I Need Encouragement With Ottos.

HI everyone,
After doing tons of research I've finally bought some Otto catfish! I'm so excited. I've been putting it off one, because my local pet store didn't stock them before now, and two, I've been so nervous that buying them would be a waste of money because everything I read and hear say that these are very delicate fish and will probably die even if they look perfectly healthy.

So I have a 30 gallon tank with 2 honey gouamis, 6 false-julI corydoras, 2 kuhlI loaches, and 4 neon tetras. Now I have an additional 7 Otto catfish!!! They are babies right now and I'm so nervous that they will die. I'm taking the acclimating process REALLY slow so I don't stress them out. They are so active and I love them all. That being said I have a question....

How soon after I add them into the tank should I put some food in the tank? Right away? Wait a little while? My tank is fully cycled and mature (a little over a year old) but there is hardly any algae. And it's funny, I actually cleaned it really well a few days ago so now the algae is very sparse. When should I add in a blanched cucumber or zucchinI or other veggies for them?


I'm so nervous that I'll mess something up with these fish! I need encouragement please. Could you guys share your experiences with ottos and tips that have helped you keep them well?
Thanks guys!

 

Oto's acan be very delicate, part of the problem is they are wild caught and then starved for shipping. So we end up getting them in the store in a weakened state. Some are strong enough to survive the whole transport and fish store experience. As far as the algae goes I normally make sure the tank has a pretty good supply in it before putting Oto's in.

 

Oooh, ok. My tank is pretty clean and algae-free right now. What should I do instead? Put some cucumber in the tank? I don't hardly ever have zucchini. Could I leave it in all night or would it begin to rot too fast and create ammonia spikes? Should I wait till morning to feed them? I've read that they like to "graze" all the time so throughout the day I will always have some food in the tank for them. How long can a piece of vegetable stay in the tank? How will I know if they are eating?

 

I’ve had equal success with zucchini, cucumber and spinach leaves. You can either blanch them and put them in at lights out, then remove them in the morning, or put them in raw and they’re probably good for maybe 36 hours or so before you have to take them out. You shouldn’t have any problems with ammonia spikes, unless you leave large pieces of veg in the tank after they’ve started to disintegrate.
Some folks sink the veggies to the bottom, but my ottos are quite happy to eat their veggies from a veggie clip just below the waterline.
And, like any good pet, they are creatures of routine so always put the veggies in the same place at the same time of day. Because you don’t have much algae, I would suggest having one type or another of veggie in the tank every night, just until your tank gets enough algae and biofilm to support them better.
Since they’re largely nocturnal, providing fresh veggies at bedtime seems to work well for me. I also find it’s a good idea to put them in at least two different places at the same time to avoid crowding or competition. Even ghost shrimps or large amanos will push them off the veggies.

 

I've read mixed reviews about ottos being nocturnal vs being active during the daytime. Mine seem to be active right now (late morning). Though they may just be hungry and looking for food when they really aught to be sleeping. I have no idea.

If they are routine animals, could I "train" them to know their food comes in the mornings? Then I can see them every day when I get up and know they're still alive? Or would they not eat in the mornings and prefer the evening?

 

In a previous tank some time ago I had a group of 6 otos & they were actively grazing all day long & used to follow each other up & down the glass like a little procession. I left one end glass of the tank uncleaned for them with plenty of algae on it but also fed them blanched spinach & kale. They're great little fish.

 

That's awesome. Thank you for sharing your experience. What time did you feed them veggies? How long did you leave it in the tank?

 

What time did you feed them veggies? How long did you leave it in the tank?

I used to put it in inside a little cage with the leaves sticking out when I got home from work, so early evening, & I hauled it out the following morning, there was never much left but I had other stuff in there that would eat it too, loads of shrimp & some snails etc.

 

Nice! I just added a raw cucumber slice to my tank to make sure they have enough food. The ottos haven't discovered it yet, though my gouramis are very interested. They go up to it with their feelers extended. It's so fun to watch them.

Cucumber Suction-cup Veggie Holder

• adh/smile
• Jul 26, 2018

I am very excited to finally own 7 otto catfish. This veggie clip is supposed to give them more...

 

crumble food now and then so they can scavage it from the leaves.

Mine mix with the other cats to get their share

 

Ok I will try that. I have sinking wafers for my cory cats and loaches that are good for them, but have little algae-stuff in it. I was thinking of buying algae wafers for the ottos if they don't show interest in the fresh food I give them.

One thing I've really noticed with the ottos is they poop a lot. Is that normal? I've noticed that about 4 or 5 stick around some tall grass in one corner of my tank and from them is a lot of strings of black/dark brown poop.

 

I think mine missed the memo that they should be delicate.
I acclimated them to temperature for about 15 minutes, then added tank water every 5 minutes for half an hour and I put them in.
Thay have been doing great for over a year.

Good luck.

 

I think mine missed the memo that they should be delicate.
I acclimated them to temperature for about 15 minutes, then added tank water every 5 minutes for half an hour and I put them in.
Thay have been doing great for over a year.

Good luck.

I acclimated mine over a period of 2 hours actually. I had them sit in their bag from the store in the tank water for about 30 minutes and then every 10-15 minutes added some tank water. They are all alive and look good so far this first day. I hope mine will be ok!

 

I think mine missed the memo that they should be delicate.
I acclimated them to temperature for about 15 minutes, then added tank water every 5 minutes for half an hour and I put them in.
Thay have been doing great for over a year.

Good luck.

Same with mine. And I have them for over nine months now. For quarantine, I put them in an "algaefied" tub which I left outside weeks before getting the otos. Then feed them with microwaved zucchinI slices and wafers when most of the algae is gone.

 

Is it normal for ottos to poop a lot?

 

Is it normal for ottos to poop a lot?

If they are eating a lot, sure.

 

Never saw it till

 

If they are eating a lot, sure.

Over the past 5 days since I've been concerned about the quantity of otto waste, the quantity has gone down to what I consider to be a normal amount. I think it was because they were so new and stressed. They hardly ate much a few days ago. They only discovered the cucumber I feed them yesterday!

They have also really cleaned up the algae in my tank very nicely. I'm so pleased with them!

5CB66BB1-7571-4C8F-8CC1-024AD1E989AC

• adh/smile
• Jul 30, 2018

 

Yeah, they do an excellent job in my experience. I have problems getting any algae to grow in my tank now, if it starts form they devour it. Tank looks great by the way!

 

Thank you! Yeah, I will have to start getting creative with adding more veggie foods to the tank for them since nearly all the algae is gone.

What I find really cool is that all my jungle val plants were covered with a light coat of brown algae. Within 3 days of having the ottos all that brown was gone and the plants look green again! I'm so pleased.

 

Thank you! Yeah, I will have to start getting creative with adding more veggie foods to the tank for them since nearly all the algae is gone.

What I find really cool is that all my jungle val plants were covered with a light coat of brown algae. Within 3 days of having the ottos all that brown was gone and the plants look green again! I'm so pleased.

Nice. I think I may order some Repashy Soilent Green soon to try with them. Seems like it may be a little easier than veggies all the time, less worry about it rotting away or anything.

 

Nice. I think I may order some Repashy Soilent Green soon to try with them. Seems like it may be a little easier than veggies all the time, less worry about it rotting away or anything.

I've been researching about good quality food (other thank veggies) to give to my ottos and the Repashy is one of the ones I've wanted to try! The only thing is I'm unclear about is what form they come in. Probably pellets right?

 

Hi, congrats on the Oto’s one of my favourite fish
Repashy Food comes in powder form & you ‘cook’ it by adding boiling water to make a jelly, once it’s set & cooled you can feed it

 

Hi, congrats on the Oto’s one of my favourite fish
Repashy Food comes in powder form & you ‘cook’ it by adding boiling water to make a jelly, once it’s set & cooled you can feed it

Oh interesting. It sounds like biscuits. You add milk or water to your flour mixture and then cook it and bread biscuits come out. I really want to try that now.

 

Yeah it is basically like making really disgusting Jello, that apparently fish love. You can even dip things into before it hardens to coat them in it like rocks or decorations etc... I watched a video about it, he dipped a coconut cave into it and let it set. Then you can just put the item back into the tank and they graze off it. Supposedly it takes a very long time for it to break down, so it can be left for a lot longer than normal food. You can also just cut it into pieces if you like. A lot of people praise it. I am thinking it might be good for vacation feeding? Coat some rocks or whatever in it, leave it when you go and they should have food for a while.

Edit: I just ordered a 3 oz bottle of it to try. We'll see how it goes

 

Yeah it is basically like making really disgusting Jello, that apparently fish love. You can even dip things into before it hardens to coat them in it like rocks or decorations etc... I watched a video about it he dipped a coconut cave into it and let it set. Then you can just put the item back into the tank and they graze off it. Supposedly it takes a very long time for it to break down, so it can be left for a lot longer than normal food. You can also just cut it into pieces if you like. A lot of people praise it. I am thinking it might be good for vacation feeding? Coat some rocks or whatever in it, leave it when you go and they should have food for a while.

Edit: I just ordered a 3 oz bottle of it to try. We'll see how it goes

That sounds so gross, yet fascinating at the same time. That sounds like a really good product if it can last longer. I go on vacations all the time and having a food that would last longer sounds appealing. Where did you find your 3 oz bottle? I guess I haven't looked in many places, but online the smallest container is a 6 oz jar (I think it's 6 oz. It's unclear on some places.) I've looked at Amazon and some other online shopping places. It's expensive though compared to other fish food. It must be really good quality though.

If you don't mind, please share how it goes for you when you use yours! Thanks.

 

That sounds so gross, yet fascinating at the same time. That sounds like a really good product if it can last longer. I go on vacations all the time and having a food that would last longer sounds appealing. Where did you find your 3 oz bottle? I guess I haven't looked in many places, but online the smallest container is a 6 oz jar (I think it's 6 oz. It's unclear on some places.) I've looked at Amazon and some other online shopping places. It's expensive though compared to other fish food. It must be really good quality though.

If you don't mind, please share how it goes for you when you use yours! Thanks.

You can get it right from their site.

 

You can get it right from their site.

Wow, that's a very extensive list. Thank you for sharing!

 

I love the respashy gel foods. You can add other stuff in before it sets. Sometimes I mix in finely chopped vegetables or frozen foods.

 

Just got my Soilent Green yesterday, I am going to try to make some when I get home tonight and see how they like it.

 

Brussels sprouts ???

 

Well I don't know that my otos quite understand the repashy is food, but the guppies figured it out fast! My ADFs apparently love it too. The otocinclus seem to have more interest when I broke up the cubes and made a mess of it. They are all going crazy eating off the sand, so I am guessing they are getting some of the dinner stuff from the gel. We'll see how it goes on the next attempt to get them addicted to this stuff. On the plus side, everyone else loves it and I noticed some algae growing.

 

That is how they scavage. They look and act great.

Wouldn't let me add a second pic in that post for some reason they are all going crazy eating off the sand, so I am guessing they are getting some of the dinner stuff from the gel. We'll see how it goes on the next attempt to get them addicted to this stuff. On the plus side, everyone else loves it and I noticed some algae growing .

 

That is how they scavage. They look and act great.

Yeah, they have all been hanging out on the glass lately, probably because of the frequent zucchini. When I smashed the repashy cube apart under the water, you could see a lot of green goodness hitting the sand in that area. Maybe they will get a better taste for it and start eating from cubes. Going to try coating some rocks with it too.

 

That's awesome Tol. I will have to buy a small jar of the stuff and try it. Thanks for sharing!