Otocinclus with Gold Rams?

[IndianaSam]

Hey all, I just set up a 40g breeder tank with Gold Rams. It's heavily planted and the fish are doing great. Now I'm looking for good algae eaters for tank. I keep the tank at about 85F and the pH is 6.4.

Would otocinclus be okay in this setup? Does anyone have any experience with them handling the high temperature?

Thanks in advance,
Sam

 

[mooman]

Go Steelers!!!!! I think they would work great. I have found them to be very delicate however. I would buy half a dozen (I believe they prefer to have conspecifics around), and acclimate them really well. Start a SLOW drip tube and give them at least 45min or more of acclimation time. the ones I have acclimated never seem to live more than a couple months however. They are very partial to brown algea, and only seem to pick at green algea tabs, so maybe starvation is an issue. I haven't kept them enough to know if this was a coincidence or not, but the one i kept alive the longest was in a tank with very soft, low ph water. Good Luck.

 

[aspen]

they will handle high temps. they don't last long ime, but they won't eat ram eggs or fry.

rick

 

[IndianaSam]

they will handle high temps. they don't last long ime, but they won't eat ram eggs or fry.

When you say that they won't last a long time, do you mean at high temperatures or in general? I've had great experience with otos which have been fed correctly.

I plan on getting at least 6 of them and I plan on feeding them a variety of veggies.

 

[aspen]

no matter what i've done, they don't seem to last for me. others near me have the same exp. maybe it is the source?

i've had them last a few months at 90 deg f with lots of air.

rick

 

[sherry]

I'm having some good luck with this last batch of half a dozen otos.. A friend of mine said that his usually starved to death, so I went onto planet catfish and discovered that they like kale.

I feed them kale three times a week, freeze, veggie clip it and then leave it in the tank until it is gone.

so far I'm 3 months and six for six. hoping it lasts.

 

[epl4978]

i have 2 ottos(thinking about geting more) in a 44 corner with apistos and have had no problems with them the water temp isn't as warm as what you are going to be have but its close and they haven't had a thing of algea to eat only cucumbers and other veggies and right now i am haveing a problem with my pH it was at 8.7 and now i'm getting it back to were it needs to be and they were fine in the higher pH for the day or so they were in it. i dont know how they would do about eating eggs because my apistos are still too young also i have Bushey plecos and a clown and a L-134 pleco that would make short work of the eggs

 

[Zapisto]

What are you calling Kale (damn it , my english lack of some vocabulary)

i have about 15 otto cats in a 90g for year now and they look pretty cool.
belly always round and they are in with cardinalis, rummy, dicrosus maculatus, aggie ancistrus and cory.

never feed them anything but let me tell you this tank is a mess with nice algae (actually look pretty) there and there i leave them because look good and otto feed on them.

and , i also have some otto in a 40g grow tank with dicrosus and i feed this one the thing they are doing sushi with, they love it

 

[fishgeek]

mine eat zuccinhini (sp?) readily

 

[IndianaSam]

Thanks for the reassurance guys.

I'm going to pick some up today for my Ram tank.

 

[Mike Wise]

Kale is a type of lettuce = chou frisé.

 

[Zapisto]

thanks mike.