This is a great video! 😁 Super helpful. I have 5 otos in my first aquarium and I really struggled finding information on them, everyone gives conflicting info and advice! I am trying to grow algae rocks for my otos now, I'm turning into a crazy fish lady with tubs of rocks and tank water around my house lmao!
Thanks for the informative video! I saw your post on an Aquarium Co-Op video on Otocinclus, so I came to check out your video and really liked it. I have been thinking about getting rabbits for the first time, so your videos about how to keep rabbits will also be useful for me. Keep up the good work!
Oh wow, that’s insane that you found my comment! I rarely put out rabbit content because I figured people will watch the larger channels. I can’t describe how heartwarming your comment is to me. Thank you so much for deciding to watch!
Thanks for clearing up how to prepare the veggies before feeding. Everyone always swears too blanching the veggies but “I ain’t got no time for that” 🤣😂 keep up the great videos. Cheers from Seattle✌🏽
I had 3 because they are just in a 5.5 with my betta. Once I move them to a 10 gallon I’m going to get more. Thank you for this video now I know I’m starving mine! I had no clue.
Thank you so much for your otocinclus videos! This is the second of your otocinclus videos that I have watched. In my case, the pet store told me that they would just graze on algae, and I was wondering why they were eventually dying. (I have red cherry shrimp and endlers in my aquarium too.) With some tips from over the internet, I tried different vegetables, with no success, but you have clued me into needing to give each vegetable more than a couple of attempts. They are clearly picky eaters. I will make sure that I pay closer attention to their need for protein. I noticed one of my ottos eating dried daphnia when it sticks to the outside of the aquarium at the surface of the water. I was almost ready to give up. These last two ottos seem like they have little time left. If they don't survive, your videos have given me hope to try again. Provided that I can do the proper planning and take new steps to ensure their survival, I would love to be able to breed them. The way that most of them are caught wild an ethical dilemma, in my opinion. I have two planted tanks. One has no fish, 3 shrimp, lots of wood, and is full of biofilm. It has a bunch of white worms and detritus worms in it too. I was going to clean it today, but instead decided to try to move the suffering ottos in there. Hopefully the move doesn't further stress them, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They seem happy with the biofilm! They are already a bit more active. I noticed that in one of your videos, you had footage of them in a breeding box. I was questioning whether your were breeding them, or perhaps had the same idea as me. I recently tried putting mine into a breeding box overnight to see if they would pay more attention to algae wafers. They wouldn't graze them directly, but grazed around them. Do you think that isolating them in a breeding box overnight, once a week, as a strategy to introduce them to new food could be a good idea, or not? It could be stressful, but then again, I worry that the endlers and shrimp will gobble up many foods before the otocinclus have a chance to try them.
Hi! I am so glad I could help you give them a second chance! So the reason I have a breeding box is to add in a wafer, attract the millions of pest snails I have, and take them out of that fish tank. It’s just too much for me to ensure the otos and fry are getting the most out of all their food. I wouldn’t separate otos to eat with a breeding box because this will stress them out rather than become a desired habit. However I have noticed that putting their food in one can naturally invite them to go in them by themselves and eat without a lot going into the substrate!
@@finsandwhiskers So...good news! My otos were almost immobile, resting on leaves for a few days in their old tank. I moved them to the new tank full of biofilm, and fed them a slice of cucumber, dried daphnia, and crushed up dried bloodworms. One of them was still almost immobile for a few days. Within a week, they are now thriving. Totally active and constantly moving. The thick beige biofilm is gone from the glass. They are now spending more time cleaning the rocks and wood. I noticed them grazing the cucumber slice after about 4 days of leaving it in there. The new tank is one that I "dirted" the bottom with, using organic potting soil with a coconut coir base, with smooth gravel layered on top. I was frustrated with all of brown biofilm, but the otos seem to love it. I am kind of worried that they will be unhappy, now that they have cleaned it all up. We'll see what happens. Hopefully the previously accumulated biolfilm has kickstarted their recovery. 🤞 I have a theory about why they took such a turn for the worse. After some overlap time between filters, I had switched to a new filter in their old tank. This filter came with an activated carbon chamber. I don't usually use activated carbon, but figured that I would use the chamber until it ran out, and then replace it with more sponge or filter floss. I feel like it is possible that the activated carbon gets rid of stuff that creates biolfilm. I forget now, maybe that is something that you mentioned already? In either case, I plan to never use activated carbon in a tank housing otocinclus again!
I am also going to get some spurulina powder. I am really hoping that I can continue to keep these two happy. I felt bad that the others died off. If they continue to be successful, I will try getting them some tank mates. Their new tank is a 30 gallon, coming from a 10 gallon. I have started to wonder if even larger tanks would be better for them. Two that were on their last legs devoured all of that thick biofilm so fast! And it was thick! It was getting to be hard to see through the glass, and someone who visited (not a fish person) thought that it was "gross". I wonder if people could keep coconut coir in a container or the filter of their tanks to keep biofilm going. My theories/conclusions are based on a lot of assumptions, but when there is so little good info about this fish, what else can we do, other than go through some trial and error? Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and what worked for you!
Have u tried Dennerle Plecomenu? I dropped a tab recently overnight. I have 6 otos n 3 SAE. The wafers shrunk 80% the next morning Probably the otos. I tried plecomenu when i only had 3 SAEs without Otos n they were left alone. Need to observe more though.
How many Ottos would you recommend in a 5 gallon tank that already has four neon tetras it’s fully established and well planted, and I have a filter that’s meant for a 15 gallon tank.
They can’t be in a 5 gallon tank. It’s not about the waste or having a strong filter. Otocinclus need length, and they need to be in groups. Neon tetras will be prone to overeating since Otocinclus also need to eat the same food and more. Also neon tetras need to be in groups of at least 10 since they are schooling fish 😬
Persistence is definitely key! It took my otos many tries before they learned that the strange things I put in the tank are food. The problem is my cherry shrimp population has exploded and now there is a lot of competition for food of any type.
uh oh, so I just bought a bunch of otos, I have 9 on the way. My quarantine tanks are not well planted just a few plants with a bare bottom. I have india almond leaves I can throw in but I don't think there is much bio film. I might have to put them into my planted tank right away. I trust the seller I am getting them from, they keep their fish for two weeks and have a good reputation so I guess my guys are going right in the tank! they are also tank breed so I am hoping they are going to be a bit hardier then wild caught ones.
Hi! I was wondering how your otocinclus are doing, you see I actually have a similar situation. I ordered some Otos online, tank bred, and wanted to know if u have any recommendations as to what i should do or if your otos are still alive. - i ask if they are still alive because I want to know how many I should expect to live. If you could respond soon that would be great, thanks.
@@eeee8749 I didn't have much luck with them, I only have two left. Despite adding them to an established tank, the refused to eat blanched zuchine, algae wafers and a gell food that people were recommending. I had about the same amount of luck that I had with wild caught, I was hoping to see a difference. I have my doubts that they were tank raised because they were so picky they ate everything in the tank then proceeded to die. The two I have still refuse blanched foods, I think they are only alive because the tank has enough food to support only two. I have a 40g tank. I only trusted the source based on recommendations from someone who ordered a lot of fish from them, AquaticArts is the source. I don't trust them anymore. The guppies I ordered had parasitic worms. That alone tells me they don't research their sources. The plants I ordered came from an outdoor pond, full of insect larva, paid a premium price for PetSmart quality plants.
@@ckdesign429 I'm so sorry to hear that! PetSmart is usually not great for plant quality, I would recommend Tropica if you have any stores that sell it nearby. Any updates on the otos? I would recommend trying Bacter AE since it grows biofilm and microorganisms, exactly what otos love
@@lemonlizard1 Hello! The last of my Ottos passed away two months ago. They never did get the hang of boiled vegetables. They did start eating the jelly foods and really liked those, they also would eat shrimp pellets. The tank they were in has an active colony of shrimp that have been thriving for a few years now. I do have Bacter AE, used to give it to my shrimp regularly but I really didn't notice extra bio film or any positive or negative effects on the shrimp population by not feeding it so I stopped feeding it altogether. I should feed it again since its been about a year, maybe I will notice a difference. I do have a lot left, getting rid of it by feeding it is probably better than letting it sit around.
Breeding Otocinclus Series! czcams.com/play/PL45Kc8CMNHBFl_1zfA82Zfq0xO5caTOvV.html
This is a great video! 😁 Super helpful. I have 5 otos in my first aquarium and I really struggled finding information on them, everyone gives conflicting info and advice! I am trying to grow algae rocks for my otos now, I'm turning into a crazy fish lady with tubs of rocks and tank water around my house lmao!
Thanks for the informative video! I saw your post on an Aquarium Co-Op video on Otocinclus, so I came to check out your video and really liked it. I have been thinking about getting rabbits for the first time, so your videos about how to keep rabbits will also be useful for me. Keep up the good work!
Oh wow, that’s insane that you found my comment! I rarely put out rabbit content because I figured people will watch the larger channels. I can’t describe how heartwarming your comment is to me. Thank you so much for deciding to watch!
Lots of good information shared. Especially about not blanching veggies. I gave it a try and sure enough it worked. Thanks 😊!
I’m so glad it worked!!
Thanks for clearing up how to prepare the veggies before feeding. Everyone always swears too blanching the veggies but “I ain’t got no time for that” 🤣😂 keep up the great videos. Cheers from Seattle✌🏽
Thank you for sharing. Love your video and Otos!
Mauricio Junqueira thank you!
how lovely is your voice
I had 3 because they are just in a 5.5 with my betta. Once I move them to a 10 gallon I’m going to get more. Thank you for this video now I know I’m starving mine! I had no clue.
Great video
Thanks!
HI!!!! Those fish are so cool!
I agreeee, they’re so entertaining and wonderful to experience!
Thank you so much for your otocinclus videos! This is the second of your otocinclus videos that I have watched. In my case, the pet store told me that they would just graze on algae, and I was wondering why they were eventually dying. (I have red cherry shrimp and endlers in my aquarium too.)
With some tips from over the internet, I tried different vegetables, with no success, but you have clued me into needing to give each vegetable more than a couple of attempts. They are clearly picky eaters. I will make sure that I pay closer attention to their need for protein. I noticed one of my ottos eating dried daphnia when it sticks to the outside of the aquarium at the surface of the water.
I was almost ready to give up. These last two ottos seem like they have little time left. If they don't survive, your videos have given me hope to try again. Provided that I can do the proper planning and take new steps to ensure their survival, I would love to be able to breed them. The way that most of them are caught wild an ethical dilemma, in my opinion.
I have two planted tanks. One has no fish, 3 shrimp, lots of wood, and is full of biofilm. It has a bunch of white worms and detritus worms in it too. I was going to clean it today, but instead decided to try to move the suffering ottos in there. Hopefully the move doesn't further stress them, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They seem happy with the biofilm! They are already a bit more active.
I noticed that in one of your videos, you had footage of them in a breeding box. I was questioning whether your were breeding them, or perhaps had the same idea as me. I recently tried putting mine into a breeding box overnight to see if they would pay more attention to algae wafers. They wouldn't graze them directly, but grazed around them. Do you think that isolating them in a breeding box overnight, once a week, as a strategy to introduce them to new food could be a good idea, or not? It could be stressful, but then again, I worry that the endlers and shrimp will gobble up many foods before the otocinclus have a chance to try them.
Hi! I am so glad I could help you give them a second chance! So the reason I have a breeding box is to add in a wafer, attract the millions of pest snails I have, and take them out of that fish tank. It’s just too much for me to ensure the otos and fry are getting the most out of all their food. I wouldn’t separate otos to eat with a breeding box because this will stress them out rather than become a desired habit. However I have noticed that putting their food in one can naturally invite them to go in them by themselves and eat without a lot going into the substrate!
@@finsandwhiskers So...good news! My otos were almost immobile, resting on leaves for a few days in their old tank. I moved them to the new tank full of biofilm, and fed them a slice of cucumber, dried daphnia, and crushed up dried bloodworms. One of them was still almost immobile for a few days. Within a week, they are now thriving. Totally active and constantly moving. The thick beige biofilm is gone from the glass. They are now spending more time cleaning the rocks and wood. I noticed them grazing the cucumber slice after about 4 days of leaving it in there.
The new tank is one that I "dirted" the bottom with, using organic potting soil with a coconut coir base, with smooth gravel layered on top. I was frustrated with all of brown biofilm, but the otos seem to love it. I am kind of worried that they will be unhappy, now that they have cleaned it all up. We'll see what happens. Hopefully the previously accumulated biolfilm has kickstarted their recovery. 🤞
I have a theory about why they took such a turn for the worse. After some overlap time between filters, I had switched to a new filter in their old tank. This filter came with an activated carbon chamber. I don't usually use activated carbon, but figured that I would use the chamber until it ran out, and then replace it with more sponge or filter floss. I feel like it is possible that the activated carbon gets rid of stuff that creates biolfilm. I forget now, maybe that is something that you mentioned already? In either case, I plan to never use activated carbon in a tank housing otocinclus again!
I am also going to get some spurulina powder. I am really hoping that I can continue to keep these two happy. I felt bad that the others died off. If they continue to be successful, I will try getting them some tank mates.
Their new tank is a 30 gallon, coming from a 10 gallon. I have started to wonder if even larger tanks would be better for them. Two that were on their last legs devoured all of that thick biofilm so fast! And it was thick! It was getting to be hard to see through the glass, and someone who visited (not a fish person) thought that it was "gross". I wonder if people could keep coconut coir in a container or the filter of their tanks to keep biofilm going. My theories/conclusions are based on a lot of assumptions, but when there is so little good info about this fish, what else can we do, other than go through some trial and error? Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge and what worked for you!
@@mr_seth thanks for all the updates! It really gives great insight on what to do and what to avoid doing with otos
Awesome videos! Congratulations! Very good information. Can I use part of your videos in my classes about Loricariids?
Sure! Just with credit and links provided to my channel please ♥️
@@finsandwhiskers Thanks! I will let you know when the video is published!
Eae professor
Have u tried Dennerle Plecomenu? I dropped a tab recently overnight. I have 6 otos n 3 SAE. The wafers shrunk 80% the next morning Probably the otos. I tried plecomenu when i only had 3 SAEs without Otos n they were left alone. Need to observe more though.
How often would you say that you should feed them like a wafer a day? Do you find that they stop keeping the tank clean of feed too often other foods?
What are the two tall stem plants you have with the scattered leaves?
The stem plants in the middle? Ambulia, if that’s what you mean!
🖤🖤
How many Ottos would you recommend in a 5 gallon tank that already has four neon tetras it’s fully established and well planted, and I have a filter that’s meant for a 15 gallon tank.
They can’t be in a 5 gallon tank. It’s not about the waste or having a strong filter. Otocinclus need length, and they need to be in groups. Neon tetras will be prone to overeating since Otocinclus also need to eat the same food and more. Also neon tetras need to be in groups of at least 10 since they are schooling fish 😬
Hi, this is not related to this video but I was wondering, what if I cannot afford 2 gerbles, is it ok to get one
Unfortunately no
I have two an they are doing great with my beta fish they eat they’re frozen brin shrimp an algae wafers an the beta bug bits
😧I also have 2 with a betta but they're not eating the wafer! My betta kept eating it and his stomach is so big so I had to remove the wafer. 😓
How long do you leave the algae wafers in the tank? my otocinclus don't seem to be interested i usually remove after 2-3 hours
I don’t remove them. It’s not necessary!
Persistence is definitely key! It took my otos many tries before they learned that the strange things I put in the tank are food. The problem is my cherry shrimp population has exploded and now there is a lot of competition for food of any type.
Try larger pieces! Since I have otos and snails together, I try to put in longer pieces of the veggie if possible so small inverts can’t swarm it
@@finsandwhiskers I will try that, thanks!
Otos faces remind me of Sid in iceage ..cute fish but stressful to have..how can you tell when one is healthy and fed properly?
Healthy oto’s have round fat belly’s. Very cute.
I can't figure if my otos are males or females.
I think I’m first? My gerbils say hi!
How often do you do water changes?
Once every two weeks because it’s fully planted :) small water changes in between when I have veggies in
@@finsandwhiskers thank you
what are those floating plants with long roots called?
Frogbit!
@@finsandwhiskers Have you u had any experience with their red gills going back to normal? Do you think it can heal?
It can, I’d recommend Seachem stressguard after a water change
uh oh, so I just bought a bunch of otos, I have 9 on the way. My quarantine tanks are not well planted just a few plants with a bare bottom. I have india almond leaves I can throw in but I don't think there is much bio film. I might have to put them into my planted tank right away. I trust the seller I am getting them from, they keep their fish for two weeks and have a good reputation so I guess my guys are going right in the tank! they are also tank breed so I am hoping they are going to be a bit hardier then wild caught ones.
Sounds great!
Hi! I was wondering how your otocinclus are doing, you see I actually have a similar situation. I ordered some Otos online, tank bred, and wanted to know if u have any recommendations as to what i should do or if your otos are still alive. - i ask if they are still alive because I want to know how many I should expect to live. If you could respond soon that would be great, thanks.
@@eeee8749 I didn't have much luck with them, I only have two left. Despite adding them to an established tank, the refused to eat blanched zuchine, algae wafers and a gell food that people were recommending. I had about the same amount of luck that I had with wild caught, I was hoping to see a difference. I have my doubts that they were tank raised because they were so picky they ate everything in the tank then proceeded to die. The two I have still refuse blanched foods, I think they are only alive because the tank has enough food to support only two. I have a 40g tank. I only trusted the source based on recommendations from someone who ordered a lot of fish from them, AquaticArts is the source. I don't trust them anymore. The guppies I ordered had parasitic worms. That alone tells me they don't research their sources. The plants I ordered came from an outdoor pond, full of insect larva, paid a premium price for PetSmart quality plants.
@@ckdesign429 I'm so sorry to hear that! PetSmart is usually not great for plant quality, I would recommend Tropica if you have any stores that sell it nearby. Any updates on the otos? I would recommend trying Bacter AE since it grows biofilm and microorganisms, exactly what otos love
@@lemonlizard1 Hello! The last of my Ottos passed away two months ago. They never did get the hang of boiled vegetables. They did start eating the jelly foods and really liked those, they also would eat shrimp pellets. The tank they were in has an active colony of shrimp that have been thriving for a few years now. I do have Bacter AE, used to give it to my shrimp regularly but I really didn't notice extra bio film or any positive or negative effects on the shrimp population by not feeding it so I stopped feeding it altogether. I should feed it again since its been about a year, maybe I will notice a difference. I do have a lot left, getting rid of it by feeding it is probably better than letting it sit around.
I subscribed in less than 30 seconds. You’re too cute
Aww thank you 🙈🙈
You look so cute 😳
This is how you get stabbed 😂
Oh my, I only have 1 oto in my 37 gallon community aquarium
Dead by now I'm sure!
You should get more. Hopefully they're ok!
You're so beautiful 😍