Hello,

the Goldfish Goddess a.k.a. KOKO suggested I should get some ottos for my tank and algae problem. The info she gave me said that they like a pH of 6.5-7.0, Koko has hers in a pH of 7.8 and they are fine.....so this post is to see of other members have ottos in a higher pH that do ok????

My tank is 8.0-8.2-8.4 normally......and is always at east 8.0

Do Ottos need to be quarantined too? And if so, for how long

Otos, like all other fish, should be quarantined. I'd say 10 days would be prudent, but others may differ on that. My fish live at about 7.5, and my oto is fine. I lost one, but he just wasn't right from day one... wouldn't eat. Otos can be a bit delicate when you first bring them home.

While your pH isn't outrageously high, perhaps a few live plants or a teeny bit of driftwood would stablize you at a neutral pH.

hi there
I do have live plants - 3 of them and they are a large and still have a pH of 8.0

Live plants won't bring your pH down (unless you plant a forest of them and allow a few to rot!), but driftwood can bring it down slightly. If your water is buffered beyond belief though like mine is, then even that won't do it - I have 2 large pieces in my tank and it's still 8.0.

I have two otos, Dyson and Henry. My pH used to be around 8.4 and they lived with this for a year and Dyson even spawned (which is meant to be quite unusual for otos). They are still doing very well, but after moving house my pH is now about 7.8. I would definitely advise quarantining them-treat them as you would any new fish. My Dyson currently has Lymphocystis, but she seems to be pretty healthy aside from the bobbles growing on her head (she has one on the end of her nose-so cute!) and I think they are much hardier than people give them credit for. That said, they are very shy at first so you may not see them for a while! I would love to get a couple more, two in my 50 don't make much headway into the algae (though they cleaned the 20 beautifully) but as my tank is overstocked with goldies anyway perhaps its not wise to add anything. I would definitely say that otos need company-I tried to quarantine Dyson when she got ill but both she and Henry began to act very oddly without each other. They are together again now, and just don't leave each other's side. So yes, get at least two.

Good morning everyone

Its not that I want to bring my pH down - noooooooo sirreeeee....I know better than to play with chemistry!!! I just want to know if ottos would be ok in such a high pH.

I thinkI might give it a try once I have somewhere to QT them

I got 3 Ottos about 2 weeks ago, and my Ph it just as high, about 8.1 They seem to be doing fine, my tanks (two 20gls) were a HUGE algea mess, now, they sparkle! I was amazed how fast they cleaned them up. What great little guys!

What is the latin name of an oto? I mean, the entire name... ?

Otocinclus affinis or Otocinclus mariae

The full latin name of the genus (is that the correct word? I did physics instead of biology so my classification is not too hot!) is otocinclus, but there are several different types of oto within that, though most are not commonly found in pet shops.

Otocinclus thrive at pH 6-7.5, that does not mean that they wont be able to live at higher pHs... but they won't be as comfortable as they would in the ideal range (for example, they may not reproduce at higher pH). My aquariums have a pH of 8.0! Make sure they have enough algae to live on... if not, you might have to give them some more.

PS Sorry Alex, missed your post! Doh.

i read somewhere that they tend to suck on the goldies if they don't have enough food...would this be solved if i put special sinking food for pleco's and bottomfeeders in my tank? I'm thinkin of getting an oto since my snail does not remove any algea at all it seems:-) i have a shrimp in my tank too but he has dissapeared ( will turn up again i think tho...they tend to do this sometimes). So i would like a fairly small sucker fish that cleans up after my goldies but will not harm them...

I haven't heard of otos going after other fish; in fact, my oto spends a good deal of time running from my goldfish.

Same here... did you mean plecos? Because plecos do that, I have not heard of otos sucking on goldfish

Thanks for all the responses guys....once my little ones have been QT long enough then I will transfer Fish with no name over and get me some ottos.......