Otocinclus Catfish Care Guide

[@Vcaser]

I love my Otos! So far so good with my group of 6 in my 10 gallon shrimp tank. This is my oldest tank, heavily planted with double filtration. Because I’m overstocked, I test the water twice a week. The sweet spot for my parameters is maintained with changing 1 gallon per week. They get their own foods, but also enjoy many of the same foods that the shrimp and snails eat. They can often be found nosing around the shrimp feeding dish. I was pleased that they stay out and about more than I thought they would, which makes it easy to see their round little bellies ❤

[@AquatikGuru]

Sounds perfect to me

[@RaulsAquaticsandReptiles]

I have only one in my 75 and the little guy still going strong. 🙏🏼

[@AquatikGuru]

I had a similar situation. But I got message after message about it so a video was necessary

[@kwispy1535]

BRO get him a friend or two like

[@kwispy1535]

Even some cory’s if you dont want competition for the algae eater, they shoal together!

[@MarijkeWillemsen990]

You should feed them thin slices of zuchini if they are not so much algae. Also they wat the bacteria film on the wood. I would not recommend this fish without wood in the aquarium.

[@AquatikGuru]

Yes you are correct with all of that.

[@DetectiveLopez.]

Have you tried them on thin sliced cucumber blanched

[@bentleytelles7295]

Does drift wood from petsmart work?

[@seamus6994]

Liked and Subbed! I Have quite a few, but today I bought even more. One thing I'ld like to mention as far as feeding. I've had these guys for years. At times I have more or less Algae for them to eat. When they are on the glass, check their belly's, they should be round and a bit plump. Spirulina wafers are okay. But thickly sliced Zucchini placed in a cup half filled with water, then cooked in the microwave for 2 minutes, is their favorite. Mine go through a couple slices every 3 days or so. The only thing left is a very thin skin. They like Cucumber also, cooked for 2 minutes. I put a wood skewer through each and stick the skewer into the substrate. Par boiled Cabbage and many other veggies work well. I have rain buckets outside that grow some nice algae too. I harvest the algae at times and add it to the tanks. It doesn't last long.

[@ebenbaker1]

ive only got 4 of them but they like to hang around with my 10 tetras and the tetras like following them

[@AquatikGuru]

Sounds like you’ve found a good balance with your tank mates. Great job!

[@quki3]

Wow. That’s a beautiful tank. I’ve had terrible luck with oto’s. They survive a couple months and around the three month mark they start dying off. I always have lots of algae in my tanks and rocks and wood. They get fat and die. I have only had 8 or less in my tank at a time. I’m not buying anymore until I can figure it out. Dwarf Cory’s are easier to keep and I don’t lose them.

[@AquatikGuru]

Thank you! I think many many people have issues with them.

[@joselara3669]

Holy crap what a beautiful tank man!

[@AquatikGuru]

Thank you!

[@periplanetamissionary]

I have six of them in a 125 Lots of wood, and biofilm. Plus algae everywhere.

[@AquatikGuru]

Best way to do it!

[@robertjester6887]

I’ve got a 20 gallon tank. How many fish that you were just talking about on this video

[@JustMeD902]

I was only able to find 2 at my LFS @$2.50, and they seem to have taken a liking to my Pygmy Cory’s and vice versa.

[@afifahzulkefli]

I agree the ottos being not so hardy fish than most people would tell you. I never had great success with otto, even when my tank is fully cycled, lots of algae and diatoms. They just died off one by one. I never got more than a group of 6, so it could be one of the reasons like you said? Idk. Anyways, a good alternative for when i need help getting rid of diatoms or brown algae is the amano shrimp.

[@AquatikGuru]

It could be one of the reasons for sure. Other than them being super sensitive. But yes definitely a great alternative

[@bentleytelles7295]

Maybe water changes to often or to big? Idk I’m not a expert

[@loladiarychannel9195]

what you describe is very useful, thank you for this video full of information and tips

[@AquatikGuru]

You’re welcome!

[@killacalibullies9798]

Good video! Thanks for the information bro!!!💯👊🏾

[@AquatikGuru]

You’re welcome man!!!

[@MrShortzYT]

Just picked up 6 of these guys today to add to my my small 60 litre community tank Currently housing some balloon rams and some red albino cherry barbs Couldnt agree more about making sure you know what you are doing with these little guys The guys in my local store were actually shocked somebody was wanting to buy them that actually could tell them how to care for them 😂, proudly showed off my algae ready planted aquarium that i had purposly let bloom so these little guys felt right at home Needless to say, they are having a feeding freny in their group May add 2 more to boost the grouple up

[@AquatikGuru]

Sounds awesome!! I absolutely love these lil guys personally!

[@FirstLast-numba1]

how can something be both red and albino

[@MrShortzYT]

@@FirstLast-numba1 because the albino is a reference to the full body pigmentation. In this case they are the same red all the way through including the eyes, which gives them a blind look. Look them up, red albino cherry barb

[@allanramos9003]

Where do you get that tank!! I been looking for something large but low for a turtle,

[@AquatikGuru]

It’s a UNS tank.

[@enigma533]

I have one Otocynclus with betta , pleco , guppy molli and cories.. and he is doing good.. all it does num num num

[@AquatikGuru]

That’s neat. You should see them in the wild. Thousands and thousands swim together

[@enigma533]

@@AquatikGuru yes .. ofcourse 😅

[@AquatikGuru]

That’s personally why I love having a ton of them. They school up and it looks cool

[@txhamma]

Will 5 be ok in a group?

[@AquatikGuru]

Yes the more the merrier

[@txhamma]

@@AquatikGuru also my ph is 8.5 will they all die

[@AquatikGuru]

@txhamma most likely. You want a lower ph for sure

[@philipduffy682]

Mine love green bell peppers,courgettes,cucumber and algae wafers also they tend to munch on frozen cyclops what I feed my fry fish 🙂

[@AquatikGuru]

Great choices on foods!

[@morganL40001]

What size tank are you using in this video? Also would you recommend an air pump in there tank?

[@AquatikGuru]

This tank is a UNS60s lowboy. I’m running a canister personally so there’s plenty of air

[@MaicoMoon]

Beautiful fish tank. What type or brand is the tank? Also, with keeping the water level so high with no lid, do your fish ever jump out? I've kept my water 1 inch below the surface, and I've had fish jump out before.

[@AquatikGuru]

Thank you! It’s a UNS 60S. I was fortunate to only lose 1 chili Rasbora that jumped out otherwise I’ve just been lucky. I never truly recommend keeping tanks like this for keeping fish. Due to the possibility of them jumping. But I couldn’t pass up the whole scape plan I drew up it just looked too good haha! That being said, I expected most my fish to jump. Luckily only one did.

[@katohypekato7663]

Stupid question, I have a open top aquarium and was wondering if they would climb out

[@AquatikGuru]

No they won’t climb out. They may jump out of spooked bad enough but not common.

[@cheryllong995]

Could you please tell me what the lifespan of the otocinclus is ?

[@AquatikGuru]

In good terms, 3-5 years

[@dominiqueadem8118]

Hi, i just bought ottos yesterday. And i wanted to know the feeding process of this fish, for example: From sunday to saturday, how often should i feed them?

[@AquatikGuru]

Truthfully they should have a constant food source such as a tank with algae everywhere

[@itsvalentina6806]

Hi, I was wondering if you can help me with a dilema I have… I had my Otos for about 9 months and last week I noticed one of my otos has a white bubble on his nose… everyone else looks normal. Any clues of what it could be ?

[@AquatikGuru]

It’s likely he bumped into something most likely from getting spooked. I would monitor it daily and see if there’s any improvement. This is very common with Otos but like most catfish they’ll pull through as long as the waters healthy

[@basedcorrectpilled969]

Can I have them in a 6 gallon tank?

[@AquatikGuru]

Yes they just do best in larger groups so larger tanks are preferred

[@Emanfan96]

I recently got one from a pet store and they said it’s been there for about 4 months as they only one. I been looking for some more so it has some buddies. Right now it mostly hides but I am worried it will be too stressed without more of its kind.

[@AquatikGuru]

Keep looking. You could also order from somewhere such as liveaquaria or some other internet based fish store. Shipping can get a little spendy but you usually have live arrival guarantees, fair pricing on the actual fish, the reason it can get spendy is it’s next day shipping most times. I’ve had great results with getting fish that way too in the past.

[@Emanfan96]

@@AquatikGuru turns out it’s actually a Siamese algae eater

[@AquatikGuru]

That changes things lol

[@Kaikoura26]

So how long can they go without being fed if the tank is dirty?

[@AquatikGuru]

Typically they will clean the tank as a food source. Me personally, I’ve always had other critters with them like shrimp or corydoras so I’ll still toss in a algae wafer here and there just to supplement things they may be missing.

[@Kaikoura26]

YO! I got a shallow 16 gallon. It's about 10 inches high. YOu think the Amano shrimps will be ok in my tank? I don't want them to jump out.

[@AquatikGuru]

I haven’t lost any to them climbing or jumping out, that being said, it’s always a possibility

[@Mwhbmnabjms]

They r hardy fish except 1 u need to hear what this guy said. No question u need a cycle tank! Ive kept mine 1 otocinclus in a tank with 4 agressive female betta. It’s doing just fine just because no oto instock at that time. Currently they’re 7 of them 24/7 cleaning the tank 1.5ft tank with almost full green algae on the glass except frontside in less than 2weeks.

[@paulojorgetadeu2233]

Fantastic at cleaning windows, they need strict water parameters, right? The water is crystal clear, good teamwork.

[@AquatikGuru]

They’re amazing little critters!

[@herobo123456]

just got 2 today maybe ill get more now

[@AquatikGuru]

They definitely love being in larger groups!

[@mraquaticnews5676]

Cool info!

[@AquatikGuru]

Thank you!

[@gamediet9722]

what is that red plant

[@AquatikGuru]

Alternanthera rosenvig mini

[@gamediet9722]

@@AquatikGuru ty for the fast reply. Is it commonly called Alternanthera Rosanervig? And do you still have this tank? Does the plant get taller or is that the max height as shown in the video?

[@AquatikGuru]

There is a larger version just like alternanthera reinekii. No this tank is no longer set up. The plant stays low under good lighting and even lower with co2

[@AquatikGuru]

It also has light pink veins in the leaves unlike reinekii

[@barneywalker6062]

Hello i run a 90 Ltr Tank, so i think about 19 Galleons, currently has x5 Mollies, and x2 larger Catfish, Could i add a few of these? the reason is the glass just is getting covered in Algae well brown Alage as i dont have a pleco now due to downsizing the tank to this one, So could i get a few of these guys and will they be ok? Water change is weekly always 10-20%

[@AquatikGuru]

It should be ok, keep in mind they’re sensitive so you may wanna bump up your water changes to 30-40% cuz they’re gonna go ham on the algae and leave a lot of waste behind.

[@barneywalker6062]

@@AquatikGuru ok will do thank you, are they group fish so I need at least say x3 of them

[@AquatikGuru]

Yes they definitely do better the more of them there are.

[@LAIKEM45]

Dam wish I could have found your channel about 6 months ago bought 12 of them and all died one by one had a bad algae problem but had my water all wrong

[@AquatikGuru]

Yea they’re sensitive they like clean water but dirty rocks and wood lol it’s a tough balance to achieve lol

[@brianthiel1488]

Ottos are not sensitive at all and can adapt to a wide variety of parameters.

[@AquatikGuru]

Through experience in a fish store, customers disagree. I keep telling them it’s because their tank doesn’t have enough food source.

[@AquatikGuru]

Through experience in a fish store, customers disagree. I keep telling them it’s because their tank doesn’t have enough food source.

[@brianthiel1488]

@@AquatikGuru I use both Hikari wafers and seaweed right at the start. The seaweed usually strikes their palet better for some reason. The quicker you get them to feed the better. A very hardy fish, hard to kill.

[@AquatikGuru]

I agree. People assume they can just get fish and put them into new tanks. I can’t control that. All I can do is try and guide them the right way. And starting with ottos just doesn’t fit the criteria.

[@DetectiveLopez.]

​@Brian Thiel Where would you source seaweed, first time I've seen anyone recommend that

[@ilblack1949]

Hi, what aquarium's brand ?

[@AquatikGuru]

Ultum Nature Systems or UNS

[@ilblack1949]

@@AquatikGuru thanks so much

[@AquatikGuru]

You’re welcome

[@drawntothesea]

Doesn't the algae on the rocks take longer to grow than it takes them to eat it? Mine cleaned the tank completely in less than 2 days... but has not shown any interest in algae wafers... have you tried the blanched zucchini option?

[@AquatikGuru]

Yes it takes quite some time for algae to grow. Usually yes, they do eat it faster than it produces. Yes I have tried the blanched zucchini and I have had bad luck with it falling apart and making a mess. Otocinclus don’t only eat algae, they eat the small bacteria’s growing on the rocks, wood, plants, substrate and glass as well. Typically if they have no interest in algae wafers, there is another food source they’re already feeding on that you cannot see. The main goal is not cleaning the tank “too much” that will leave plenty to make algae etc.

[@drawntothesea]

@@AquatikGuru do you think the 15 gallon flex could accommodate a shoal of oto cats and a betta?

[@AquatikGuru]

@@drawntothesea depending on the betta, I would say yes. If the betta just doesn’t like tankmates (as some bettas do) then I wouldn’t recommend it. But if the bettas not aggressive I’d say go for it

[@johnnybest6386]

How to breed them

[@AquatikGuru]

I was never successful with that

[@adrianmark613]

Do they eat snail's egg?

[@AquatikGuru]

No they do not :) all they want is a consistent algae food source to chew on in the tank.

[@Christopher-qx5wc]

I have a 30 gallon tank with 1 Gold Gourami, 1 Pleco and 1 Otco (I had 3 Otco’s but 2 died the same day I got them… pet stores have a bad habit of starving them) do you think I should buy more Octo’s since they are schooling fish? Or just keep the 1. I’ve only had 1 now for about 6 months and he seems to be doing great

[@AquatikGuru]

Otos are tough! They love to be in larger groups and tend to do best this way. A lot of times it hit and miss if they’ll survive because most fish stores clean their tanks too much and like you said otos starve. If you feel your tank has enough food for them, I’d get more. Just plan to lose some until you gather a solid group that make it

[@TheVoyagers.]

Probably the one fish I cannot keep alive :(

[@AquatikGuru]

Many have the same issue my friend :(

[@dominikbozoky2509]

you forgot to mention and also do it yourself, to put in some wood, they need that as well for their nutrition. they dont only eat the bacteria and algae on it, they need the wood itself.

[@AquatikGuru]

Have you tested their feces for remnants of wood? From what I’ve understood and what many understand is they thrive on the algae and bacterias that grow on wood, rather than the wood itself. I understand wood houses many many organisms especially whilst it’s breaking down in water, but there’s little to no evidence to prove they require the wood itself.

[@AquatikGuru]

Therefore contrary to some (very few) beliefs, they don’t require the wood itself, but they rather require the natural breakdown of wood that creates multiple microorganisms that otocinclus truly thrive on.

[@DetectiveLopez.]

​@AquatikGuru This sounds more plausible, I've left a big piece of driftwood outside in a bucket of water ,give it a couple of weeks it should be nice and green with Algae and biofilm for when my Otos arrive

[@MuhammedfayazMuhammed]

HOW TO IDENTIFY MALE FEMALE?

[@AquatikGuru]

Typically the only way to tell is once they’re adults. Once adults the females tend to be more big bodied. The males will be more slender. That being said, it can be difficult to tell once adult as well.