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Oto's and SAE's

A

Antipofish

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Hi
My tank is 80cm x 45cm x 55cm (175L bare). It will be planted reasonably and I was thinking of putting in some algae eaters as some of the first fish.

I am thinking of Otocinclus cats and Siamese Algae Eaters (True Flying Fox). What numbers of each would I require and do they both do different jobs or target the same algae (if present)?

Also, the Oto's I saw in one LFS today could not have even measured 1cm in length. I would assume at this size they are not big enough to be considered mature enough to do enough of a job to make them worthwhile. Am I right ? Is there a minimum size before they are capable of doing anything noticeable ?

Thanks in advance.
 
I would not add Ottos as first fish its advised that you introduced ottos to a well established tank with some algae in
other wise you may find they starve to deaf even if you do feed algae wafers it better to introduce them to a tank that at least 6 months old giving them plenty of stuff to eat off of stones and bog wood

If you do you may find they starve and it will just be a waste of time and money any algae eating fish needs a well established tank
 
Sae will grow large quickly too so I'd just get one possibly too.
Sussex child is right with the ottos, and with your tabk being new with no matured filter running you would lose a lot.
It would be good if you have a friend local who could give you some of his/her seeded media which will speed things along


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Great thanks guys, I will scrap that idea for now, hold off on the ottos and limit the SAE's. Darn it they look great too. How big do they get then Alastair ?
 
sussex_cichlids said:
Otocinclus tapirape is the smallest of the species (2.4 cm), while Otocinclus flexilis is the biggest (5.5 cm)

Cheers. Do they both do the same job mate ? Or is one better than the other ?
 
They both eat algae but different types. Ottos love diatoms more than anything and will polish that stuff off in no time. Good round bellies are a sign it's got enough food.
Sae grow a good 4 inches eventually. They munch on different types of algae including bba but tend to get more if a liking for flaked food as they get older. My tanks 5 foot and even then I only keep on sae


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I also find SAE's get a bit scrappy as well if more than one.
 
i would go as far to say add the Otos, i always have had them in about 6 week of a new scape/tank. As Long as you feed them they will be fine.
 
ianho said:
i would go as far to say add the Otos, i always have had them in about 6 week of a new scape/tank. As Long as you feed them they will be fine.


Add the otos and leave the SAE out you mean ? Whats the best stuff for them ? I saw some Sera Spirulina tabs which stick to the glass, or would algae wafers be better for them ? Im thinking 5 for my tank. Is there a minimum size I should get them at Ian ?
 
SAE are great algae eaters initially. Trouble is they get a little lazy as they grow. At least in my experience they do?
Also might be worth noting that they are jumpers, take heed if you are open top. On two occassions I have discovered this too late and found the deceased behind the tank. :(
 
Quetzalcoatl said:
SAE are great algae eaters initially. Trouble is they get a little lazy as they grow. At least in my experience they do?
Also might be worth noting that they are jumpers, take heed if you are open top. On two occassions I have discovered this too late and found the deceased behind the tank. :(

Sorry to hear that. I am not open top luckily. I may have some while they are small then rehome them. Im sure someone would want a larger one for a larger tank. Maybe not though. I am actually hoping not to have too much algae :)
 
I got sae's and otos. My otos eat cucumber and pellets, nice fat belies. The sae eat bba and some flakes, but they do like to jump. I keep an sae per tank.

I think the issue many people have with otos ia that they are wild caught, so many do come with bacterial infections, or are not fed properly at the shop. At home spread in tanks I may have close to 15 otos.


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Alot of people dont have the best kind of SAE to start with, plus these fish grow to 6" ultimately and ideally should be kept in groups although I would not say it is a necessity. Still on a 175 litre that would limit what else you can stock.
If it were me, I probably would consider Ottos and shrimp in a tank that size.
 
sorry to jump on this topic but i didnt really want to start a new thread, how are SAE's at eating BBA from a sand substrate and will they eat thread and staghorn algae? and how many should i keep in a 6 foot tank?

cheers
 
morefirejules08 said:
sorry to jump on this topic but i didnt really want to start a new thread, how are SAE's at eating BBA from a sand substrate and will they eat thread and staghorn algae? and how many should i keep in a 6 foot tank?

cheers

no problem, its all part of the information thats useful to the original point of my thread so I will be just as interested in the answer to your question :)
 
I first introduced SAE to my tank because of this very reason. BBA. They went straight to work on it. :thumbup: cleaned up the lot. However as I mentioned earlier, as they matured they aquired a taste for anything but algae. flake, wafers, bloodworm. Thankfully I have mastered the art of a (almost) algae free tank so the SAE reluctance to dine on it is not necessary? :lol:

I have had mine about 8mths and they are roughly 3-4" already. I believe they will grow to around 6-7" I may be mistaken? They are quite boisterous though. If ever I have any floating plants, you can pretty much guarantee they are responsible. :thumbdown: In a 6 footer you`d probably be alright with around 4-6 due to their size when mature. Personally I wouldn`t keep them again, just because of their size, erratic behaviour, and tendency to uproot stuff!
 
Quetzalcoatl said:
I first introduced SAE to my tank because of this very reason. BBA. They went straight to work on it. :thumbup: cleaned up the lot. However as I mentioned earlier, as they matured they aquired a taste for anything but algae. flake, wafers, bloodworm. Thankfully I have mastered the art of a (almost) algae free tank so the SAE reluctance to dine on it is not necessary? :lol:

I have had mine about 8mths and they are roughly 3-4" already. I believe they will grow to around 6-7" I may be mistaken? They are quite boisterous though. If ever I have any floating plants, you can pretty much guarantee they are responsible. :thumbdown: In a 6 footer you`d probably be alright with around 4-6 due to their size when mature. Personally I wouldn`t keep them again, just because of their size, erratic behaviour, and tendency to uproot stuff!

Cheers for that. Righto. well there are some small ones at my lfs. I have 5 otocinclus on order for when the tank is ready so I may just get one or two of these small SAE's and then look at rehoming them as/when they get too large :) Not something I usually like to do, but I am keen to prevent any algae problems from the start, by having the appropriate clean up crew as well as trying to avoid it in the first place .
 
SAE will eat the food you feed other fish, but inbetween times they should be grazing the plants alot of the time. I have had mine since 2008 and while they will laze around a bit a substantial amount of time is given over to grazing the plants. I would not be without them. I have never had BBA issues since introducing them.

I am soon to set up another smaller tank approx 700 litres and i have a few young and right kind of SAE (C.langei). It is true in comparison young ones are far more active in their virtually non-stop grazing. :D
 
sanj said:
SAE will eat the food you feed other fish, but inbetween times they should be grazing the plants alot of the time. I have had mine since 2008 and while they will laze around a bit a substantial amount of time is given over to grazing the plants. I would not be without them. I have never had BBA issues since introducing them.

I am soon to set up another smaller tank approx 700 litres and i have a few young and right kind of SAE (C.langei). It is true in comparison young ones are far more active in their virtually non-stop grazing. :D


I thought the right kind was Crossocheilus siamensis ??? Can anyone confirm ?
 
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