Snails, Shrimp, Otos ... What to do?

[Jennifer V]

My little 10g is ready for some more life, but I'm down a research hole and need advice.

I was originally planning for pea puffers, but I think I want just a colony of algae eaters for now, so I'm thinking cherry shrimp, Nerite snails and otos. My tank is currently in a major brown algae situation, so I'm thinking that will feed everyone for a bit, but what do I get to make them all happy long term? I have some banquet blocks coming tomorrow. I think my primary concern is the otos.

Should I buy Repashy? What do you all think of it? It sounds kind of complex for this newbie.

Maybe 6 otos? Or more because the bioload of the others is so minimal? 

And should I get Wonder Shell automatically? I know the banquet blocks have calcium in them. 

Should I wait until all the algae is gone? Will that be too late for the otos?

I tend to over prepare for things so I'm spinning at the moment. 

My tank is heavily planted with more plants on the way. 

[Brandy]

I would NOT go for 6 otos in a 10g...You dramatically underestimate how much they can eat. They are going to plow thru your algae in under a week. And then if you can't coax more to grow or them to eat something else, they will slowly starve. They are small but mighty!

The good news is, all of those can be good with pea puffers, though both shrimp and snails will become food in the end.

[tolstoy21]

I would definitely prepare to feed them and not rely on algae alone alone to keep the population fed. I use Repashy Super Green for my Otos and SAE's. (They also scavenge some flake food). For shrimp, I use Mineral Junkie to supplement their diet for shell growth. I'd just start feeding them now. Otos make quick work of a tank's algae.

[Jennifer V]

4 minutes ago, Brandy said:

I would NOT go for 6 otos in a 10g...You dramatically underestimate how much they can eat. 

I know they like being in numbers so should I just rethink getting them? 

[Jennifer V]

4 minutes ago, tolstoy21 said:

For shrimp, I use Mineral Junkie to supplement their diet for shell growth. 

Where is the best place to get that? 

[Brandy]

5 minutes ago, Jennifer V said:

I know they like being in numbers so should I just rethink getting them? 

I would just probably do 3 otos, max, you will still need to feed in a big way, and shrimp. They are such peaceful sweet little guys, the hard part is feeding them. You can up your lights and fertilizer, but eventually you will just end up with a type of algae they dont eat, like staghorn, so that only works to a point.

Otos and nerites kinda both want the same thing, tho Nerites are easier to satisfy.

I have puffers in a 12g, with some larger nerites, small pest snails, and cherry shrimp. Adult shrimp and larger snails are mostly ingored so far. I assume baby everything is being eaten. I feed baby brine and really tiny pest snails a few times a week. I have considered adding otos, but I share your concern. My 29g supports 3, and I don't think I could add any without having to feed more.

[tolstoy21]

4 minutes ago, Jennifer V said:

Where is the best place to get that? 

I got it on Amazon. Coop's Cory mentions in a video that you can also use Hikari's Crab Cuisine for the same purpose. I believe the coop may sell that, but i could be wrong.

[Brandy]

4 minutes ago, tolstoy21 said:

I got it on Amazon. Coop's Cory mentions in a video that you can also use Hikari's Crab Cuisine for the same purpose. I believe the coop may sell that, but i could be wrong.

Nice, I think I have shrimp king mineral from dennerle, and it was too dang expensive. I was dissappointed half of the container was powdered.

[tolstoy21]

@Brandy

I like the Mineral Junkie product. Holds together well, doesn't disintegrate in the water as shrimp pick at it. It's priced the same as all the pricey shrimp food options out there. But I find a 100g jar lasts me most of the year for maybe 200 shrimp (I just feed it as a supplement 1x or 2x a week). My shrimp would not touch the Shrimp King Mineral, which yeah, comes in a tiny container for the same price as a 100g jar of Junkie. My shrimp devour Mineral Junkie. No idea at what frequency or amount to feed nerites with it.

Edited January 13, 2021 by tolstoy21

[Hobbit]

22 hours ago, Brandy said:

I would just probably do 3 otos

I trust Brandy’s advice here. Though I’ll just warn that in my experience, about half my otos die within the first week of me getting them. It seems to be a fairly common problem and internet is full of speculation on why this is. So maybe order 4 or 5, and you’ll probably end up with 2 or 3.

[Jennifer V]

2 minutes ago, Hobbit said:

I trust Brandy’s advice here. Though I’ll just warn that in my experience, about half my otos die within the first week of me getting them. It seems to be a fairly common problem and internet is full of speculation on why this is. So maybe order 4 or 5, and you’ll probably end up with 2 or 3.

I've read that quite a few times too. Maybe they aren't the best beginner fish? I cried when my bladder snail died (or so I thought). 

[Brandy]

1 hour ago, Jennifer V said:

I've read that quite a few times too. Maybe they aren't the best beginner fish? I cried when my bladder snail died (or so I thought). 

They are OFTEN starving when you get them. They are generally wild caught. You need to find a fish store that knows this and puts them in a green, nasty looking, algae filled tank, or at least target feeds them straight spirulina or something. One of my LFS stores is unpopular for having ugly algae filled tanks. I do love their fat otocinclus though and mine have stayed fat and healthy thank goodness.

[JAM]

3 hours ago, Brandy said:

They are OFTEN starving when you get them. They are generally wild caught. You need to find a fish store that knows this and puts them in a green, nasty looking, algae filled tank, or at least target feeds them straight spirulina or something. One of my LFS stores is unpopular for having ugly algae filled tanks. I do love their fat otocinclus though and mine have stayed fat and healthy thank goodness.

Where is this fish store and do they ship? I've been looking for healthy Ottos for 6 months!

[FrozenFins]

To feed them I would do a mixture of

-Veggies (zuchinni and cucumber)
-Repashy

-Algae Wafers (all though it may hard to get the ottos on the algae wafers)

 

[Jennifer V]

1 hour ago, James Black said:

To feed them I would do a mixture of

-Veggies (zuchinni and cucumber)
-Repashy

-Algae Wafers (all though it may hard to get the ottos on the algae wafers)

 

I was thinking that would be my plan. I already have some Repashy in my cart and plenty of veggies in the frig. Do you recommend getting something to pin the veggies to the side of the tank or can I just drop them in?