dancingbird

Hi I have a 2.5 gal tank with a live plant, 2 female guppies and just added an oto to the tank. I'm a brand new fishowner of the oto. I got the 2 guppies last oct as a gift. Have a lot of algae so decided to get an oto. I feed my guppies on the tetra weekend feeders (just a small piece since there's only two). My question is will the weekend feeder block poison my oto??

I read that otos are very delicate and may not make it the 1st month.

Also, should i get another one so this oto wont be lonely??

thanks,
dancingbird

CHoffman

Hi dancingbird
Welcome to Fishlore
I love ottos they really are the cutest little guys...Ottos really like to be in groups of 3 or more. They usually get to lonely if they don't have some buddies with them. They can be a very hard fish to keep and are sensitive to water perimeters. Do you know what your readings are for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. A cycled tank is a must for the cute little ottos...Here is a link about the nitrogen cycle http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm


On the flip side to this I'm afraid that your tank just isn't big enough to keep 2 guppies and 3 ottos. I wouldn't put ottos in anything less then a 10 gallon. But it's a good excuse to get a bigger tank

dancingbird

no i dont know what my tank readings are! I put a water conditioner in when i put my oto in. He is still alive! I hope he doesn't die. after reading how sensitive they are I'm holding my breath for a month....lol I didn't realize this and should have done my research first.

Thanks for the great tips, I'll get a bigger tank and a couple more otos after it's been cycled.

I didn't change the water before adding my little oto. should i change it now or will that really stress him out?

CHoffman

I would do a paritial waterchange. In something like a 2.5 gallon I would do a 50% waterchange always use a water conditioner when doing a waterchange. When you dealing with a smaller aquarium things can go wrong fast. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate build up way faster then a 20 gallon. API Freshwater Master test kit is a great test kit to get. It's super accurate and in the long run cheaper then the strips which are not very accurate. I think knowing your water perimeters is the most important thing right now...If you can't get one most Fish stores will check you water for free. Just ask them to right your reading down on a piece of paper, don't let them tell you its "FINE" get numbers.

dancingbird

Thanks for the info. My little oto has already cleaned up all the algae on the tank walls. I'm afraid of him now not having enough food. I bought some algae wafers so I guess I'll drop some in there. Will my guppies eat it first??

CHoffman

That's great that you had algae in your tank, that'a a natural food for them and they will readily eat it. It's also a great sign that he's eating. Sounds like he's doing good. Just keep the water clean and keep him feed well. Algae wafers are good too but they can make a mess. For just 1 otto i would put like half a algae waffer in there. Also try squash, green beans ( you can use the ones out of a can but be sure there is no salt added), and zuchini, cucumber works too. You can use fresh or frozen. Just blanch (boil for a few minutes) so it softens up the veggie and makes it sink. Keep us posted on your otto buddy.
Guppies can be little piggies..To give you otto the best shot at getting the food put it in after you turn the lights off for the night.

dancingbird

I'm happy to report that my little oto seems very happy in the tank. Ok tomorrow I'll give him some veggies. I put some spinach in there and he was on it. cant tell if he ate it. lol took it out today since it's been in there for a couple of days. I've been keeping the light off in the day and turning it on at night. is this ok? I dont want the little oto to get too cold and was thinking the light would give some warmth. Makes a nice nite lite for my 2 yr old.

Thanks for all the advice. Fish is becoming my new hobby. So peaceful and a lot of fun.