Question about my Oto cat   7/31/11
Hey there,
<Salve,>
A while ago I had a 10 gallon tank with 4 Guppies and an Oto Cat.
<A bit small for Guppies.>
The Oto did just fine, was always eating, and very lazy.
<Shouldn't be "lazy" at all. This SCHOOLING species should be buzzing about in a group of five or more specimens, pretty much all the time, flitting from leaf to leaf.>
Now I have a new tank with 4 GloFish and an Oto Cat.
<Again with "an" Otocinclus. They're schooling fish that don't do well singly.>
This is my second Oto for this tank the first died after two days.
<Unfortunately a very common experience. Most aquarists kill their specimens quite quickly, and retailers aren't any better at all.>
When I took it back the pet store they said it was because it was under fed.
<Likely correct. Otocinclus are notoriously difficult to feed. In the wild they consume green algae (not diatoms, and not hair, bush or thread algae either) alongside what is called aufwuchs, tiny invertebrates that live among green algae. In captivity they can be maintained in mature tanks with a combination of green algae, finely minced seafood, and standard algae wafers, but they don't compete well for food and shouldn't be kept alongside greedy fish that feed in the same way, e.g., loaches or catfish.>
So I got another one and put blanched zucchini in the tank, as many sites said they'll like.
<Some specimens will eat softened vegetables, but it's not 100% reliable.>
Problem is he hasn't touched it. I don't want to starve another one.. I have also put in an algae wafer and he hasn't touch that either. He keeps sucking the sides and swimming all over from side to side of the tank like he's looking for something to eat. Any suggestions??
<Will likely not settle down without four or more friends of his own kind.
In a group this species is happier, and therefore more ready to feed.>
Should I just wait to see if he makes it or not?
<If you want, but I'd put money on a swift death.>
Also right now I'm leaving the light on 12 hours to try and grow algae.
<Green algae needs strong lighting to grow. If you have plants that grow so quickly you have to remove a handful of foliage every week or two, you probably have the right amount of light. If your plants basically sit there and throw out the odd leaf every few weeks, then you probably don't have strong lighting and the dominant algae types will be diatoms (the brown scum on the glass) and red algae (hair, brush and thread algae, which aren't red, despite the common name for this group).>
I'm stumped I don't know what else to do.
<I'm surprised you're stumped, because the aquarium literature on Otocinclus spp. is actually quite good. Most any tropical fish book will tell you that these catfish need to be kept in groups, need cool water (22-25 C/72-77 F), and are difficult to feed.>
I attached 2 picture to see if your think he's okay or not. He's slightly blurry because he wouldn't sit still. He's very active. Thank you!!
Amanda
<Glad to help.>
P.S The pet store got new fish in Thursday and Friday when I brought my dead one back and got the new one, he was the last one left. I'm not sure if they just sold that quick or if there was a reason to why they didn't get more.
<Many pet shops buy Otocinclus because they know [a] they die quickly and [b] people will keep buying new ones to replace any losses. Somehow, there's a rumour that Otocinclus are good algae eaters for small tanks.
That's total and 100% rubbish, but sadly you'll hear it said in some pet shops and written on web sites by people who perhaps don't know any better.
There are some excellent catfish sites, like PlanetCatfish, that will provide very useful information.>
It just seemed weird to me.
<Not weird; typical.>
I checked and there was no dead fish in the tank so I assume they were all in good health. I was thinking of getting another one so he has company, but no other pet stores around here sell them. If this one doesn't work out I'm going to stay away from them for a while as much as I don't want to... I really like these little guys.
<I agree with you that this genus is best avoided by casual aquarists. They can work in largish (20+ gallons?) systems with bright lighting and lots of plants, where there's enough growth of green algae to supplement algae wafers and other such foods. In smaller tanks and less brightly lit tanks they become totally dependent upon the aquarist to feed them, and that is very difficult to do. Not impossible, but difficult, and you do need to ensure two or more small meals per day. Kept singly the poor thing may well be so nervous it'll never feed adequately well. For small tanks Nerite snails are infinitely better algae-eaters, not least of all because they consume diatoms. Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>