Dwarf Otocinclus

How can you sex and breed them? All I know is that they lay their eggs on a flat rock like Cories. And are they tolerant of a teeny bit of salt in the water? I have been adding 1 tsp per 10 gallons for my Platies, but it wouldn't be a problem to take it out if I need to. Also, what will they eat besides algae and algae wafers?

 

Hopes this helps a little!

 

Thanks for the site, Gunnie. I don't think I'll attempt to to breed them. Hovewer, my tank is coated in algae (which I suppose is a good thing, since it means it's healthy), and if I don't hurry up and get them I won't be able to see the fish! I'm leaving the algae on the glass for now for my livebearers to nibble on and for my future catfish. Does anyone know about the salt or food?

 

Otos don't like salt. I wouldn't recommend them for your tank with salt in it. They are pretty delicate as it is. You might want to just scrape the algae and skip the otos for that tank. I believe the platys need that little bit of salt to really thrive.

 

Thanks for the input, Gunnie. I've heard elsewhere that Platies and Guppies don't need salt to thrive, unlike Mollies. Other people have kept them fine without salt. Even as it is, I'm adding very little to the water, and they are doing fine. I think I need the catfish, since my artificial plants are also covered with algae, and I don't think there's any way to get it off of them. (And I really want some kind of catfish in my aquarium.) I'm doing a water change today, so I'll start removing the salt. Since I'm adding so little salt anyway, I think it would be best just to remove it altogether and go ahead with the Ottos. I'll watch my fish to make sure they're OK without salt. It'll be a while before I get the Ottos anyway (I still have to get 2 more livebearers, and I don't have a quarantine tank, so I don't want to have sensitive catfish if I have to treat any introduced diseases), so I'll change my plans if the fish seem to be bothered by the lack of salt.