New Breeding Tank

[Fishyking]

So I recently got a pair of triple reds. They are in a heavily planted tank with some coconuts for breeding. I was just wondering what could I add to the tank to manage the algae a little better. Snails, Shrimp, or any algae eaters? It's a 20-gallon length. Any ideas would be great. It's obviously not so I don't do maintenance but just something to help me out.

 

[MacZ]

Nothing. What's bad about algae?

Or are the algae taking over, like black beard algae or cyanobacteria?
I would rather look for the causes first and try to tweak lights and/or nutrients in the tank.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Snails, Shrimp, or any algae eaters? It's a 20-gallon length. Any ideas would be great.

Red Ramshorn snails will work over time, as long as your water isn't too soft. Otocinclus only really eat Diatoms, but they are egg safe and the Apistogramma largely ignore them.

Nothing. What's bad about algae?

I don't worry <"too much about algae"> either

cheers Darrel

 

[anewbie]

Not sure they are the best alage eaters but i love otos - more the marrier though you tank is pretty small. If you ever get a larger tank - maybe a 40 or so - 20 or 30 otos are great.

 

[MacZ]

I find Otos are not worth the trouble. The percentage of losses is too high usually. The constant supply of food needed to keep them alive is a problem for qwter quality, too. A 20 gallon would otherwise only be able to sustain maybe 3-5 specimens. Provided there's enough established aufwuchs.

 

[anewbie]

I find Otos are not worth the trouble. The percentage of losses is too high usually. The constant supply of food needed to keep them alive is a problem for qwter quality, too. A 20 gallon would otherwise only be able to sustain maybe 3-5 specimens. Provided there's enough established aufwuchs.

So here we will have to disagree. I have 10 out of 10 otto living well in my 40B for the past 18 months. I do not give them any dedicated food and yet they seem to thrive. The tank is well planted so there is always biofilm for them to eat and they will go after dry food from time to time as well as algae. Why some people have problems with oto and others don't i can't answer. I do have a second tank with oto and i thought most of them had died over the past 24 months but then one day i found a cluster of 6 in a corner so i know that at most 2 died. This is the tank with the 10 oto - they were purchased in three groups of 3, 3 and 4. The intention was to put them in the other tank but i never bothered doing so. I really can't guess why they do well because i do not pamper them in any form or fashion.

 

[MacZ]

The conditions of your tank are not in contrast to my statement, but I also guess your tank was running for several months before you added them and you got either tankbred or a really good batch. In such a tank I would not be worrying. But the conditions in most tanks where people just put them in as algae eaters are the opposite of what you have there.

Why some people have problems with oto and others don't i can't answer.

Don't have to. The reasons are pretty clear: Most arrive at the retailers in really bad shape and many people buy them in that condition from stores that don't even try to feed them. No food for 3-4 weeks between catching and a (most often illprepared) hobbyist's (most often illfitted) tank. If they don't starve their parasites or a bacterial infection finish them off. There are so many factors that have to be accounted for, there is always a chance something doesn't go right. The ones that have no problems are the ones that (planned or not) do everything right from the start.

You got very lucky from the get-go and I hope it stays that way.

 

[anewbie]

Just some corrections to what you said with regards to my experience. I purchased the otto in three groups from two different stores. They ended up in a 20 long with the intention to move them into a 120 once they 'qt' but i left them in the 20 and eventually replaced the 20 with the 40B. This is the 40B in the early days. It wasn't always such a densely planted tank:


(hint when landscaping a tank remember that plants dont' stay small)

 

[MacZ]

(hint when landscaping a tank remember that plants dont' stay small)

They indeed don't!