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i really like the sound of these fish, and think they are the best choice for my planted 3foot tank. are they sensitive to nitrates? is 10 too high? also my water is kh 11 is this to hard for them? all my other water stats suit them though. I want to get them tomorrow so please someone whos experienced with Ottos reply Also i was thinking of getting 4 for now, maybe a few more at latter stage. i have plenty of algae, shelter and bogwood for them so hopefully they should be happy.
thanks

IMO they are a bit sensitive & the first days are the worst, If they make it in the first 2 week, than they'll be fine & eat lots of Algae.


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I would get at least 5 of them. What other fish do you have in your tank?

ottos should be fine in your tank, they are a little sensative and need to be aclimatised well, but once they have settled they are great little fish and tireless algae eaters.
as lowlight said, get at least 5-6, possibly 8 if you have spacve in the tank for then as you may lose a couple in the early days.

By now you might have bought you Ottos. If not make extremly sure they are of a good healthy size (well fed and plump) I would only buy 2-3 at a time and see how they go. Introduce them very slowly. Dont worry if you dont see them for a few days as some can be extremly shy.

Keith

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I would also recommend reading [link=this article]http://www.fishprofiles.com/articles/freshwater/oto.asp" style="COLOR: #993333[/link].

Good luck

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

This website is also very good. I currently have 8 otos in my tank and they seem to be fairly happy (nice fat bellies ), thanks mostly to the advice on that site.

Otos are a favorite in planted tanks because they don't destroy anything and are very good with certain algaes. Most planted tank enthusiasts who have otos also add nitrate to their tanks for the plants. My nitrates have routinely been in the 20ppm and none of my 7 otos seem affected.

BTW - If you haven't put them in the tank yet, acclimate them slowly over a few hours

Last edited by tetratech at 14-Nov-2005 08:49

My Scapes

hey thanks for websites there great! well i got the 4 they had left at LFS. they had been in stock for 2 weeks, i didnt think to ask if they where feeding them Algae wafers but i did notice they did not appear to have nice big bellies the tank they where in was sterile looking so id say they where hungry :#( when i got them home i aclimatised them over an hour and by the time i netted them in they where in 80% my water 20% shop water. no gasping when released and they did not hide but instead they went WOW algae!!! and theyve been busy little bees as today i can see how much they have removed from leaves ect.. i have some of the brown algae that they prefer so hopefully my tank and water stats will give them the head start im hoping for. one of them has a bad fin like Nemo it looks like its been crimped! but he/she looks happy and not hiding away or on hunger strike. i will keep an eye on Nemo. thanks for your help i will keep you posted as to if they survive the 2 week period

I added (6) Ottos to my 55g tank about 5 days ago and two have perished already. As a group, all (6) Ottos are extremely active and constantly cleaning everything in the tank. Definitely a good addition to the tank. Like others have mentioned though, I hear if they last the first two weeks in your tank, then they are sticking around. Good luck!

I very seldom see my ottos.

Mine are active all the time - I see them quite frequently, especially now that the Amazon Swords have grown again and some of the older leaves are acquiring a patina of green spots for them to munch upon. Which they like a LOT.

They've also developed a liking for freeze dried Tubifex worms in a big way now that I have my Heath Robinson Feeder to keep them at the bottom


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I bought some ottos a few days ago and am very impressed with these fish. They are AWESOME at removing algae.

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

The first 5 days are the hardest...had 5 of the lil fellas and 3 didnt make it....

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

I put 6 in yesterday to my 54 gallon bowfront. So far they are settling in very nicely and nibbling on the plant algae.

I now have a med/heavily planted tank with

2 Crimson Spot Rainbows (one of whom is the tank bully)
2 Turquiose rainbows
2 albino cories
2 cardinal tetras
5 bloodfin tetras
1 dwarf powder blue gourami
1 golden zebra loach (botia histronica)
6 Ottos

I sympathise on the acclimation of ottos, it can be tricky, they really dont like transportation or take climatic shock well at all. Better off kept in groups of 6-8 even though they rarely shoal, or even sit together. I think they find the sight of conspecifics reassuring.Not a beginners fish for that very reason , but a smashing little algae eater. Downside is , theres so many plants in my tanks I hardly ever see them, but when I do they are always chubby and happy enough.