10g and otto cats

[Abbeys_Mom]

I bought a yo-yo loach a few months ago to rid myself of snails. I don't know if he got lazy or what, but I am overrun with snails again. I have been thinking of trading him in for a few otto cats. I have a pleco, but he doesn't do a good job and I find I am having to feed him a lot. So, I have 2 questions about otto cats. How hardy are they? and how many could I add to my 10g with my current # of fish.

I have:
2 dwarf gouramis (Both about 2" tops and full grown)
2 glowlight danios
1 Bristlenose pleco
1 black kuhli loach
1 Yo-Yo loach (who would be returning to the lfs)

[bettaboy691]

firstly, if your wanting a snail eater, ottos dont eat them, neither do pleco's.ottos need excellent quality water, and in a 10 gallon, about 5. but that changes with the amount of other fish you have in there.
they are plenty of other options about getting rid of snails, you might have to get your hands wet, but its nessary. either the lettuce leaf idea, or remove them every time you see one, i did that and i have very few left.
on a different note, yes do take the yo-yo loach back,and buy some more kuhliis, about another 2 as they live in groups.
also, in your sig, it says you also have 5 sparling gouramies in your 10g, with them and the other fish, you are over stocked.

[Drumachine09]

I know clown loaches will.

[cocoa_pleco]

clown loaches will eat em to death. they clean snails like crazy.

OMG, my betta is SUPER grumpy this morning.
The background of my new 10g has plants with pictures of platys and gouramis, and the betta will look at the background and flare up.

[Abbeys_Mom]

The sparkling gouramis didn't make it. They were incompatible with my PH.

I don't need the ottos to eat the snails, I can get rid of them on my own. I have added more plants to my tank and with them comes algae. The pleco does ok with the glass, but I would like to add to the clean up crew. I don't want to add more Kuhlis, the one I have is almost 6 years old (he was in a tank with 10 or so, but they passed after about 4 years). The bristle nose is also getting on in years, although they can live 15 years. The only other fish that HAVE to stay are the gouramis, I am on the fence as far as the danios go. I was given them for free by my LFS .

[Chrona]

I would recommend a SAE. I know they get bigger than oto cats, but they are much more versatile in terms of what they eat, are not aggressive, and are more fun to look at because they are always moving around. Plus, suckermouth fish have always kinda bugged me when they stick to the front glass. Plus, my SAE also serves as a bottom cleaner, since he will pick all the flakes that the other fish missed and ended up on the gravel.

[kimmers318]

Otos are very sensitive to transport and acclimation, and as mentioned, do like groups and 10 gal tanks can have rapid declines in water parameters which they will be affected by quite quickly. Of the 6 I purchased, only 1 stayed around for about 8 months and didn't do squat as far as I could see in my 10 gal. If the bristlie isn't eating much algae you are probably offering it too much food, why should he work at the algae if he can eat healthy by whatever you drop in. I am pretty sure your other fish come to the top when it is feeding time correct? Try dropping flakes 1 at a time so that you just feed your regular fish and make sure that very little drops to the bottom for the bristlie to find, he might start picking more. The tanks we have bristlies in never have algae on the glass...I wish they could live with puffers!!!!
In theory, if you have plenty of plants, you shouldn't see much algae, don't they outcompete the algae for nutrients? I am no plant person, couldn't even keep a peace lilly alive that was free. I do know though that the java fern in my 10 gal doesn't out compete the algae there with the dwarf puffers. I am hoping that once my new amano shrimp get bigger I can put a couple of them in with the dwarfs as they have never bothered ghost shrimp.

[Chrona]

Otos are very sensitive to transport and acclimation, and as mentioned, do like groups and 10 gal tanks can have rapid declines in water parameters which they will be affected by quite quickly. Of the 6 I purchased, only 1 stayed around for about 8 months and didn't do squat as far as I could see in my 10 gal. If the bristlie isn't eating much algae you are probably offering it too much food, why should he work at the algae if he can eat healthy by whatever you drop in. I am pretty sure your other fish come to the top when it is feeding time correct? Try dropping flakes 1 at a time so that you just feed your regular fish and make sure that very little drops to the bottom for the bristlie to find, he might start picking more. The tanks we have bristlies in never have algae on the glass...I wish they could live with puffers!!!!
In theory, if you have plenty of plants, you shouldn't see much algae, don't they outcompete the algae for nutrients? I am no plant person, couldn't even keep a peace lilly alive that was free. I do know though that the java fern in my 10 gal doesn't out compete the algae there with the dwarf puffers. I am hoping that once my new amano shrimp get bigger I can put a couple of them in with the dwarfs as they have never bothered ghost shrimp.

Higher plants do outcompete algae for nutrients, but only if lighting/co2/nutrients are balanced for them. Furthermore, the plant has to be thriving/growing quickly (not just scraping along) in order to do so. Many planted tank owners use faster growing plants like anacharis to "plant cycle" their tanks (this is different from cycling for fish) before moving slower growing/more desirable plants in, in order to reduce the initial algae blooms while the tank nutrient levels are still out of wack. Again, the plant must be capable of quick growth, as the best lighting in the world coupled with an injected CO2 system would not cause anubias nana to grow fast enough to curtail algae.

[Abbeys_Mom]

I have algae problems on the plants, the pleco takes care of the glass, there is fine algae on all the leaves. My plants were low of iron and the new leaves were pale. I bought a fertilizer with micro nutrients and I am working on getting my levels balanced. If I don't add the fertilizer often enough, the plants go pale and if I add it too often the algae takes over. I need an algae eater that is small enough to get in between the leaves of my Wisteria. If it eat brown algae too, that would be great.

[Chrona]

Out of curiosity, what kind of algae do you have? Seachem Excel is a carbon supplement for plants that is also generally accepted as an algaecide, although Seachem, by law, is not allowed to say it for some reason. It functions much like hydogen peroxide, and spot treatments using a dropper or something can even kill beard or brush algae. I believe jungle vals and a few other plants will show adverse reactions to high levels of it, but in general, it's a pretty good product. I have used it in my tank, with swords and wisteria with no ill effect. Not sure about java ferns though, but I'm 98% sure they are not effected. And of course, you will see a small improvement in plant growth.

From my personal experience, oto's do not seem to be that great at cleaning wisteria, because the leaves are so soft and narrow that they tend to have a hard time getting to the edges with their big mouths as compared to...say the SAE's. They are, however, amazing at cleaning glass and large leaved plants. I was considering some cherry shrimp, as I have heard they are very diligent in picking all the algae off plants. Just my 2 cents.

[Abbeys_Mom]

I would love to add shrimp, but I think my Gouramis would pick at them. I also love snails (other then the pond snails) but i am wary now that I have plants.

[Chrona]

I would love to add shrimp, but I think my Gouramis would pick at them. I also love snails (other then the pond snails) but i am wary now that I have plants.

Olive nerita snails are great. They only eat dying plant leaves (which save you the trouble of having to remove them), algae, and detritus. Plus, they can only breed in saltwater, so your tank won't get overrun.

[kimmers318]

Wow! Thanks for all the tips on the plants, algae and snails Chrona. I know there are ways to have zero algae with plants but since I have a brown thumb can never remember the details, and also know there is a type of snail that works, but with a puffer residence I stay away from purchasing snails! The only tanks that have algae problems are the puffer tanks so I guess unless I want to learn how to properly light and grow the right plants I will just have to put up with it! I can't change the lighting in my 29 gal as it is in the hood and says no more than what is in there.

[Chrona]

Wow! Thanks for all the tips on the plants, algae and snails Chrona. I know there are ways to have zero algae with plants but since I have a brown thumb can never remember the details, and also know there is a type of snail that works, but with a puffer residence I stay away from purchasing snails! The only tanks that have algae problems are the puffer tanks so I guess unless I want to learn how to properly light and grow the right plants I will just have to put up with it! I can't change the lighting in my 29 gal as it is in the hood and says no more than what is in there.

Kimmers, take a look at this site:

http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

I'm not sure how wide your hood is, but these fixtures are meant to sit in regular fluorescent hood's after you remove everything inside them. The ballast has to sit on the outside, but it's not really that noticeable. These lights are amazing, and I would have gotten one if I had an existing hood in my 10g or if I had the skills to build a nice enclosure. MUCH better reflectors than the average compact flourescent fixture, plus they have a superior ballast that squeezes out more lumens per watt.

Sorry to go off topic

[kimmers318]

Nice tip, although still not sure if that would work. I have the 29 gal eclipse
http://www.marineland.com/products/consumer/pic2/con_pic2_eclipse.jpg
This pic shows what the eclipse I have looks like, it's just a 29 not one of these little ones, but the design is the same. The front part of the lid has the light fixture in it, and the back part is for opening to feed. Inside it has a plastic cover over the lights to keep moisture out and I am not sure if I could DIY that. It isn't a separate hood structure that is removeable and just sits on top.

[Chrona]

Ah, hm, sorry can't help ya there lol