sounds normal to me... unless your pellets came with a sign that said "for cories only"

everything in my tank eats the shrimp pellets i toss in

 

ohh okay

I always thought otos were vegetarians, that's all. Thanks for the info.

 

I've seen lots of fish that were 'vegetarians' happily eat shrimp pellets, brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc. General rule being that if it can fit in their mouth, they'll surely try it.

 

Delicious and nutritious. Who wouldn't try it??

 

I /wish/ my ottos would try eating pellets. I can't get them to figure out that they should try them, and my tank is running out of algae~

 

So uh, I think if at all possible, your otos should probably not be fed high protien foods. No personal experience with this but in general omnivoires can not digest meaty foods as well and it may lead to health issues.



Feed Zucchini or some other veggie. Or grow algae in jars next to a sunny window.

 

Good idea on growing algae by the window sill. Sounds really ironic though.

I just leave the lights on longer than most people--12 hours a day + some sunlight, so there's always algae growing. I don't mind it, I think it's better for the Otos anyway, since they will always have algae to nibble on.

As well, I throw in whatever vegetables are in the fridge every one or two days. My logic is that Otos are smart enough to know what is safe to eat or not, plus if vegetables pass health inspection, it's usually safe for Otos. If they don't take it, I'll just remove it after a few days.

Shrimp pellets are awesome, probably the best suggestion I got from plantedtank members so far.

 

I agree, Deks. Let them eat what they want to eat. Most animals, especially the ones that haven't been bred artificially for generations, know what nutrients they need and will seek them out. As long as they have choices, trust them.

My goldfish would probably eat Jellybellies if offered, but I think my otos would make the right choice.

 

Yup that's the way to go. I thought about a goldfish tank but they're not as interesting since they don't have a real "natural" habitat in the world.

my guess would be that otos in the wild have a mixed diet.
sure they eat algae but wouldn't pass up that dead fish snack.
Did you know that white tailed deer are one of the biggest birds nest raiders on the grass lands?!?!?
Scientist figure that the deer are a factor in the decline of grass land birds.

No I didn't know that. Very interesting. I would've guessed rodents would be responsible for the decline.

I think most fish are very adaptable when it comes to food source--each species has an ecological niche where they specialize in eating a certain food source so that every animal will have a place in the ecosystem.

 

my guess would be that otos in the wild have a mixed diet.
sure they eat algae but wouldn't pass up that dead fish snack.
Did you know that white tailed deer are one of the biggest birds nest raiders on the grass lands?!?!?
Scientist figure that the deer are a factor in the decline of grass land birds.