Corys or Otos?

[Henry the fish keeper]

I have been deciding to get corydoras but I also planned to get otos. Which one should I get?

[KBOzzie59]

Both?  I have both in a tank with no issues.

 

[Henry the fish keeper]

On 5/11/2022 at 8:25 AM, KBOzzie59 said:

Both?  I have both in a tank with no issues.

 

No, I am not talking about if they will get along or not. I am a beginner fish keeper. Should I get otos or corydoras?

Edited May 11, 2022 by Henry the fish keeper

[JettsPapa]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:28 AM, Henry the fish keeper said:

No, I am not talking about if they will get along or not. I am a beginner fish keeper. Should I get otos or corydoras?

Get corys.  Otos aren't good fish for beginners.  There's a reason some online retailers guarantee live arrival for most of their their fish, but not otos.

[KBOzzie59]

On 5/11/2022 at 8:28 AM, Henry the fish keeper said:

No, I am not talking about if they will get along or not. I am a beginner fish keeper. Should I get otos or corydoras?

Yep you want corys.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Just know Cory are not algae eaters and require regular feeding. They are fun fish and great for a bottom dweller.

[Greg Stewart]

What @xXInkedPhoenixX said.

Corys are omnivorous bottom feeders. Otocinclus are primary herbivores, with many species being obligate herbivores.

Corys you can feed anything that falls to the bottom.

Otos need algae, and lots of it. They prefer live algae, but high quality prepared herbivore foods like Repashy Super Green are also very good.

Otos are also notoriously mistreated in the industry, and by the time you get them--depending on where you bought them, and where that place got them--they have a good chance of having been starved to the point that they will no longer even try to eat if food is available. So, if you do get otos (which are actually easy fish when you get healthy ones and feed them properly) be prepared for the possibility that the ones you buy may be predestined to fail before you even have a chance with them.

[Guppysnail]

❤️Corydora ❤️ hands down.  So active and fun.  They are class 🤡 clowns. And easy to care for. Oto are more reclusive, harder to care for, and as mentioned have often been mistreated by the time you get them.  

[Henry the fish keeper]

If I end up going with otos what should I know about them?

[Odd Duck]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:17 PM, Henry the fish keeper said:

If I end up going with otos what should I know about them?

I would suggest that you read through all 14 pages of this journal before you consider it as a new fish keeper.  Especially the last 5-6 pages.  The zebra oto experience is what many new fish keepers get with other species of otos.  It’s not unusual to have 50% die off or more with newly imported otos.  If you can find a local source that’s breeding them, you will have a much better chance of keeping them since they can give you advice on what theirs are eating reliably.  I would suggest waiting until the tank has been set up and plants growing successfully for at least 6 months.  I also recommend having some wood in the tank, not because otos are wood rappers, but because the wood produces more biofilm which they do eat.  Most otos you’ll find in pet/fish stores are aufwichs eaters - soft green algaes, biofilm, diatoms, etc, and they will need supplemental feeding in most tanks.

What size is your tank?  I have around 6 otos in my 100 gallon nanofish tank and don’t have enough algae to expect them to survive without supplemental feeding.  I also don’t see them all the time.  The most I see at once is usually 3-4, sometimes it’s none.  My cories I see far more and they are much more comical in their behavior.  But cories, like the otos, like to be in a group of 6 or so at least, so your tank should be big enough to support that many for them to show you their most interesting behavior.  We always need to know your tank size to give you good advice.

What other occupants are you looking to add?  That can make a difference what advice we give also.  What temp range are you looking to run?  What are your parameters?  Some cories are picky, some are not at all picky.  Can you fill in some blanks for us, please?

Edit to add that cories are far easier to feed since they are omnivores and will accept many different kind of foods.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Odd Duck

[Henry the fish keeper]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:43 AM, Odd Duck said:

What size is your tank?

My size tank is a ten gallon fish tank that was set up around 7 months ago.

[JettsPapa]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:17 PM, Henry the fish keeper said:

If I end up going with otos what should I know about them?

1. If you can get them to live more than a couple of weeks they're just about bullet proof, but that's a big if.  As mentioned above, they have often suffered irreparable harm to their digestive systems before reaching the retailer, and if that has happened there's nothing you can do.
2. I know @Greg Stewart said they're herbivores that live on algae, but I've seen reports that they subsist mostly on biofilm.  I don't know which is correct.
3. Most sources will say they should be kept in groups of at least five.
4. If you're going to keep them in groups, keep in mind that they won't always learn to accept commercial fish food, so you need a large enough tank to have a constant source of biofilm (or algae).  Because of this they aren't suitable for small tanks.  I probably wouldn't try with a tank much smaller than 40 gallons.

If you just like the looks of them, I'd encourage you to give Corydoras pygmaeus a try instead.  They look similar, but are much easier to keep, and more entertaining to watch.

[Odd Duck]

10 is pretty small for a group of “normal” size cories but should be OK for a group of the Pygmy cory species.  I would also consider it small for a group of otos for a beginner fishkeeper.  An experienced fishkeeper can push boundaries with more likelihood of success.  My cories and my otos use every bit of my 100 gallon, but they can certainly adapt to smaller.  I’ve had a breeding group of bronze cories in a 20 gallon high, but that’s about the smallest I’d recommend for a group of that size cory when you’re still in the learning stages.  Pygmies could be very happy in a 10 gallon.

[Henry the fish keeper]

Alright,  I will try to find pygmy corys!

On 5/11/2022 at 10:56 AM, JettsPapa said:

I probably wouldn't try with a tank much smaller than 40 gallons.

But, what I find online people say you can house 4 to 6 otos in a ten gallon no problem.

[Odd Duck]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:59 PM, Henry the fish keeper said:

Alright,  I will try to find pygmy corys!

You can have both, together, even in a 10 gallon, and they will often hang out together, especially with pygmies.  Very entertaining when they do.  But try to find a local oto breeder instead of imported fish. It will more than pay off in the long run with much better survivability and they should be adapted to eating many foods.

[Brian]

Sounds like you answered your own question.  And you want Otos.  Make sure they are eating well and ask the store to feed them.  Ask what they are feeding.  Ask how long they have had them.  Ask when the store gets their fish  in, go the day before so you know the fish have been there at least a week.  Don’t be afraid to observe them in the store.  BTW you can/should do this with all fish.  Most stores do not quarantine and or medicate new fish.  
Good Luck

[Greg Stewart]

On 5/11/2022 at 1:56 PM, JettsPapa said:

I know @Greg Stewart said they're herbivores that live on algae, but I've seen reports that they subsist mostly on biofilm.  I don't know which is correct.

I've never seen them eat biofilm. I guess in the absence of fresh algae, or a quality dry food, they may, but I wouldn't rely on this. They are also picky about the age of the algae they graze, and prefer fresh young algae to established algae.

In both the tanks where I have otos, they devour Repashy Super Green--they even guard it when I put it in the tank. And, i have to mow down the algae farm on the rear glass every now and again so it replenishes with nice young growth.

They completely ignore the biofilm masses when they develop, though.

[Odd Duck]

On 5/11/2022 at 2:14 PM, Greg Stewart said:

I've never seen them eat biofilm. I guess in the absence of fresh algae, or a quality dry food, they may, but I wouldn't rely on this. They are also picky about the age of the algae they graze, and prefer fresh young algae to established algae.

In both the tanks where I have otos, they devour Repashy Super Green--they even guard it when I put it in the tank. And, i have to mow down the algae farm on the rear glass every now and again so it replenishes with nice young growth.

They completely ignore the biofilm masses when they develop, though.

They are constantly mouthing things.  They are eating when they’re doing that.  There is biofilm everywhere in a tank except very freshly cleaned glass.  Biofilm is only visible to the naked eye when it’s in great abundance.  Visible masses of biofilm may not be to their liking, just like when the algae gets too old.

[BETTA999]

both three otos and 4 panda corys  😎

[mouseturd13]

I have otos and they are great little fish I never had any issues with them, but they are shy and not the most active little guys. I think Corys are probably a little more fun to watch. 

[cavdad45]

AAs a beginning fish keeper, I would recommend Cory catfish, just make sure you get atleast 6, so they will thrive together.

[Ken Burke]

On 5/11/2022 at 12:58 PM, Odd Duck said:

10 is pretty small for a group of “normal” size cories but should be OK for a group of the Pygmy cory species.  I would also consider it small for a group of otos for a beginner fishkeeper.  An experienced fishkeeper can push boundaries with more likelihood of success.  My cories and my otos use every bit of my 100 gallon, but they can certainly adapt to smaller.  I’ve had a breeding group of bronze cories in a 20 gallon high, but that’s about the smallest I’d recommend for a group of that size cory when you’re still in the learning stages.  Pygmies could be very happy in a 10 gallon.

Yep.  Panda cories are a second option.  

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/11/2022 at 8:28 AM, Henry the fish keeper said:

No, I am not talking about if they will get along or not. I am a beginner fish keeper. Should I get otos or corydoras?

They live and do things at different levels of the tank. I'd definitely recommend both, but there is one pretty big hesitation.

For Otos, you'd want a pretty seasoned tank or to have the food they enjoy. That just means a tank that is at least 4-6 months old and that it is going to be a good environment for them.

If that fits your tank, I'd recommend both.

On 5/11/2022 at 12:19 PM, BETTA999 said:

both three otos and 4 panda corys

This.  And some amano shrimp! 🙂

Some wood in the tank, and you're set to go.  (in the wild, otos tend to be found on wood or where they have a place to rest and graze on surfaces like that.

[Torrey]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:54 AM, Greg Stewart said:

What @xXInkedPhoenixX said.

Corys are omnivorous bottom feeders. Otocinclus are primary herbivores, with many species being obligate herbivores.

Corys you can feed anything that falls to the bottom.

Otos need algae, and lots of it. They prefer live algae, but high quality prepared herbivore foods like Repashy Super Green are also very good.

Otos are also notoriously mistreated in the industry, and by the time you get them--depending on where you bought them, and where that place got them--they have a good chance of having been starved to the point that they will no longer even try to eat if food is available. So, if you do get otos (which are actually easy fish when you get healthy ones and feed them properly) be prepared for the possibility that the ones you buy may be predestined to fail before you even have a chance with them.

What Greg said. Also, otos need **really** well established tanks, because they rely on biofilm, as well. An overly clean tank is a death trap to otos....

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I think @Odd Duck was refering to my Oto journal earlier here:

The Accidental Oto Keeper

But I do know you @Henry the fish keeper have at least read a few posts there. So don't get me wrong- there are a LOT of Cory lovers here and I do like them a lot (haven't kept any in this 2.0 fishkeeper version *yet* but I loved my single albino corycat when I was a kid)- Otos is where my heart lies when it comes to freshwater aquariums. However- they are not for the faint of heart because your heart will get broken and you will have losses it's just the nature of the wild caught fish in the industry- Otos more than others because they do go through a lot to get to us and require a special tank and they are tricky to get to eat commercial food. When you DO get them to thrive in your tanks they are one of the most rewarding fish you can ever keep.