Loaches Online Forum

i've been looking for a small algae eater for my loach tank for quite a while. prochilodus and most plecos grow quite big, and are also quite expensive... i've been thinking of a group of otocinclus... i see conflicting information on the web on their temperature requirements... some have also mentioned the need for driftwood, which i've been trying to avoid...
Plus, would their small size be a problem with clowns?
anybody have experience with this?

Otos are tough little guys once they are acclimated and are not bothered by bigger and more aggressive fish. They don't need driftwood. They do prefer to have plants, and it is cleaning algae from plants that they are best at. They are not particular about temperature. They are gregarious and you should keep a group, three at least and the more the merrier.
This is my experience.

I have a set of 4 clowns with a set of 3 otos with no problems...

Thanks! some websites have said that the quarantine tank should be populated with algae first, since they're probably half-starved to death already. what would be the easiest way to do this? leave the tank light on 24/7? or will providing algae wafers be ok already?

I actually feed both the clowns and otos with algae wafers. They both seem to REALLY love them.

Although Ottos and many fish like algae, it is NOT NECESSARY. ANY algae eating fish will survive BETTER on premade packaged food, if you use the right ones and use them correctly

The point is that most people use ottos as vaccuums instead of just fer lookin at

angelfish83 wrote:Although Ottos and many fish like algae, it is NOT NECESSARY. ANY algae eating fish will survive BETTER on premade packaged food, if you use the right ones and use them correctly

May be. But I have always kept Otos in planted community tanks where there are other fish being fed algae based wafers. The Otos have never shown any interest in the wafers and pellets on the bottom. They just munch away at algae on leaves and rocks. I guess they are happier with natural food if they can get it.

The key to good survival is to make sure that their little bellies are as swollen and tight as a drum. I guess algae is not very nourishing so they need to keep filling themselves up to keep on going.

after a tour of the fish shops, i've been reevaluating whether to get otos or not... its commonly written that the otos tend to die-off right after purchase, yet if i leave it on the lfs, i think it will end up more emaciated (and possibly sickly from eating all that dead fish, lfs conditions for the "cheap" fish here are quite horrible)... so it seems my only choice, if i want otos, is to buy a lot as soon as it arrives and hope some live...

i've been thinking of getting a single bristlenose, or whiptail instead... except that whiptails prefer alkaline waters... so i might end up with a bristlenose instead... thoughts on the bristlenose with loaches?

libingboy wrote:after a tour of the fish shops, i've been reevaluating whether to get otos or not... its commonly written that the otos tend to die-off right after purchase, yet if i leave it on the lfs, i think it will end up more emaciated (and possibly sickly from eating all that dead fish, lfs conditions for the "cheap" fish here are quite horrible)... so it seems my only choice, if i want otos, is to buy a lot as soon as it arrives and hope some live...

i've been thinking of getting a single bristlenose, or whiptail instead... except that whiptails prefer alkaline waters... so i might end up with a bristlenose instead... thoughts on the bristlenose with loaches?

Ive got two with rostrata. There were clown/histrionica hybrids in there too. no prob with the bristle. They hold their own. Get a bigg(er) one. Full grown ones eat less algae.

Honestly though Id prefer you get a pair as they are social plecos and like to hang out together

after a weekend of touring the shops, i ended up getting 7 otos... turns out the shops here only import the "exotic" bushynoses, so the prices were quite high, especially if im getting more than one...
found a shop that kept otos in a densely planted tank, they were quite large (with plump stomachs) and were there for at least a week (the shop owner said they were there for 3 weeks already), so i decided to take the plunge... its the third day and everything seems ok, although the blanched zucchini slice has not attracted any attention yet...

how long can i keep the zucchini slice inside the tank? one website mentioned that the otos were attracted only after the vegetable matter has been soaked for approx. 12 hours, although he/she thinks boiling it would make the vegetable more attractive faster.

Zucchini isn't a great food for those youre better off with actual food for them. get something you can stick to the glass

Hi libingboy, I strongly suggest you read this>> http://www.otocinclus.com/feeding.html

I worry about my Ottos... I put 3 in my tank about a month ago to help the SAE's with the algae. They are always togehter on plant leaves and such, never seen em take after any prepared food, but my tank has plenty of algea in it. They are all quite pot-bellied now, hope they dont eat themsleves to death with thier never ending supply of greens for dinner!