Food for Otos if no algae?

[HDH]

Hi All,
I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown algae.
I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
left for them to eat, what should I feed them?

Thanks,
-hh

[kush]

There will always be enough fresh algae for two otos in a 55-gallon tank.


HDH > wrote in message
et...
> Hi All,
> I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown
algae.
> I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
> left for them to eat, what should I feed them?
>
> Thanks,
> -hh
>
>

[Henry]

Xref: 127.0.0.1 rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants:63459

"I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
left for them to eat, what should I feed them?"

I would like to know the answer to that also. (And not just the wise-guy
answer that they will always have enough).


"HDH" > wrote in message
et...
> Hi All,
> I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown
algae.
> I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
> left for them to eat, what should I feed them?
>
> Thanks,
> -hh
>
>

[Ghazanfar Ghori]

1) IMO it wasn't a wiseguy answer. He's right. There will always be enough
algae for two ottos in a 55.

2) If you want to suppliment your ottos diet, you can use blanched spinich,
or blanched cucumber. No guarantees they'll come eat it though.
I have 8 ottos in a 75 and only one of them, the biggest one, ever comes to
eat the spinich. The rest simply ignore it.

[kush]

I'm sorry, I didn't intend it as a wiseguy answer. There really IS always
enough algae in a 55 gallon tank for, probably, ten or more full grown otos.
Unless you're using chemicals.

I've had otos for many years and I've never supplemented. I sometimes put
veggie wafers in for my pl*cos, but the otos ignore them.

kush

Henry > wrote in message
...
> "I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
> left for them to eat, what should I feed them?"
>
> I would like to know the answer to that also. (And not just the wise-guy
> answer that they will always have enough).
>
>
> "HDH" > wrote in message
> et...
> > Hi All,
> > I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown
> algae.
> > I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough
algae
> > left for them to eat, what should I feed them?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -hh
> >
> >
>
>

[linda mar]

I have 4 otos in a 37G.. they won't even LOOK at the algae wafers I gave
them.. so now I use them as a diet variation for the other fish (other
fish=danios only.. since they chase away everybody else that comes near
their "find")

the otos all still look pretty fat, and occasionally I still see some
diatoms growing haze, so I guess there's till enough food.. (just enough
otos to keep up with the cleaning)

linda

"kush" > wrote in message
...
> I'm sorry, I didn't intend it as a wiseguy answer. There really IS always
> enough algae in a 55 gallon tank for, probably, ten or more full grown
otos.
> Unless you're using chemicals.
>
> I've had otos for many years and I've never supplemented. I sometimes put
> veggie wafers in for my pl*cos, but the otos ignore them.
>
> kush
>
> Henry > wrote in message
> ...
> > "I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough
algae
> > left for them to eat, what should I feed them?"
> >
> > I would like to know the answer to that also. (And not just the wise-guy
> > answer that they will always have enough).
> >
> >
> > "HDH" > wrote in message
> > et...
> > > Hi All,
> > > I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown
> > algae.
> > > I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough
> algae
> > > left for them to eat, what should I feed them?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > -hh
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[LeighMo]

>I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown algae.
>I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
>left for them to eat, what should I feed them?

The others have given you good advice. I doubt your otos will ever starve in a
tank that size. In fact, I would consider getting a couple more. Otos are at
their best in small groups, and you have room for them.

Most of my otos aren't interested in anything but algae. In my smaller tank,
which has no to algae to speak of, the otos sometimes eat the veggies I put in
for the snails. Zucchini slices (frozen, then thawed), peas, romaine lettuce,
apple slices, canned green beans. In my large tank, where there's more algae
and the otos are extremely fat, they are never interested in veggies.






Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Christopher]

what types of algae are ottos best at eating?
do they perhaps eat that course rough algae that loves to grow on glass? I
have 3 CAE, 7 SAE, 1 pleco and they eat everything BUT that type of rough
algae (and its a pain to scrape the glass clean every 2-3 weeks).
"LeighMo" > wrote in message
...
> >I have a moderately planted 55 gallon tank with some, not much, brown
algae.
> >I currently have two Otos and was wondering, if there is not enough algae
> >left for them to eat, what should I feed them?
>
> The others have given you good advice. I doubt your otos will ever starve
in a
> tank that size. In fact, I would consider getting a couple more. Otos
are at
> their best in small groups, and you have room for them.
>
> Most of my otos aren't interested in anything but algae. In my smaller
tank,
> which has no to algae to speak of, the otos sometimes eat the veggies I
put in
> for the snails. Zucchini slices (frozen, then thawed), peas, romaine
lettuce,
> apple slices, canned green beans. In my large tank, where there's more
algae
> and the otos are extremely fat, they are never interested in veggies.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
>

[LeighMo]

>what types of algae are ottos best at eating?

They like brown algae best. They eat "flat" algae; their sucker mouths aren't
equipped for eating filamentous algae.

>do they perhaps eat that course rough algae that loves to grow on glass?

If CAEs and plecos don't eat it, otos probably wouldn't, either. Nothing
really eats that bright green "spot" algae. It's too hard. Though they might
eat it when it's still young and soft (and nearly invsible).

I've found snails to be the best at cleaning glass. But once that spot algae
is old and hard, it's just not very palatable. Get an old credit card and
scrape it.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[kush]

Empirical evidence only: The only tank I get green dot algae on the glass
is a 20-long with no snails - because it has botias in it. My other tanks
all have fleets of tiny ramshorns scouring the glass day and night.
Unfortunately for drawing firm conclusions, it is also the tank with the
highest light intensity.

kush

LeighMo > wrote in message
...
> >what types of algae are ottos best at eating?
>
> They like brown algae best. They eat "flat" algae; their sucker mouths
aren't
> equipped for eating filamentous algae.
>
> >do they perhaps eat that course rough algae that loves to grow on glass?
>
> If CAEs and plecos don't eat it, otos probably wouldn't, either. Nothing
> really eats that bright green "spot" algae. It's too hard. Though they
might
> eat it when it's still young and soft (and nearly invsible).
>
> I've found snails to be the best at cleaning glass. But once that spot
algae
> is old and hard, it's just not very palatable. Get an old credit card and
> scrape it.
>
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Christopher]

I got a puffer to remove the snails from my tank, no chance of snails coming
back heh. Also I had problems with snails eating my plants, I would get
about 4x more leaves on the surface than I do now...
"LeighMo" > wrote in message
...
> >what types of algae are ottos best at eating?
>
> They like brown algae best. They eat "flat" algae; their sucker mouths
aren't
> equipped for eating filamentous algae.
>
> >do they perhaps eat that course rough algae that loves to grow on glass?
>
> If CAEs and plecos don't eat it, otos probably wouldn't, either. Nothing
> really eats that bright green "spot" algae. It's too hard. Though they
might
> eat it when it's still young and soft (and nearly invsible).
>
> I've found snails to be the best at cleaning glass. But once that spot
algae
> is old and hard, it's just not very palatable. Get an old credit card and
> scrape it.
>
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[LeighMo]

>Also I had problems with snails eating my plants,

It depends on what kind of snails you have, of course. But IME, most snails
don't eat plants. If there's no other food in the tank, red ramhorns might
nibble tender new leaves of Hygrophila, but in general, they prefer soft food
like algae or dying leaves.

Columbian ramhorms (the big striped ones, 1" or more in diameter) do eat
plants. So do apple/mystery snails (except for Pomacea bridgesii, the planted
tank keeper's best friend). But all the others I've kept -- pond snails, red
ramshorns, MTS -- don't bother my plants at all.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[Christopher]

I have also heard this but all I have is the observation of the number of
leaves that floated to the top of my tank. I would get leaves (mostly my
jungle vals) that were 6" long and in perfect health that were floating to
the top. After removal of the snails I get far fewer leaves floating ot the
top.

"LeighMo" > wrote in message
...
> >Also I had problems with snails eating my plants,
>
> It depends on what kind of snails you have, of course. But IME, most
snails
> don't eat plants. If there's no other food in the tank, red ramhorns
might
> nibble tender new leaves of Hygrophila, but in general, they prefer soft
food
> like algae or dying leaves.
>
> Columbian ramhorms (the big striped ones, 1" or more in diameter) do eat
> plants. So do apple/mystery snails (except for Pomacea bridgesii, the
planted
> tank keeper's best friend). But all the others I've kept -- pond snails,
red
> ramshorns, MTS -- don't bother my plants at all.
>
>
> Leigh
>
> http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/