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[font color="#000080"]I was told by the LFS people that I could put Otosinclus (sp?) in my goldfish tank. I looked at profiles in this wesite and that does not appear to be the case. What do ya'll know or think about this?? I DO NOT trust the LFS people at all so ya'll please tell me quick if I can open the bag...

Thanks!

Patty ***[/font]

I definitely wouldn't.
A) Otos are schoolers, and a single one won't do well alone
B) Otos are tropical and need tropical temperatures
C) Eventually, the goldfish will be able to eat something oto-sized
D) Otos can be VERY sensitive to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, all of which can crop up in a goldfish tank, even a cycled one

There are other reasons but those are the main points.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Regarding your objections:

A) Otos are schoolers, and a single one won't do well alone.
I PURCHASED TWO.

B) Otos are tropical and need tropical temperatures
i KEEP MY TANK AT 74.

C) Eventually, the goldfish will be able to eat something oto-sized
MY GOLDIES ARE RATHER LARGE AS IT IS... 8 INCHES.

D) Otos can be VERY sensitive to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, all of which can crop up in a goldfish tank, even a cycled one
I DO WEEKLY WATER CHANGES AND KEEP MY WATER PRISTINE.

Thanks for your comment. I was afraid they would bother my goldies (eat their slime or attack them).

Would they do Ok with livebearers or would they eat their fry?? That's another tank I can put them in...

Patty

I PURCHASED TWO.
Two a school does not make.

i KEEP MY TANK AT 74.
78+ is preferrable for ottos.

MY GOLDIES ARE RATHER LARGE AS IT IS... 8 INCHES.
Taking into account the fact that they can grow nearly two feet long, I dunno.

I DO WEEKLY WATER CHANGES AND KEEP MY WATER PRISTINE.
You can't know for sure unless you do daily water changes/tests. I did daily water changes in my goldy holding tank, and nitrates were still pretty high.

Patty

They'll be gone before long unless they are stealthy hiders. Eventually, they'll make a mistake. The only reason your goldfish don't eat each other is because they can't fit in each other's mouths. Otherwise, even another goldfish is just another meal.

Personally, I would return them rather than allow them to become a snack. By goldfish keeping standards, it is inappropriate, imho, to keep such small fish with them. Because the goldfish is a predator, the otos may experience stress, especially if the goldfish have a go at them. Being otos, they sometimes don't even move when you touch them with your hands. They are merely sitting ducks in that tank. Hopefully, they don't stress so much as to come down with ich and spread it through the tank.

Anyone at Goldfish Paradise or other goldfish forums will tell you the same. Its unfortunate you didn't wait for feedback prior to making the purchase. I don't mean to sound harsh and I apologize in advance for it, but all to often we have people ask us questions about compatibility and it comes after the purchase was made. What is a few days to wait for feedback?


Last edited by Cory_Di at 04-Feb-2005 19:08

regarding the temperature to keep otos. This site says 68-79F (20-26C). About half the other sites I saw said 70-82 and the rest 70-79. I do not think that the temp is a concern for otos and keep mine in tanks from 76-80F. But I definitely agree otos and goldfish are not ideal tank mates. Otos are tiny delicate little fish and goldfish are quite large, messy, and nowhere near as delicate to water quality. Maybe a small pleco for algae? nerite snails that don't breed in freshwater? I really think your otos will someday be snackfood. It would remind me of a tadpole swimming around in there which I know for certain my aunt's goldfish won't pass up an opportunity to eat.

More questions..

Did you add the 0.3% salt solution in there for the problem these goldfish were having (hospital forum post)? Even if you did a 30% water change since then, the otos have been exposed to high amount of salinity in a very short time - an amount they may not be able to even tolerate.

Considering the shape the goldfish were in just a week ago, their immunity is probably low and it is possible now that the otos will have carried something into the tank with them, as well.

I may be overly cautious, but a good gold standard is not to add any new fish to any tank with sickness or death for at least 4 weeks. This is even more important when potential parasites are involved because of complex life cycles that could have them coming back again.

Goldfish eat algae - off the walls, the leaves, etc. I am really curious why you would need an algae eater in a goldfish tank. Maybe something is not in balance or the load is too high for the size tank to keep the nitrates in check. If your nitrates are consistently over 40ppm, despite weely changes, then you will have an overload of algae, stressed and ill-health fish. And, otos are intolerant of high nitrates. The recommendation is to keep them at 20 or lower.

What is your latest pH reading?



Last edited by Cory_Di at 04-Feb-2005 19:33

Goldfish aren't great algae eaters, nor are they predators. Ottos MIGHT become a meal, and then again, they might not--but I wouldn't risk it.

It's symantecs - maybe by definition not a predator, but like I said - the only reason a goldfish doesn't eat his tankmates because they won't fit in its mouth. Goldfish are always on the hunt for a meal and any fish small enough to fit in its mouth will do. We had a member whose goldfish attempted to eat a cory in the tank. The cory got stuck because of its boney structure and I believe both were lost. Once again - if it fits in its mouth, its a snack.

My goldfish always pick my tank pretty clean of algae. They don't do as good of job, but that's what scrubbers are for.