Full Otocinclus catfish care guide! Why Otos die? What Otos eat?
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Why Otocinclus catfish die? What Otos eat? How to buy Otos? How to care for Dwarf Suckermouth? All those questions answered in full Otocinclus Catfish care guide!
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0:00 Intro
0:28 Requirements
2:35 Feeding
4:58 Sensitivity
6:00 Quality
7:00 Summary
#otocinclus #otos #algaeeater #catfish #plantedtank - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
Why Otocinclus catfish die? What Otos eat? How to buy Otos? How to care for Dwarf Suckermouth? All those questions answered in full Otocinclus Catfish care guide! Please like the video if you liked it!
The photo bomb @ 2:05 was adorable!!! The fish was like PEEK A BOO! LOL ❤
Haha - true ;)
I got 6 otos for my 20 gallon long about 1 month ago. They didn’t look per say starved, but they weren’t where they supposed to be. Also, some of their tails were chopped off. They went in well established planted ( 1 year old or so ) . I started them off with slightly blanched zucchini, soilent green repashy, community repashy, bell peppers. They started eating within 24 hours. After 1 week in my tank, they started taking some high quality algae wafers. All tails grew back, they look round , bellies full. I do have lots of botanicals in my tank as well to grow biofilm. They are pretty easy fish to keep. Otos get along perfectly with my sterbai corydoras, super red bristlenose pleco, black neons, rummy nose tetras.
Great to hear :)
Do ur rammy fight food with oto?
Thanks for sharing! May I ask, What are some high quality algae wafer brands?
@@andugo no they don’t
@@fabianjavierlicha I like North Fin algae wafers. Also, New Life Spectrum brand is pretty decent .
I bought 12 Ottos from Sydney and the first thing I did was look at this guide. It helped so much and I can’t thank you enough. All ottos are thriving in my 10 gallon tank along with 7 Pygmy Cory cats. They have STILL been cleaning my tank and they are an excellent, very hardy fish. Thank you and I recommend you make one for Cory cats! God bless
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And regarding your recommendation, something like this: ua-cam.com/video/9JGS1zqV9xE/v-deo.html ? ;)
Thks For Sharing Mate!
I definitely feel like I understand caring for these fish better… I’m also realizing the one I bought before learning about them must be a rare super hardy otto. He’s almost a year old, the only Otto in the tank, and I have hard water with 7.8 ph.
Great video!! Thanks for all the information!
Glad it was helpful! :)
The experienced German aquarist Joachim Mundt once explained that they are by-catches. They have been traveling for a long time, receive poor, inadequate nutrition and often have gastrointestinal diseases. These are probably the reasons for the critical first 2 weeks, because many death candidates go on sale. And thank you very much for all the interesting information! ☺
I think that there is a lot of truth in that. In general fish are transported in HORRIBLE conditions. But now we see more Otos breed in captivity, so it's slowly changing. Thank you for commenting, I'm glad you liked it!
Another great informative video matt, I have never had these but I would love to they are really cute :)
Hi Tracy! They are super cute :) You should try when you have the option!
Love your repens, Video was Great!
Thanks so much!
Wonderful information. Thank you!
Thank you! Glad it was helpful!
Great Video about Oto's, very comprehensive and informative.
Thank you!
Awesome video on Otto fishes.
Gosh... I should have know it earlier, very insightful and always love your video, as i learn alot from it. Thanks for sharing mate~ take care~
I'm glad you liked it! 👍
Great video, I had a few losses in the beginning with my Ottos but another fish keeper suggested to drip acclimate them for 5 to 6 hours. Worked great, a lot of great points in your video. Thank you from NYC
Hello Frank. I'm glad to hear that! Yes, proper acclimation can work wonders!
Great video and very informative....i just love this fish....very interesting to keep them around in our community scape tank....❤
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you liked it :)
Some good information there! Otos are my favourite algae eaters :)
Same here!
I love video very self explanatory, thank you.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the info., thank you
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
I’m so pleased with my Otos. They arrived in good condition and I drip acclimated them for several hours. They are doing very well in my shrimp tank, with no other fish to bother them. I got a group of 5 and received an extra, and all 6 look good. I was hesitant to try them bc I heard they were difficult. They have never acted very shy, but this may be bc their tank is very heavily planted. They eat almost everything that the shrimpies like to eat. Their markings really pop! I love to see their round little bellies when they are hanging out on the glass ❤
Sounds great! :D Yes, Otos are one of my favourite fish. Love to watch those guys!
Excellent information! I remember previous video - feed your Otos! :P
Glad it was helpful!
Love your descriptive video. I feel more confident to try again. Just found mine dead yesterday after 8 days.
Thank you! Sorry about your fish :|
perfect summary, very well done, thank you/merci/gracias/danke/etcc,, ;-)
Thank you for your comment!
very informative my friend, thank you for sharing I'm planning to buy for my simple planted tank, happy weekend like 22
Thank you! Happy weekend to you to!
Really good video, straight to the point and informative, with this information I'm sure I will have success keeping otocinclus!
Thank you! :D
Love these guys i Just got 6 feeding them just in case I don't have enough algae in the tank I'm gonna try vegetables tomorrow Hopefully it goes well
Very good video...... one of my favorite fish.
Thanks 👍
Thank U. I’ll have to put some more Oto friends.
Good video and presentation. 🐟 Great tip on using vegetables
Thanks for watching!
Great and very informative video on Otto cats I've had my fair share of difficulty keeping this fish myself but I feel alot more confident after watching your guide 👍 thank you
Thank you very much for your comment! Glad it was helpful!
@@AquascapingCube It definitely was as I like to create aquascapes on my channel, otocinclus come in very handy at helping to control algae and I would like to incorporate them into future aquascapes 👍
Great! And good luck! I will have an eye on your channel to see the progress :) But your channel is bigger than mine anyways - so you will have no problems :D
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Love your video!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
@@AquascapingCube I'm trying these fish again after a long time and want to do the best for them. They are hiding more than I like but when it gets dark I am seeing them and I have seen them grazing. I give them algae wafers too. Does the cucumber need to be cooked a bit like the other veggies they can be fed?
Thank you
You're welcome :) I'm glad you liked it!
Beautiful sharing ♥️♥️♥️♥️ my dear friend ♥️💞💞❤️ love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🙏
Thank you so much 🙂All the best!
Good vid. What was the small attachment at the end of the airline tubing when you were water acclimating the Otos?
Thank you! It was a simple Air Flow Valve like this one: amzn.eu/d/3XxrRL
lots of info! thank you! 1 of my 6 oto’s is alot longer and fatter than the others. she is the only one with a yellowish color, I’m thinking she’s pregnant (hopefully not sick)
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful. Yes, in general fat Oto is a good sign :P When they get skinny - this is when you should be worried.
Thank you, this video was very helpful! How many otos do you think I could have in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank that has no other fish in it? (I plan to do a small water change and gravel vac weekly)
Glad it was helpful! With no other fish you can keep 5-7 with no problem.
What does ammonia and nitrite have to do with water changes?
Nice update on the oto's. I put some hard/dense wood (the sort that sinks even if fully dried) into my aquarium. I understood oto's also like to munch on wood and other botanicals as you said. It also supports my amano's and bristle nose pleco. I haven't managed to get my oto's to enjoy vegetables and with cory's eating pallets I haven't seen them eating pallets (yet). I started out with 5 and now spot 4 regulary, they are very shy. Looking at the bellies they seem to survive but there is an easily visible pink area just below the head. Does that mean they to not get not enough to eat?
Hello Peter. It's not connected to eating. Sometimes it's because of stress but ammonia is the most common cause. If this is in the gills area it really depends on the color. If grills are light pink - then nothing to worry about. But when they start become darker pink or red, this might mean ammonia burn - Otos are sensitive to this. If this is the case - water changes are your best option.
@@AquascapingCube I’ll check. I think they are moer light pink. I never measured ammonia or nitrate for that matter so thought it had to do with eating. My oto’s also do not shoal, I have 4 or 5 in a 125 liter tank. Sometimes the fly through the tank when scared. I lost one in a smal tank when it kept bumping the glas resulting in concussion and a dead oto.
I'm sorry that you lost one, but they can do this "bumping" in tanks that are to small. Otos don't really shoal exactly like other fish (Rummy-nose tetras for example), but they like to stay together in very tight groups.
Excellent video!
Like the way you pronounce "Wofers" 👌🏻😂
Thanks! 😃
Thanks! 😃
@@AquascapingCube keep the good content coming! 🐠🐟
That was informative, thank you for the video. My tank has a lot of algae, but 1 oto is hiding after 3 weeks in my tank. It also turned light brown. He doesn't move much, and it's been like that for a couple of weeks. Is it ok?
Hi, Thank you, I'm glad it helped. It's very difficult to judge remotely, and I don't want to give you false information. Otos losing colour is mostly associated with 2 things: stress and ammonia. Try to do regular small water changes, keep the water clean, make sure that they have proper source of food (correct algae types). And check if he has red grills - if yes your ammonia is to high. But temember: just because he is hiding doesn't mean he is sick. He just might be shy ;)
I keped
Mine in my five gal betta tank
Female betta
I didn’t do anything special.
It’s was a planted tank.
The ottos did really well
For 2 half year then one jumped and died
The other one disappeared idk when or where exactly but that’s how they died
Otherwise awesome lil fish
Will keep again
With a lid
Ps I didn’t find them hard or sensitive
I just cared for them as I would anything els
Hey! I have two otos in my 20g that I've had for about 3 weeks now. I know that's not enough, but I wanted to try them out before buying a ton. One of them is feisty and has always seemed to eat well and be in good shape. I believe it's a female. The other is smaller, nearly always has clamped fins, is fat and has a good appetite, but hides a lot. I believe this one is a male based on shape. I recently put a new heater in the tank and he's been sitting on top of it for days. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? Tank is fully cycled and has excellent parameters for them. There is also a large piece of driftwood and 5 species of plants. I have a male betta, too, but he leaves them alone. The two otos used to play together a lot, but ever since the new heater was installed, he's just hanging out up there by himself. Tank stays at 78 degrees F so it's not too cold. Thanks!
Great video!
Mate , I’ve been watching your videos for some time
Which is why i thought subscribing would be worth it.
I had a question that what app do you use to edit your videos?
Plus i would really appreciate some support from your channel
Cuz im really struggling
Hi! Thanks for the sub! Sure, we are here to support each other. First of all - don't worry! It always takes some time to get some movement on the channel. My is still going quite slow, but slowly I'm building small community. I have some GREAT people here that are watching and commenting - this is what counts the most. I'm using DaVinci Resolve 17 for my editing. I will visit your videos and leave some likes ;) One suggestion: create additional playlist called shorts - and put all your shorts into it, this way some people will watch many of your shorts one by one.
Thanks a lot
Mine had red on his head and everything said amonia burn. But my other tetras of 5 years were all fine. I never could keep more than 1 otto at a time
❤️❤️❤️
I'm not really sure my tank could really support the otocinclus very well. I started with a group of six. My heavily planted tanks all have multiple species of small snails, hundreds of them, many of them living in the gravel, and they outcompeted the otos for food. The otos cleaned all the leaves, ate the biofilm off the driftwood, and cleaned the glass, but never got used to eating the Hikari algae wafers. I could drop the Hikari wafers or other food in there, but the snails loved them and would find them only seconds after I dropped them, much before the otos did and completely swarm them, making it so that they could not get to them. They lasted about a month before all starving out, and the snails, of course, made the bodies all disappear very quickly. I could not recover any bodies afterwards because the snails took care of that very swiftly. The snails really do keep my tanks very clean, but I don't think they left anything for the otos to have, and anything the otos would eat, they just devoured before the otos could get to it. I might stick to my snails for now. I think if I wanted otos, I may have to make a tank specific for them and get them established before I introduce any snails in there
My snails also eat the oto's food too fast...
Thsnk you for sharing
My pleasure! Thank you for watching :)
Hi, I received my very first set of oto, after 3 days in flight and 2 arrived dead and I could see the dead oto had fin rot and water was not clean. The two alive were yellow/golden when they came and after acclamitzing them I put these two in an elstabised Amono shrimp tank. I just could not quarantine then as they surely were starving and were not eating anything else like cucumber I offered. After I put them in the shrimp tank they got back their color and started feeding on the bio film and algae. But I noticed that they had a few lumps (like boils) near their head. WHAT DO I DO?. Pls Advice. I can remove them and put them in the hospital tank but they need to eat well, as in hospital tank fish do not eat. I will end up polluting the entire shrimp tank!!
Bottom dwellers are the hardest to feed. Cos before the food hits the ground, it be already eaten by other fishes. Even if the food reaches the bottom, it will still take the bottom dwellers some time to find it. And by then, other fishes would have found it first, and eat it up.
Hi do you need to take a bit of water out of tank first then drip the water into a jug over a hour so your otto can be acclimatise
Hi. Just place Otos in the container together with the water they come in (In case you are buying new ones). And drip the water from new tank into the same container. Both water will slowly mix together an all parameters will adjust. But if you are moving them between YOUR 2 tanks - then yes. Take a bit of water from first tank and then drip from the new one.
You can feed the ottocynclus algae based fish food.
Nice information, have you been able to breed them?
Thank you! No, they haven't breed for me. But I wasn't trying with them to be honest
sadly mine will not eat anything is eather not looking for food they just hang on the glas
Any chance of keeping these in a well planted established 5.5 gall or would 2 -3 Amano shrimp be a better option for a tank that small?
I would go with amano shrimp. With Otos you should get at least 3-4, and there will be very little space for other fish. With Amanos you can get 3 and still get some small fish.
Very helpful video! ❤
How long should i continue the process of drip acclimation for otos?
Thank you! I acclimate them for around 30-40 minutes.
watching this because i bought a couple of otos a few weeks ago and theyre doing well but they dont eat anything i give them. i tried repashy and different wafers and im a little worried they might not be eating enough bc my tank doesnt really have (visibile) algae. any advice is appreciated 🙏
Hi! Thanks for your comment! Let start from the basics: do they look skinny? If yes, I would try with boiled vegetables like cucumber - this is great option for all Otos. Also do you have the option to add botanicals like Oak leaves?
@@AquascapingCube i put in indian almond leaves and i could buy cucumber and try it. they look pretty similar in weight to me, except one of them has a yellower underbelly and thrashes around when startled 😥
Well, the one might be little more stressed than others. But don't worry. Start slowly with their diet and see what happens, cucumber is super cheap - you have nothing to lose :) If they are not losing a lot weight - you should be ok.
What should i do i just buy oto and i didnt drip acclimate just acclimate by putting the bag in the aquarium for hour then release it but at first it swim calmly but now it swim erratically can i save them ? What should i do
Right now you cannot acclimate tham. Just make them calm and they might be just fine. Keep an eye on water quality, give them some good food, make small but regular water changes. They might be fine.
I recently added 2 into my 10gal tank. So far so good, I'm thinking about adding one more so 3. They are very healthy and are doing an outstanding job at cleaning my tank. What's your thoughts?
-thanks
Hello! Yes, you can definitely get one more. Otos will be happier in bigger group. I would only suggest to get them from the same source to minimize any risks. And remember to feed them if the tank becomes "to clean" ;)
I am currently replacing my tank and while removing all plants I discovered that I've got 5 small ottos, I assume that they spawned about month ago.
Woow! That is awesome! They are quite difficult to breed. Congrats!
I suppose we deal with another issue as well. Being a disinfectant liquid carbon (Glutaraldehyd) supresses biofilms to establish in sufficient amounts. Keeping Otos and using liquid carbon does not go well together.
Interesting! I've never heard about this, so thank you for sharing!
@@AquascapingCube
When you touch hard scape, equipment or even the panes after using Glutaraldehyd for some weeks you'll notice less biofilm formation by feel.
So if I would have 6 oto’s, I would be okay with 2 wafers twice a week? Or should I feed them extra zukini’s for example?
I think is sounds good :) If you will feed the vegetables - do it INSTEAD of wafers, not as additional food.
@@AquascapingCube okay thanks!
One the aquatic shops near me suggested me this fish for a cold water tank. Is she smoking crack? She also said she keeps them in cold water tanks and they thrive.
I have no idea why would anyone suggest that. Simply don't listen to this kind of "advice" :P
I bought 4 yesterday first time keeping them, 3 seems to be going about their business, the other I actually thought was dead went to scoop him out with a net and he shot off to another part of the tank, then about 1/2 HR later he's laying on the sand on his side like he's dead but he's not, worried about his behaviour
Yes, it doesn't sound very good. He might be damaged or sick. It also could be a shock from the new conditions in new environment.
Sadly he's died today, but the other 3 seems to be ok
@@rainerdavies3409 Sorry to hear that :/ At least it's good that rest of them is doing good!
When feeding veggies like cucumbers, do you feed them daily or what?
Hi. No, 2/week is enough.
@@AquascapingCube 2x per week even when snails and betta steal almost all the wafers and half the veggies?
Does otocinclus eat like any leaves does it depend on anything and do you just put a slice of cucumber in the tank for them to eat please reply I will love it cause I have a otocinclus and I’m a beginner😀😁😃
Hello! I put the cucumber and leaves in boiling water for few minutes. It makes them softer, safe and easier to sink. And for leaves I use: oak, beech, Indian almond (catappa).
And welcome to the hobby :) You will love it!
@@AquascapingCube yo Tysm my otocinclus start to eat for the first time yooo Tysm!I love otocinclus there just so cool little fishes and cute
@@AquascapingCubewait like oak leaves those dried ones like you can go outside and pick those oak leaves???
Yes :) Dry leaves, boiled and that is it! I use them for years :)
do you think they'd do well in high flow?
Yes, they should be fine. They like to swim next to filter outtakes sometimes to feel the flow a bit :)
Can i put otos with rainbow shark ?
Hi. I have never kept rainbow sharks. And honestly I simply don't know :P But I guess it depends on the size of those sharks and especially size of your tank. R ainbow sharks can be territorial and semi-aggressive with age.
My Amano shrimp killed one and was attacking the others. I think the remaining ones are cool now but that first day was hell for my Otto’s
Really?! I never heard about amano attacking healthy Otos. They might attack fish that are very week and/or dying.
@@AquascapingCube yeah I had to google after to see if anyone had this happen and even had to confirm that my shrimp are actually amano. They are. This amano is a savage and had my Otto in a full Nelson lmao
My otocinclus is not eating cucumber 🥒 what to do
I would just try other vegetables like: Zucchini, Spinach, Brussel Sprouts
Do u have to add leaves
No, you don't have to. They are just recommended :)
⚠️PLEASE HELP!⚠️ I have one Otocinclus cat in a 10 gallon tank and I've had him for about 7 months. He was doing great, very active and then I noticed his activity level went down a whole lot and he would just sit there. Now it's gotten so bad that I think he's dead because he's laying on his side, but I see his throat moving so I know he's alive. But I don't know what to do. He just lays there on his side or even his back and barely moves. Please help, quick! I really don't want my oto to die! 😕
Sorry, but it doesn't look good :/ Is he pale, eating anything?
@@AquascapingCube Unfortunately, he passed later today. He didn't look pale at all. But he hadn't beeneating for a while. I knew something bad was gonna happen. Thank you for your help and support though. 🙁
@@Knifegirl16 Ehh, sorry to hear that :/
Are you Polish, mate? Sounds like it😉 A few of mine died after a year for no clear reason. Balanced tank, no ammonia, no nitrite/nitrate spikes, much green algae growth on side glass, no new fish to bring diseases whatsoever.
Yes, I'm Polish :) Sorry to hear about your Otos. Andy big water changes recently or bacteria blooms?
@@AquascapingCube Nop. Maybe they were simply old. We never know the age as they come from the wild. I'm Polish too😉
@@marchean83 True. Pozdro ;)
My Otos won't eat alge wafers. Is this common?
Yes, quite common. It depends on type of wafers and source of Otos. If you have problems just keep feeding them veggies. Cucumber, zucchini etc.
@@AquascapingCube Thank you this helps a ton. I'll try the veggies
Mine gone today.. don't know why.. i kept 4. It was fine till yesterday.. suddenly it's gone today.. 😔
Really sorry to hear that :/
@@AquascapingCube So again another one got sick.. yesterday did 20% water change due to algae issue. Now one of them sticking to a corner Amazon sword leave. Last time i tried to change it to hospital tank and it's gone immediately. This time I'm afraid to do it. Can u pl suggest me something to save her life?
Hi. It's really difficult to suggest anything remotely. What symptoms do they have? Are you able to see their gills (are they abnormally red/purple)? You mention algae issue - maybe you have nitrate or ammonia spikes in your water?
I can only have 1 of these...15g tank with red eye tetras and panda corys. I know they like to be in large groups but i dont have enough bio load for several otos. Unless someone can tell me about a snail that doest lay eggs im going to have to just get 1 of these, or another algae eating fish that will go in my 15g
You can always have like 3 Otos and feed them properly with vegetables, tables etc. With snails there is ALWAYS an option of eggs. For me the least problematic always were clithon corona - I almost never had any eggs from them. Helmet snails are an egg machines ;) Or you can have just one Nerite but male, it will not lay eggs at all - but getting it will be difficult.
@@AquascapingCube Maylasian Trumpet snails do not lay eggs
If you love snails try Taia naticoides, they don't lay eggs cause they are live bearing. I keep wondering why so few people know them.
My otos don't like my cooking. I feel very offended by it. I give them algae flakes and bottom feeder formula instead.