kalika

I ma interested in getting a small school of oto's to help out with algae control in my 33g L tank. I do have a few live plants but it isn't quite enough. I have lloked up oto's and have seen that they can get mixed up with juvenile chinese algae eaters at the store. Can anyone tell me certain physical characteristics to look for so I can tell for sure if the fish I am considering is an oto or the other dreaded algae eater? Thanks.

Luniyn

Not easy at first glance, however, if you look at the pattern of their markings it's not so bad. First take a look at the common oto. Pay special attention to it's tail and the stripes on it. Now take a look at the Chinese algae eater. It's tail has spots on it rather then the broad stripes. Also look at it's body, yes it has the stripe down it's side like the oto, however, take a closer look and you will notice that's it's not just a stripe. It's a stripe combined with spots and those spots carry over the top of it's body. The oto just has that stripe and it's fairly straight and even. If there is any doubt then I would suggest going to another store. Also if you have a non-chain store (a.k.a. Mom and Pop store), they will sometimes know more about their fish (especially if they are ONLY a fish store) and have them properly marked in the tanks.

kalika

Thanks! That is exactly the type of info I was looking for. I do have a Mom and Pop stores around me but one of them will has the label of "Chinese algae eater" on a tank and all I have seen in it are albino Corie's. Very different fish. Even though these stores are better than the local petco or walmart, I still like to go in armed with my own information that I know I can trust. I think it is very sad when an LFS which is a petty good place to buy fish will sometimes not take the time to make sure you are educated and just sell you something for the sake of selling it. I really appreciate your info!

Luniyn

LOL... yeah that is why I said "sometimes be better". It seems it's harder and harder to make generalizations about pet stores these days. Just so many people who simply wants jobs working at a place where you would expect them to at least... oh I don't know.... have a CLUE! Yeah I have a mom & pop like that too. They use those wax pencils to write the names of the fish on the side of the tank, and a lot of times they forget to wipe the names off as they sell out of the various fish. Saw a tank marked Serpae tetras and panda cory's... looked in the tank and saw Zebra Danios and oto's. The next sign I saw was the EXIT sign on the door on my way out.

Happy to help, good luck with the oto purchase!

kalika

Thanks! I hear you about the "clue" bit. A lady at Petco was selling me some plant for my aquarium and I knew it was hornwort but I asked her what it was and at least she said "I don't know" vs. telling me something completely false. All she could offer me was that her fish ate it. I wonder if she knows what kind of fish she has. Anyway, unfortunately my oto purchase is put on hold now since my quarantine tank is now home to 5 platy fry. On another note, I saw some tiny upside down catfish at a Walmart near me. They were going to be in horrible shape soon. All the tanks were diseased but if my quarantine tank hdn't turned nursery I would have been tempted to buy them and then treat them for what I could see the tanks have in them and see if I could save them at all. They were so cute! Probably just as well because I would have gotten attached to them and then been sad when they died. Oh well.