How many otocinclus in a 10 gallon tank? BEST ANSWER TO BEST ANSWER?

Question

i have a 10 gallon tank

with 2 mollies, a gold dust and silver

and an angel fish that is being taken back.

then in exchange i will probable get a smaller fish.

the tank has a high PH level, but bringing it down was more worst for the fish because it always went back up, so i just let it run its course.

it stays at 80 degrees and has a filter and heater.

So otocinclus have to be in groups? Would it be a good choice?

how many do i need? how many will fit?

what do i feed them?

thanks in advance!

Answer 1

otto cats (as they are commonly called) only eat algae.  in fact, they only eat a certain type of algae, which may not be present in your tank.  ottos will eat wherever they find the algae.  Some people seem to have great success with them, while others cannot keep them alive for more than a week or two.  I recommend that you get one, and see if it survives.  if it lives for longer than two weeks, i would suggest that you get another, because you probably have the correct algae to house these guys.

the one inch per gallon rule is hogwash!  Get as many otto cats as you can support, they are fun to watch and (one of my lfs' tells me that) they will start to reproduce after your population is adequately established.  

Answer 2

I have a 14 gallon tank and I only have one otto.  He seems to be very happy.  I bought him algae wafers and I also bought him a algae ball.  I bought it at petco they just started carrying them.  He does very with keeping my tank clean.  Just make sure that you have some algae in your tank for him.  My temp in my tank is 78 degrees, I'm sure 80 will be okay.  I would only buy one if I was you.  He cleans everything in my tank.

Answer 3

Even if the otos prefer to be in groups, I would still get 1. They only eat algae. If you get too many, they would starve. 1-2 should be enough to take care of tank algae. Since you have high ph, you can get some fish like guppies. Otos are algae eaters. You can fit a few more regular fish.

Answer 4

The rule is one per 10 gallons but a minimum of 2 as they are socially dependent fish.

They will eat algae off glass and plants and wood but not gravel.

90% of the time there is no where near enough food for them naturally especially if you introduce them to a tank with no algae problem.

So you have to feed them...it's time consuming and (expensive over time) but alot of people feed raw zuchinni.

they will not eat algae wafers (none of them)

they will eat complete food sinking tabs, left over spirulina flakes and shrimp pellets.

there not a scavenger fish they just eat these foods to survive and they don't visable make the tank cleaner as they primarly eat micro algae not the hard green that sticks to glass.

For a tank that small i wouldn't bother unless you have an algae problem you want to keep a couple of these guys alive with but they do cope ok.

A group of 5-8 pygmy cories would love that tank if your looking for scavangers that are 1/2 inch full grown...but even these guys you need to directly feed.

good luck!!

Answer 5

i would put 3-10  they will eat the food that floates to the bottom and there for help with keeping the amonia down!  just keep in mind that your only sospsto keep 1 inch of fish per gallon in a freshwater aquarium, but i found it never hurt to put a little more in it!