Should I put an Otocinclus Catfish in my tank?

[Nikita706]

So, we were thinking about getting an Otocinclus Catfish for our tank this weekend. However, this morning I looked at our breeder tank and it's FILTHY! First of all, would it overcrowd our already full tank to get one of these Otocinclus Catfish? And if we do get one, would it be okay to toss it in the breeder tank with the babies to clean it out, or will the Catfish eat the babies? The babies are 2 weeks old and about 3/8" to 1/2" long.

Thanks everyone!

[CAF]

So, we were thinking about getting an Otocinclus Catfish for our tank this weekend. However, this morning I looked at our breeder tank and it's FILTHY! First of all, would it overcrowd our already full tank to get one of these Otocinclus Catfish? And if we do get one, would it be okay to toss it in the breeder tank with the babies to clean it out, or will the Catfish eat the babies? The babies are 2 weeks old and about 3/8" to 1/2" long.

Thanks everyone!


Ok since no one else seems to want to take the plunge LOL

Otos do better in groups of 6 or more. I have a group of 3 and they seem to do well. However unless you plan on feeding them heavily, they will not do well in a 10g. Because of the amount of food they need not the size. I would recommend a small bushy/bristlenose pleco. Some species stay under 6"

[ruecole]

Otos are vegetarians. So your babies will be safe.

I've got two in my 20g and so far they seem happy enough. They certainly cleaned up all the brown algae! Once the algae is gone, though, they can starve, so make sure they've got algae wafers or other veggie foods to eat. (I don't think they eat plants?)

Rue

[Nikita706]

unless you plan on feeding them heavily, they will not do well in a 10g. Because of the amount of food they need not the size.

Okay. Yeah, we'd talked to a guy at the pet store that recommended we get one for our 10g because they don't eat as much as a Chinese Algae Eater. But he said it would do well because we have 4 or 5 plants in our tank.

[CAF]

My apologies for being unclear. One oto would fit in your tank, however it would not be as happy as if it were in a group which your tank will not support. Often otos will decline rapidly without a group. So I would not recomend a single oto.

[SkarloeysMom]

They really are kind of delicate fish IMO. I had 3 that did very well then suddenly a couple months after getting them 2 of them died off within a few days of each other in a understocked tank with perfect water parameters. I have only one left and he seems very happy. I haven't gotten anymore for fear of them not having enough to eat and because they have this habit of dieing off for no reason. This is just my personal experience though.

I do think its a good idea to get at least 3 at a time. Hopefully you'll get 3 strong ones that like to eat all the algae you need them to eat.