in every profile on them (and in my freshwater encyclopedia) it says they'll eat brush/hair algae. My GAE does not eat this type of alge, and as Carol says, the BN pleco won't eat it either. So it seems the true SAE is my only choice.

P.S. there was a period of time when I didn't use Flourish for about a month or more, and I had no algae then. Interesting, isn't it. The plant growth was very good, even without Flourish. With Flourish, I don't see any noticeable plant growth, but instead, I am seeing explosions of algal growth.

You know what I am beginning to think? That adding commercial fertilizers becomes necessary when you're using CO2 injections. Then, plants are able to use up the nutrients faster. But without CO2, they're much slower at absorbing nutrients, so more of the nutrients are available to algae. I will stop using Flourish until (and if) I get a CO2 system. Unless my plants start dying. You wouldn't believe how fast the algae can take over your tank after you've added Flourish to a non-CO2- injected tank. LITERALLY a few days! I am apalled .