[Cannonbolt]

I recently put 2 Otos in a newly cycled 10gal tank. They've spent the past 5 or 6 days eating all the slime that built up on the driftwood in the tank. The slime is almost gone and I'm going to be gone for the weekend and want to make sure they have enough to eat. I dropped a sinking wafer into the tank at one point but they wanted nothing to do with it (unlike the hitch hiking snail). I suppose it's possible that they would have eaten the wafer but preferred the slime. I'm not sure. What do your Otos like to eat??

 

[Kathyy]

Mine love zucchini and cucumber. It took a long time for them to figure out algae wafers were food but they eat them now.

 

[Cannonbolt]

Do you cook the zucchini/cucumber to soften it up at all? Also, do they devour it completely or do you have to take it out of the tank after a while? Thanks!

 

[WATduh]

I have two Otos. One completely digs algae wafers and shares with the Cory's. The other Oto does not even acknowledge the algae wafer is in the tank, nor does he accept blanched spinach. Luckily, I have plenty of algae for him to munch on.

Another thing you may want to try are those "seaweed" sheets... I've heard of some success with those, but as you can see, it all depends on what the fish wants.

 

[Cannonbolt]

Interesting, Otos with personal tastes

 

[WATduh]

Not sure it's taste so much... just food recognition... some species voraciously attack anything you put in the tank. Others, like Otos, are a bit more timid and seem not to recognize everything you offer them as "food".

 

[HiepSTA]

you feed them otocinclus food duh

 

[IxIBluepitIxI]

The main thing I feed my Oto and I bet yours will love is broccoli stocks. Cut the flowering greenery off the stocks. Blanch the stock in boiling water until it turns bright green. Then make them available to the Otos for a day or two if the don't go for it the first day.

 

[IxIBluepitIxI]

you feed them otocinclus food duh

Really? That's so helpful thank you I'm going out to pick up some Otocinclus food today thanks again. I think they sell that at Big Lots right? It was right next to the rainbowfish chow.

 

[msjinkzd]

Mazuri foods are much loved by otocinclus. The 5ZJ3 is what I use. Its also excellent for any grazer/herbivore adn does not break down in the water column like pellets or vegetables. It has none of hte undigestable filler material commonly used in prepared fish foods as well. I also feed this to any of my ancistrus and algae eating stiphodons. It mimics aufwuchs.
http://shop.mazuri.com/mazuriaquaticgeldiets.aspx
Its nutrionally complete and easy to make. I mix it up with boiling water to the consistency of pudding then paint/dip it onto small rocks, terra cotta saucers, etc. It freezes well and lasts a long time.

 

[wootlaws]

It's weird, ever since I got my oto I have not fed it anything and it's still alive. I tried to feed it algae disks and it doesn't touch it. Somehow it is still alive.

 

[RainSong]

I feed my otos zucchini. I slice them up and freeze the extra slices. Every 3 days I attach one slice to a weight (metal clip) and set it at the bottom of the tank. Normally, on day 1 nobody touches it. Day 2 the Otos and the snails take turns. Day 3 ... poof! It's gone!

I don't bother with blanching or cooking.

 

[msjinkzd]

It's weird, ever since I got my oto I have not fed it anything and it's still alive. I tried to feed it algae disks and it doesn't touch it. Somehow it is still alive.

Make sure you look at teh ingredients of your algae discs. Often the first ingredient is fish meal which otos don't usually like.

 

[koldsoup]

My otos love Kensfish veggie sticks. They all have ridiculously fat tummies from eating that

 

[bpb]

I've had two otos in a 10 gallon for the past 3 or 4 months and theyve stayed fat on algae and bio film. I have never once put anything in the tank except a pinch of flakes once a day for the cardinals and ghost shrimp. The otos have nice dark coloring and appear generally healthy. I will clean the front glass with a mag float once every couple weeks, but i let algae grow on the sides and back, and they're always working on it.

 

[lauraleellbp]

www.Otocinclus.com is a great resource.

Mine adore romaine lettuce.

 

[Cannonbolt]

Thanks for all the replies - I boiled half a slice of cucumber and dropped it in, we'll see how it goes!

 

[KH2PO4]

I've been keeping 15 Ottos for 3 years.
Some love Hikari's algae wafers (the one with Pleco image),
and sinking wafers (the one with Cory image), some don't.
But ALL will eat the wafers if need be.

 

[Cannonbolt]

Hmm...dropped a half cucumber slice in Friday evening, by Sunday afternoon, not much eaten. I think the snails nibbled on it. My Oto twins are still looking well and not skinny even though they haven't touched any of the food I've added to the tank since acquiring them. The algae is mostly gone but I just wonder what happens when the driftwood slime is all eaten? I guess I'll keep experimenting with different foods to see if they show any signs of a strong attraction.