mbrigha1

i have tons of brown algae in my tank, but when i put an oto in last week, he doesnt seem to be makin a dent in it. is he eating the brown algae at all or do they eat another kind? should i get more than one? whats the deal with my oto?

Chief_waterchanger

To answer your question you should have 2 or 3 otos, and they should eat brown algae.

However,

The danio should be in a school of 6 or more.
The tetras should be in a school of 6 or more.
The guppies should be kept in trios (1 male to 2 females)

That keeps the fish' stress levels down and their social interaction to the levels their specific species need.


Of course you do not have room in a 20g for nearly that number of fish, so I'd suggest a second tank or trying in some way to remedy the lack of numbers.

COBettaCouple

a 2nd tank could work out well, allow you to keep your fish and bring them all into happy numbers and as we have mts, it's hard to not recommend another tank to someone.

armadillo

The oto should really eat the brown algae. In fact, it is their specialty. I don't get why yours hasn't.

jsalemi

It may take them a while to settle in. I remember when I added my ottos they just kinda hung around on the glass not moving much for a couple of days. Then one morning I came down, and ta-da! pretty much all the algae was gone, and the ottos were looking fat and happy.

0morrokh

Are you feeding your Oto anything else? And did you quarintine him before putting him in the main tank? If not it is possible he is sick. Many Otos arrive home very sickly due to harsh capture methods, and many do not live long.