What to feed Oto when algae is gone?

My new otos have cleaned my tank of algae, even got the diatoms off the bubble bar (would have been interesting to watch) I have seen them now going thru the gravel on the bottom of the tank so I'm guessing the plants and decos are clean and they are running out of algae to eat. so now what? the algae wafers I throw in get eaten by the Platys, corys and the guppy. I put in cucumber and the platys go after it only. What else should I try? is spirulina any good? or the sea weed sheets I have heard some mention, is that something I can get at my LFS? and for lettuce, which is better, the green leafy stuff like romaine or more crunchy like iceburg?

i'm worried about them not getting enough. Also how often should I add the veggies, daily, every other day?

 

HI Choochiegirl. Please refer to the food section of the oto caresheet. Hope this helps. I had the same problems as you so I decided to write the caresheet as it's a FAQ. Good luck!

 

Do as Arma says but just to let you know my otos were the same to start with so don't worry too much yet. Mine now eat and play in the air bubbles, I guess they are shy!

 

ohhh good article!! I like the idea of farming algae, wonder how that will work in a cooler climate. With winter coming, I keep my blinds closed to keep the heat in and there is less sunlight, there is a window near the tank, would letting sunlight in more help as well? I have the light on for 12 hrs as it is.

Do you change the water often in your algae farm bowl? would discarded water from a water change work if I put it in there I wonder...

something to think about

 

I think you could google information on using fluorescent lighting and a container to grow algae. maybe not as effective as sunlight, but it could be a 24/7 source of light and overall generate more algae.

 

Thanks, ChoochieGirl.

I have the colder climate dilemma myself. I think I'll just bring 'the farm' inside in the winter, and keep it next to a window. Am sure algae don't mind the heat that will undoubtedly result from so much wind-protected exposure to sunlight. Haven't changed the water once.

ohhh good article!! I like the idea of farming algae, wonder how that will work in a cooler climate. With winter coming, I keep my blinds closed to keep the heat in and there is less sunlight, there is a window near the tank, would letting sunlight in more help as well? I have the light on for 12 hrs as it is.

Do you change the water often in your algae farm bowl? would discarded water from a water change work if I put it in there I wonder...

something to think about

 

I'm going to try growing some I have no glass jars so will hit the dollar store this weekend. I had a cucumber in the tank today and it was pretty much gone, but I dunno who ate it

 

you could probably find plenty in dorm room fridges at the local college.

 

probably!!!

hubby said to use the test tubes (smacks) then what do I test my water with?? I'll get something I'm sure, just the stores will be nuts this weekend

Now if I seed my "farm" water with rinsing my filter in the water I will have to treat my water so not to kill my good bacteria on it. I can't handle another minI cycle...

 

OK, here's what I did with the algae farm. There's a lot more room for play as there's no fish in it. I basically conditionned it (once), put some established gravel there (otherwise, for some reason, there's no algae at all for weeks), then put my jars and ornaments and whatever else I wanted in there, then covered it up with an upside down transparent bowl and presto! Never did a single water change.

Oh, and for the glass jars, we use rinsed out sweetcorn and pea and sauce jars that would have normally ended up in the glass recycler.

 

I was able to finally get something for the algae to grow on, now sure if it's getting enough light tho, had them in for a week and no sign

 

what type of light? how many hours per day?

 

Have you used established gravel in the bottom of your algae farm? That's what didn't work for me at the start.

 

wow the new forum layout, I completely lost where all my posts were!

I did take some gravel from the bottom of the tank and put in the jar. I'm not sure on the amount of light per day, the window faces west but I have a lot of trees at the end of the yard. winter is coming soon too as well, so the sunlight is getting less & less each day and soon the window will have a lot of snow (ugh)

 

Oh that must be frustrating. I couldn't get it to grow and as soon as I put gravel in bang! What also worked really quick for me was to squeeze the contents of a used filter in the water in the jar. But then the problem is that algae establishes itself on the particles in the water too, and as otos are stickers for clean water, I didn't want to do that.

Is there perphaps another, South West facing window in the house at all?

If you could get a tiny fish bowl, instead of a jar, maybe then you could buy one of those clip-on aquarium lights for small tanks. They're on this extensible foot, like these flexible desk lamps. I never bought one, but they look like they can't cost more than a few dollars. I see them in the aquarium store all the time. If you get a powerful one of these, surely that should bolster things a bit?

 

Hey everyone!

I have 6 otos in my tank and they’ve made their way through just about all of my algae (that I can see). I don’t want them to starve so I’m trying to find some food to give them until the algae starts growing back for them.

They have no interest in the zucchinI or algae wafers that I’ve put in there (and my other fish keep having their way with the wafers as soon as I drop them in ).

Maybe there is enough algae and biofilm on my plants that I can’t see that they prefer? They all seem to be constantly stuck to the plants.

My algae wafers are omega one veggie rounds which contain salmon, halibut, and shrimp among other veggies. Maybe there are wafers out there that don’t have fish in them that the otos will be more inclined to eat?

Any help would be appreciated! I love these little guys and would hate to see them starve.

 

Watching with interest having just added 3 otos to my own tank...

 

Acara
Similar issue with mine. It took them awhile to figure out the Algae Wafers and zucchinI is food. They also enjoy "Brussels Sprouts".


Oh, by the way. Welcome to Fishlore and Best of Luck to you.

 

My understanding is that Otos will enjoy zucchini, Brussels sprouts, lettuce (more so Romaine, etc.) , and you should blanch in boiling water briefly to soften. Let it cool and leave in the tank about a day or so before removing whatever is uneaten. I think there are clips available to hold the vegetables down. But I’m a newbie so anyone correct me if I’m wrong.

My Otos, Panda Garras, and snails have pretty much wiped out my algae problem, so I’m watching this thread as well. I don’t want my algae eaters to starve, so I will be using the veggies as well as algae tablets and sinking shrimp pellets especially for the snails. For all the great work they’ve all done cleaning my 29 gal. tank, they deserve some treats!

 

 

My ottos have a tast for lettuce. But they also like all the other veg type food.

 

Thanks! Will definitely try the brussel sprouts and lettuce! Are there any good algae wafers out there that are for herbivores?

 

Thanks! Will definitely try the brussel sprouts and lettuce! Are there any good algae wafers out there that are for herbivores?

The Marineland are popular with my fish as ar the HukurI (spelling)

 

Repashy food can work. If they don't take to the food cubes, spreading the paste onto rocks or decorations before it solidified is supposed to make some fish eat it more readily.

The New Life Spectrum (NLS) algaemax wafers are supposed to be high quality as they contain several types of algae (and NLS is known for producing quality products in general).

 

I recommend evaluating the body condition of your otos, and use that to determine if they need more food than your tank provides. I have 3 in a planted 33 gal (seeking more), and basically don't feed them.
Look at the portion of their body between the vent (pooper) and tail fin. Seen from above or below, it should be chunky and thick, not whiplike or thin. A round belly is a good sign, but you want to see little or no real taper from the belly towards the tail.
If this part of the body is well proportioned, they're getting enough food and you don't need to worry.
If you do need to supplement, all above is useful info. I would also recommend a) feeding after dark, and b) placing food for otos in the same place at the same time, so they get used to it, and know whatever comes there is for them.

 

I recommend evaluating the body condition of your otos, and use that to determine if they need more food than your tank provides. I have 3 in a planted 33 gal (seeking more), and basically don't feed them.
Look at the portion of their body between the vent (pooper) and tail fin. Seen from above or below, it should be chunky and thick, not whiplike or thin. A round belly is a good sign, but you want to see little or no real taper from the belly towards the tail.
If this part of the body is well proportioned, they're getting enough food and you don't need to worry.
If you do need to supplement, all above is useful info. I would also recommend a) feeding after dark, and b) placing food for otos in the same place at the same time, so they get used to it, and know whatever comes there is for them.

Thanks! I’ll try to take a look at their body condition