# otocinlus not eating



## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

i have a pair of them that i bought on Saturday and they haven't eaten anything that I've offered to them. I've tried feeding them algae wafers, Spinach, and cucumber slices. Are they like this for the first week or so? im starting to get scared and dont want them to starve to death


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## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

They will eat eventually. Most fish act this way when they first get in the tank. As long as food is available, and the water conditions are ok, your fish will be fine.


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

water condition is especially important with otos, as they aren't very hardy, and really IMO should only be put into well established planted tanks with some sort of algae growth.


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

my tank is 2-3 months old with java moss.
i see them pooping so that means they must be eating something. lol


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Yes, they are very sensitive to change. Cucumbers are you best bet to get them eating. Whats your tank temperature? 

Here, this will help you.....
http://www.otocinclus.com/newoto.html


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

the temperature is 75 degrees right now. the ignore everything i try to feed them.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

danny123 said:


> i have a pair of them that i bought on Saturday and they haven't eaten anything that I've offered to them. I've tried feeding them algae wafers, Spinach, and cucumber slices. Are they like this for the first week or so? im starting to get scared and dont want them to starve to death


d1:

I agree with all the posts in this thread.

These little fellers require pristine water conditions not with respect to water parameters but also crystal clear water (not as determined by your eye but by a 100Mu filtration pad).

In addition to the foods previously cited mine enjoy sinking spirulina wafers.

TR


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

i saw a video of ottos being caught in the wild and the water is green and nasty looking. how come the water in the fish tank has to be so clean?


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Oh otos...When I had them, they would eat, but then they would stop eating, and then they died within 2 weeks...I never had much luck keeping them alive. I hope they will eat for you!


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

danny123 said:


> i saw a video of ottos being caught in the wild and the water is green and nasty looking. how come the water in the fish tank has to be so clean?


d1:

This is not a good analogy but maybe it will help answer your question.

I have a tea pitcher with a ton of snails, moss and grungy plants in it which I aerate (I keep this ecosystem in order to breed snails to feed to my loaches).

I dump the dregs from my two 5G hex's into this pitcher each day and the next morning, although the water is occasionally green, it is pristine when I dump it out and replace it with warm tank water.

ie. warm flowing water may appear "grungy" due to flora but it may not be.

TR


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## darkstar (Nov 25, 2008)

It's also best to keep oto's in groups.



> Cucumbers are you best bet to get them eating


That may well work, and certainly anything to get them eating is good. However once they are eating, cucumber is pretty low in nutrition so you'd be better off offering something along the lines of zucchini instead.


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## Knight~Ryder (Dec 2, 2007)

I lost a few within a month when I got them, but ever since I have been keeping up with the water changes every week, I have been able to successfully keep 2 otos happy. They eat lots, go to the washroom lots and munch away non stop.


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

i've had my otos for a week now and they've settled in to their new homes and they're now eating spinach. the spinach has been in the tank for 2 days and they started eating it today. should i replace it with fresh spinach or not?


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

danny123 said:


> i've had my otos for a week now and they've settled in to their new homes and they're now eating spinach. the spinach has been in the tank for 2 days and they started eating it today. should i replace it with fresh spinach or not?


Yes.

TR


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## SueM (Jan 23, 2004)

Danny, is he eating yet? 
I have a suspicion that he may be a victim of chemical collection. 
It's a barbaric practice but is still used in many places.
http://www.otocinclus.com/newoto.html


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

i looked at the tank this morning and 90 percent of the spinach is gone. they're doing good now =D


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

Replace it with new spinach every day (after a few hours, really,) or else it will rot and produce ammonia. Raw veggies go bad sitting in warm water pretty quickly.


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## eterry (Dec 7, 2008)

*Ottos*

Algae wafers, keeping the water clean enough to drink, and using a liquid vitamin like VitaChem should keep your ottos healthy.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

eterry said:


> Algae wafers, keeping the water clean enough to drink, and *using a liquid vitamin like VitaChem *should keep your ottos healthy.


et:

The first two I am more than intimately familiar with but have you actually done the *last one with the some sensitive Oto's*?

TR


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## eterry (Dec 7, 2008)

*jones57742's question*

Yes. I've used it with all my fish. It's a vitamin supplement.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

eterry said:


> Yes. I've used it with all my fish. It's a vitamin supplement.


et:

This is very good information and the first time of which I am aware that it has been published.

TR


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## danny123 (Nov 22, 2008)

i can't find this stuff at petco.


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