[Plantednoob7]

For all you oto lovers out there. I stumbled accross these guys at my LFS today. Much like many of you I really enjoy seeing my otos work in my tank. These guys just look so cool.

 

[Betta132]

Good find! They're rare in the hobby and can be difficult to get healthy, but they seem pretty durable once established. And they're such cuties!
What's that bluish fish in the background of the second pic? Is that a blue Glo-tetra?

 

[randym]

Sooooo jealous. I really want to get a school of those.

 

[Plantednoob7]

Good find! They're rare in the hobby and can be difficult to get healthy, but they seem pretty durable once established. And they're such cuties!
What's that bluish fish in the background of the second pic? Is that a blue Glo-tetra?

It is. I have a few of the glofish that my four year old had in our 10 gallon that are now in our 75G planted.

Sooooo jealous. I really want to get a school of those.

I'd love to have a school of them as well, but at $16 a pop not sure I will go for it lol. These 2 have 6 of the "standard" otos along with them. It would be a pretty cool site seeing a school of the tiger though. Especially since they are like 4 times the size of the regular otos

 

[mistergreen]

They are cool. Giving them nutritious food will be hard.

 

[Tazalanche]

I want to get some of those for my 20L shrimp tank.

PLEASE keep a close eye on them around your discus. If they ever get a taste of discus slime coat, things can get very bad very fast. I would also recommend a proper QT for anything you put into your tanks, but especially anything going into a discus tank.

 

[Plantednoob7]

I want to get some of those for my 20L shrimp tank.

PLEASE keep a close eye on them around your discus. If they ever get a taste of discus slime coat, things can get very bad very fast. I would also recommend a proper QT for anything you put into your tanks, but especially anything going into a discus tank.

Thanks Taz. I've heard that about plecos but never about otos. I've always read they are a great tank mate for discus.

With that said anybody messing with the group of discus will quickly be finding a new loving home lol

 

[randym]

It would be a pretty cool site seeing a school of the tiger though. Especially since they are like 4 times the size of the regular otos

Wow, really? I didn't realize that. I'd assumed they were the size of regular otos. Guess I'd need a bigger tank I thought.

 

[Plantednoob7]

It would be a pretty cool site seeing a school of the tiger though. Especially since they are like 4 times the size of the regular otos

Wow, really? I didn't realize that. I'd assumed they were the size of regular otos. Guess I'd need a bigger tank I thought.

Maybe they are just more mature than the regular otos along with them. They are significantly larger but when I read the specs on them online seems they should be the same size. I'll see if I can get a photo with both types in it. They don't stay still for long

 

[AdamTill]

Otos come in a range of sizes. The smallest ones I've seen at the true o.vitatus, and they're at best a third the size of my o.huaroni. Haven't seen an o.cocama for comparison.

At first I thought my vitatus were just juvies, but then they never "grew up" lol

Specs for otos online are meaningless. It would be exactly like specs for "tetras"...are we talking congo or neon? WAY different fish.

My stores around here are convinced everything they order is an o.affinis because that's what their stock lists say, despite never having had a golden oto anywhere I've seen.

 

[Plantednoob7]

Here ya go. Little tough to see but they were together briefly.

 

[garfieldnfish]

Zebra otos are about 1 1/2 times the size of regular common otos. But they require a little more protein in their diet, so some sinking bloodworm sticks etc. every so often will keep them around for a little longer. I had mine in a tank with carnivorous plecos so they had access to more meaty foods as well as zucchini and algae. But I found them to be difficult to keep long term. Much more delicate that the normal otos. Mine dwindled away from 6 to one within 2 years when the last one finally died.
But since they were all bought at the same time from the same source and they were fully grown when I bought them, I have no idea how old they actually were and may have been older fish in the first place. That was my second attempt at them. The first time I did not offer the zebra plecos any meaty foods and I lost them all within just a few months. While the zebras are pretty I decided to stick with common otos. I have had much better luck with those.

 

[AdamTill]

The smaller one in the recent photos is an o.vittatus, and if both are adults then the o.cocamas are about the same size as o.huoarani.

 

[Plantednoob7]

Zebra otos are about 1 1/2 times the size of regular common otos. But they require a little more protein in their diet, so some sinking bloodworm sticks etc. every so often will keep them around for a little longer. I had mine in a tank with carnivorous plecos so they had access to more meaty foods as well as zucchini and algae. But I found them to be difficult to keep long term. Much more delicate that the normal otos. Mine dwindled away from 6 to one within 2 years when the last one finally died.
But since they were all bought at the same time from the same source and they were fully grown when I bought them, I have no idea how old they actually were and may have been older fish in the first place. That was my second attempt at them. The first time I did not offer the zebra plecos any meaty foods and I lost them all within just a few months. While the zebras are pretty I decided to stick with common otos. I have had much better luck with those.


Mine seem to already have taken a liking to the hikari sinking wafers I feed my corys.

The smaller one in the recent photos is an o.vittatus, and if both are adults then the o.cocamas are about the same size as o.huoarani.

You've got some serious oto knowledge Adam.