Catfish Question....Otos

[Kitty Whiskers]

I just bought a pair of Oto catfish last night because I read they are good algae eaters. But I am worried now today because I read that someone said they need to be in groups of at least 3, but also read someone say in big tanks like mine (30 Gallons) that they should be in a group of 5 at least. What is correct? Is there any other info about Otos that I will need to know in order to take good care of them?

The Otos are in a 30 Gallon tank with a sorority of 10 Female Bettas and 4 Cory Catfish.

[djembekah]

i would definitely add a few more

[Oldfishlady]

Otos are social fish and tend to do best when kept in larger groups.
IMO/E-they do best in groups of at least 5 or more in at least 20gal tanks that are mature and heavy planted.

They might be a small fish-but they are active and why I feel at least a 20gal or larger tank is best-Not that they won't do okay in a 10gal-the 20gal or larger is better IMO/E and since you have a 30gal-that would be great-I would add to your group-but with that said, the two you have might be fine too. With social species the more the better-2 won't drop dead or anything like that-its just they tend to do better and helps to make them feel more secure....safety in numbers....

[jeaninel]

Also, they really should have lots of algae growth in the tank for them. They are always eating and poop a lot. You can supplement with algae wafers but they really just seem to do better in a planted tank with some algae growth. They are kind of sensitive and I always had a hard time keeping them alive for more than a few months.
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[Kitty Whiskers]

Thanks so much everyone. I went out last night and bought the last 4 Otos the Pet store had. I was just going to buy 3, but then the last Oto in the store's tank would be lonely. Now I have 6 Otos. They sure slurped up tons of the Brown and Green algae in the tank just overnight. They are so fun to watch clinging to the glass eating away, and boy are they fast! I love them

[Oldfishlady]

Awesome....look forward to some pics and I wouldn't be surprised if you started to see some spawning activity too...especially if your tank has lots of live plants....