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Cory’s with Otos


Brandxn
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They will be fine together. Cory catfish aren't really algae eaters but Otos are- make sure theres enough algae/biofilm for them and if they get supplemental foods feed them at night as they move more around that time (and cory tend to be total pigs). A group of 6 is generally sufficient for a shoaling fish like Otos. That is if you are talkinig about the common Otos found in fish stores (like Vittatus). 

Edited by xXInkedPhoenixX
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On 5/6/2022 at 1:11 PM, Brandxn said:

I have a 20 Gallon tank. Will Cory’s and Otos be good together? And how many can I have with them being in a big enough social group?

out of curiosity, what kind of corys?

Otos love to be in a group and have comfort of others around them.  Sometimes only a few remain.  My tank at night is filled with all the fish following my corys around as they look for a place to spawn or just play in the flow of the tank.  The otos are right there with them swimming around feeding at night as well and looking for a place to stay out of the way.  The only think you really have to do is be careful with what food you offer and temperature.  Some corys like a lot of flow (in my experience, otos appreciate it up to a certain point) as well as that 72-74 range for temperature.  For food, what I mean is that if you are feeding something the corys like, maybe toss in a mini wafer / algae (preferably spirulina) wafer for the otos as well and just keep an eye out to see if the otos go anywhere near it.  If the otos have algae and stuff to eat, awesome, but just make sure they aren't starving or being scared away from the food by a few feisty corys.

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I have oto with my pygmy cory and they love to buzz around like little bees. As to how many - depends on type of cory - for the larger ones (eques, sterbai, bronze) I'd say a limit of 8 - for the medium ones - like panda - maybe 10 or 12 - for the small ones like pygmy 15 or 20. For oto - well they should not be added to a new aquarium but once the aquarium mature with lots of nature plants et all and proper pieces of wood and so forth - after about 6 months of maturing - maybe 6 or 8 oto but it depends on what else you have in there.

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On 5/7/2022 at 2:05 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

out of curiosity, what kind of corys?

Otos love to be in a group and have comfort of others around them.  Sometimes only a few remain.  My tank at night is filled with all the fish following my corys around as they look for a place to spawn or just play in the flow of the tank.  The otos are right there with them swimming around feeding at night as well and looking for a place to stay out of the way.  The only think you really have to do is be careful with what food you offer and temperature.  Some corys like a lot of flow (in my experience, otos appreciate it up to a certain point) as well as that 72-74 range for temperature.  For food, what I mean is that if you are feeding something the corys like, maybe toss in a mini wafer / algae (preferably spirulina) wafer for the otos as well and just keep an eye out to see if the otos go anywhere near it.  If the otos have algae and stuff to eat, awesome, but just make sure they aren't starving or being scared away from the food by a few feisty corys.

@nabokovfan87I’m looking at getting either peppered or panda cory’s. I’d like to have maybe 5 corys and 5 otos. And right now the tank temperature stays around 76. And the tank has plenty or algae growth everywhere along with the natural plants for them to hide/explore. Do you think 5 Cory’s and 5 otos would be fine?

Edited by Brandxn
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I will speak to the Otos, I'd recommend at least 6-7- what you get at the LFS will 9 of 10 times be wild caught so you will stand to potentially lose some of them in the first month- even if you don't their bioload is so small this number isn't going to make a difference. Cories to me are different as most are tank raised and most of the time what you get is what you'll end up being able to keep- and but for the smaller species they have a bit higher bioload and are messier eaters 🙂 all in a good way. 

As far as food an Otos- offer them commercial food from the get-go. As others have mentioned they aren't easy to get to eating it but try and get them to start BEFORE they run out of other options. I've personally had the best of luck with Hikari Algae Wafers and Repashy Super Green. Also mine really like English Cucumber which I put in my tank of 72 Otos via veggie clip every day. 

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On 5/7/2022 at 3:18 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I will speak to the Otos, I'd recommend at least 6-7- what you get at the LFS will 9 of 10 times be wild caught so you will stand to potentially lose some of them in the first month- even if you don't their bioload is so small this number isn't going to make a difference. Cories to me are different as most are tank raised and most of the time what you get is what you'll end up being able to keep- and but for the smaller species they have a bit higher bioload and are messier eaters 🙂 all in a good way. 

As far as food an Otos- offer them commercial food from the get-go. As others have mentioned they aren't easy to get to eating it but try and get them to start BEFORE they run out of other options. I've personally had the best of luck with Hikari Algae Wafers and Repashy Super Green. Also mine really like English Cucumber which I put in my tank of 72 Otos via veggie clip every day. 

@xXInkedPhoenixX How often would the Otos need a algae wafer? And would my current tank temperature at 76 be ok for them?

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This is what I do for my Otos and it would work for the Cory feedings too. I get a feeding dish of some kind- this helps me to monitor what/how much is being eaten and it keeps the tank cleaner as well as help the Otos not lose too much food. A lot of people use glass shrimp feeding dishes, I've used small food safe pottery bowls- doesn't mattter. Daily I use a turkey baster or coral feeder and suck out the old food from the dish so as not to foul the water, then I cut a piece of Repashy Super Green (or Soilent depending on what I made) and a Hikari Algae Wafer. They get a whole, new wafer and Repashy every day, sometimes it's gone, sometimes there's a little to a lot left. The fish all know where it is. Now that I have all my Otos in one tank I have 2 bowls and 2 English Cucumber slices that get changed every day. When you get your Otos and Cory I'd recommend putting out food for the Cory in the morning and food out for the Otos at night since they're more active then.

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On 5/7/2022 at 1:04 PM, Brandxn said:

@nabokovfan87I’m looking at getting either peppered or panda cory’s. I’d like to have maybe 5 corys and 5 otos. And right now the tank temperature stays around 76. And the tank has plenty or algae growth everywhere along with the natural plants for them to hide/explore. Do you think 5 Cory’s and 5 otos would be fine?

I would start with 3-4 corys and 3 otos. I know people are going to say to have 6 minimum, but you can add more in future if those otos do well. For the corys, you likely may end up with more, so starting with fewer might be a good idea.  5 is fine, I would start with 3-4 personally.  Temperature, if you can drop it to 74 as a ceiling and try to keep it in the 72-74 range for the oto/cory you mention.  I don't know what else you have in the tank specifically and that temps they require.

For your other question above, the main thing is to make sure they have the behavior that they are happy.  Otos kind of enjoy having an eye on them, meaning that it's best for them if you see them eating and grazing.  If you don't see them doing that, they might not have enough food, and especially if you don't see waste, that might be a sign of issues.  I would offer them a wafer at least every other day minimum.  If you have a small one, and one they like, daily is absolutely fine.  Repashy Soilent green is a a pretty great choice for the fish mentioned.  Community blend also might be a great fit as well.

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Oh and I apologize @Brandxn I didn't address temp- 76 is fine. I run no heaters in my tanks so the temp fluxes from 72-79 and they breed so apparently what I'm doing works well for them. (I still say 6-7 🙃- just make sure your tank is well established- in fact I would add Otos LAST to any set up)

Edited by xXInkedPhoenixX
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