looking for some advice - New to Planted Aquariums

needhelp · 07-30-2008, 08:54 AM

first off i want to thank everyone on here for there help this site is a godsend that being said my tank is a month old 60 gal with moderate lighting 140 watts lightly planted water peramiters are all perfect and have two dwarf flame gouramis who seem very happy however i have been reading in here that alot of people use otos for algea do you think after a month of my tank being setup i could get some and for a tank of this size how many should i get thanks again in advance.

trenac · 07-31-2008, 08:11 AM

Otto's eat mainly brown algae (diatoms). So if you don't have enough of this type of algae, you will need to feed them algae wafers or zuchinni. They do best in schools, so at least 6 would be a good number for your tank.

Zapins · 07-31-2008, 02:08 PM

I've also seen ottos eat green dust algae and a bit of thread/hair algae.

In large groups I think these fish are honestly the best algae eaters out there.

I have ottos in all my tanks - they are wonderfully interesting to watch and have great personalities.

I'd heard of a zebra stripped otto but haven't been able to get any yet or try them. Hopefully they will become more common eventually!!

needhelp · 07-31-2008, 03:11 PM

thanks you two for responding...so what kind of wafer is there something in particular, six of them really that wouldnt over do it

Castaic Fisherman · 07-31-2008, 07:45 PM

What is the recommended minimum number of otto's to keep. I do not think I can get away with six in my 12 gal tank.

cs_gardener · 08-01-2008, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Castaic Fisherman

What is the recommended minimum number of otto's to keep. I do not think I can get away with six in my 12 gal tank.

I'd say a minimum of three so they can have some company. I've had groups of three in a couple smaller tanks for a long time and they seem to be doing all right. I've also had lone survivors from larger groups do fine for long stretches. However, when I can keep a larger group (6+) they do seem to be out and about more. In both large and small groups they seem to like to be near each other a good bit of the time so I try to make sure they have a couple pals in the tank.

trenac · 08-02-2008, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by needhelp

thanks you two for responding...so what kind of wafer is there something in particular, six of them really that wouldnt over do it

They stay small so six would be fine for a 60 gallon tank, especially since you have only two Gouramis in there now. I like the Hikari line of foods, they make a algae wafer... http://www.hikariusa.com/products/tr...ae_wafers.html

needhelp · 08-03-2008, 11:09 PM

thanks trenac just out of curiosity what about some corys ive seen them at my Lfs and i really like them they seem so....active and peaceful that they would be a great addition to most any tank

trenac · 08-04-2008, 07:39 PM

Corys are lovely little fish. They would be fine in your tank. Get at least six, since they like to be kept in groups.

totally_vacant · 08-07-2008, 05:06 AM

At a LFS near me they suggest 1 Otto for every 5 to 10 gallons. So you would want maybe six or ten. I honestly don't think you need to worry much about them going hungry. Most newbies are going to have plenty of algae for them to eat. However, it is nice to supplement with the occasional algae wafer and you'll be surprised to see how many of your other fish enjoy them too. My gouramis always loved them.