How do I make sure my otocinclus are getting enough?

[mgudyka]

It always seems like my otos are grazing on something. I removed my nerite snails from this tank to make sure the snails weren't taking up precious resources and so far I have not really seen a pause in the constant grazing. However, I have read that algae alone isn't going to be sufficient for  a group of otos to live on. I have dropped algae wafers for them but I have not once seen one try to eat one, or by the time they might get close to a wafer, the wafer is being worked on by any of my various omnivorous fish. The gouramis are particularly gluttonous. I don't want my otos to starve. Is there anything (a veggie or something) that gourami or tetra won't eat so my otos can?

[Solidus1833]

you can try canned green beans. dont boil them and use a fork to help sink them. Zuccini, cucumber and squash is also possible, same method. Dont worry if the green beans are salted, its not enough to matter at all for freshwater. 

[Acenorm]

Mine love baby carrots. I put one in a veggie clip on the side of the tank and they all eat it. I put it in the microwave in a cup of water for a minute to soften it a little. I’ve also done cucumber and zucchini slices as well. Carrots seem to make less of a mess.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Acenorm

[Brandy]

Mine are fans of cucumber slices, and lately repashy. However, grazing continuously is pretty normal for grazing critters.  So yes supplement is good, but don't worry if they are just "busy" especially if they are still growing. My older otos are "lazier" and occaisionally take breaks, but they are also visibly larger than the new guys.

[mgudyka]

52 minutes ago, Acenorm said:

Mine love baby carrots. I put one in a veggie clip on the side of the tank and they all eat it. I put it in the microwave in a cup of water for a minute to soften it a little. I’ve also done cucumber and zucchini slices as well. Carrots seem to make less of a mess.

My snails loved carrots but I wasn't sure if these guys would. They will sink though! I went out and bought a cucumber to share with them today 

[mgudyka]

20 minutes ago, Brandy said:

Mine are fans of cucumber slices, and lately repashy. However, grazing continuously is pretty normal for grazing critters.  So yes supplement is good, but don't worry if they are just "busy" especially if they are still growing. My older otos are "lazier" and occaisionally take breaks, but they are also visibly larger than the new guys.

Is repashy that brand that you have to mix with water and it turns to gel or something?  My main concern overall is that they do not starve. I want them to live longer than a month!

[Brandy]

10 minutes ago, mgudyka said:

Is repashy that brand that you have to mix with water and it turns to gel or something?  My main concern overall is that they do not starve. I want them to live longer than a month!

Yes, repashy makes fish "jello". Spendy but pretty irrisistible, and so I have it on hand for the more worrisome fish. 🙂 
Best way to check that your otos are ok is a belly check--their bellies should look like smooth little rounded pearls when they are on the glass. If they look "skinny" or concave then you will need to take action. Figuring out what they like though is always a good idea.

[mgudyka]

2 hours ago, Brandy said:

Yes, repashy makes fish "jello". Spendy but pretty irrisistible, and so I have it on hand for the more worrisome fish. 🙂 
Best way to check that your otos are ok is a belly check--their bellies should look like smooth little rounded pearls when they are on the glass. If they look "skinny" or concave then you will need to take action. Figuring out what they like though is always a good idea.

I can't tell if they are skinny. I am almost certain they are not concave bellies though 

[Jungle Fan]

Mine love the Igapo Explorer Repashy, zucchini slices, blanched lettuce, spirulina wafers, and what keeps me happy - algae. They're also not above pilfering the cichlid pellets, and shrimp food if no one else is around.

[CorydorasEthan]

23 hours ago, mgudyka said:

It always seems like my otos are grazing on something. I removed my nerite snails from this tank to make sure the snails weren't taking up precious resources and so far I have not really seen a pause in the constant grazing. However, I have read that algae alone isn't going to be sufficient for  a group of otos to live on. I have dropped algae wafers for them but I have not once seen one try to eat one, or by the time they might get close to a wafer, the wafer is being worked on by any of my various omnivorous fish. The gouramis are particularly gluttonous. I don't want my otos to starve. Is there anything (a veggie or something) that gourami or tetra won't eat so my otos can?

I agree with @Brandy and @Jungle Fan. Repashy is the way to go. Try ones with high greenery content, as Otocinclus species are almost strictly vegetarian. These include the Soilent Green, and Super Green (I believe the latter is preferred). This picky vegetarian diet might also be why otos sometimes don't accept algae wafers - most algae wafers are meant for bigger plecos and contain a lot of protein in them as well (this is why other fish enjoy them too). As mentioned by everyone above, vegetables are also a great source of food for the otos. I hope this helps.

[Hobbit]

Here are some pictures of my otos if it helps. The one with the super round belly is the first time I gave them zucchini. I only once glimpsed them actually eating it, but their bellies told the rest of the story.

A more normal day (but not as good of a picture of the belly)

I don’t feed them regularly though—they mostly graze on the algae.

[mgudyka]

1 hour ago, Hobbit said:

Here are some pictures of my otos if it helps. The one with the super round belly is the first time I gave them zucchini. I only once glimpsed them actually eating it, but their bellies told the rest of the story.

A more normal day (but not as good of a picture of the belly)

I don’t feed them regularly though—they mostly graze on the algae.

Wow they are round boys for sure. Mine are not quite there. 

[mgudyka]

I bought a cucumber to share with them, thinking for sure no one else would touch them. Naturally the gourami had other things in mind (like resting underneath it).

[Brandy]

Judging by this little shadow here I think your guys are doing ok. It is never super huge, just a little rounded. But your tank looks pretty clean, so you are going to want to keep offering them extra food. I have heard blanched spinach is also an option. For most of them I think offering stuff a few times might be required. I have one oddball that will try almost anything immediately, but most of mine take a while to really recognize a new thing as "food".

 

[Solidus1833]

16 hours ago, mgudyka said:

Is repashy that brand that you have to mix with water and it turns to gel or something?  My main concern overall is that they do not starve. I want them to live longer than a month!

Yes, repashy is an amazing food. I personally use two different blends, Morning Wood (pleco) and Community blend. There are more like Soylent Green which you can try as-well. 

[mgudyka]

8 hours ago, Brandy said:

Judging by this little shadow here I think your guys are doing ok. It is never super huge, just a little rounded. But your tank looks pretty clean, so you are going to want to keep offering them extra food. I have heard blanched spinach is also an option. For most of them I think offering stuff a few times might be required. I have one oddball that will try almost anything immediately, but most of mine take a while to really recognize a new thing as "food".

 

Thank you for your input. I will keep the cucumber in there for another day or two and if that doesn't work i will try spinach.

[mgudyka]

30 minutes ago, Solidus1833 said:

Yes, repashy is an amazing food. I personally use two different blends, Morning Wood (pleco) and Community blend. There are more like Soylent Green which you can try as-well. 

Sounds like I have to get this repashy stuff! 

[mgudyka]

13 hours ago, CorydorasEthan said:

I agree with @Brandy and @Jungle Fan. Repashy is the way to go. Try ones with high greenery content, as Otocinclus species are almost strictly vegetarian. These include the Soilent Green, and Super Green (I believe the latter is preferred). This picky vegetarian diet might also be why otos sometimes don't accept algae wafers - most algae wafers are meant for bigger plecos and contain a lot of protein in them as well (this is why other fish enjoy them too). As mentioned by everyone above, vegetables are also a great source of food for the otos. I hope this helps.

I will be purchasing some repashy brand food. I read on the aquarium co-op site I can put it on smooth rock or wood for a more natural way for them to dine and that has me sold.  I did buy algae wafer that are for small fish but my gourami pick them apart before otos have a chance. One of my cats found the packaging irresistible also so it appears to be universally appealing.

[BigRedd]

I have various types of Otocinclus in my 75 gallon tank. It is a heavily planted tank though. You look like you have some plants, so should be good in that regard. 

I never really worry about them getting food as there's always little bits of micro-organisms and I have a small about of algae in my tank. I always see them cleaning plants. 

Sometimes I blanch zucchini and put it on a chopstick and stick it in the tank. Often times the ottos will suck on it until snails get ahold of it and it gets gone. 

I personally prefer zucchini, I've read where it's more nutritious for them and well I just hate cucumbers anyways 😄

I did find one of my giant otocinclus sucking on a dead loach yesterday...Once they get comfortable they will eat just about anything and it's not uncommon for me to see them eating some brine shrimp or bloodworms when I feed the rest of the tank. 

Mine also love the algae wafers. They will find them even if I put them in plants for my kuhli loaches. I use the fluval branded algae crisps and everything in my tank loves them.

I mostly just feed everything else in my tank and the otos haven't starved yet. I'd make sure that you don't over-feed them, as they need near-pristine water quality

Edited April 8, 2021 by BigRedd