Otocinclus is one of the best fish for cleaning the algae from the tank. Do you ever think about what otocinclus eat?
Otocinclus loves to eat the soft green algae in the tank. The benefit of keeping otocinclus in the tank is to avoid the sudden spreading of algae in the tank. You can also feed algae wafers and cucumber to sustain the life of otocinclus.
Don’t worry. In this guide, we will be walking through different foods that otocinclus eats.
Before that, If you’re a beginner in fishkeeping otocinclus, Here is the complete otocinclus care guide.
From my experience, the otocinclus are very sensitive fish, and sudden changes in the water parameters will affect the health of fish and lead to stress.
What is the best food for otocinclus?
The best food for algae is soft green algae. They love to eat green algae. Many people use otocinclus fish for cleaning the tank, but they are susceptible in nature, so sudden changes in the water parameters will affect the health of otocinclus.
The benefits of eating green algae will improve the health and growth of fish. Algae is an aquatic food for fish that they will love to consume.
But there may be problems when the algae starts to spread more.
It was suitable for the fish, but you need to control the growth of algae in the tank. Otherwise, there will be a sudden spread of algae in the tank.
Some aquarists will not control the growth of algae because they will leave them to thrive as a diet for fish.
Algae Wafer
Another best food for otocinclus algae wafer, As you know otocinclus fish loves algae. So you can feed them algae wafers.
You can put one tab of algae wafer in the tank and wait some minutes to dissolve it. Otocinclus will feed the fish when the algae wafer dissolves and turns into small pieces.
I have experienced the best results from Hikara and Tropicals. You may also try it.
Cucumber
Have ever fed cucumber to fish?
Otocinclus loves vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, etc. You need to feed vegetables twice every week. So they will not be overfed and easy to digest.
You can cut down the cucumber into small pieces and put it in the hot water for 3 minutes.
So the cucumber will become softer and it was easy to feed.
Leaves, woods
If they don’t get any feeds like algae, cucumber, and algae wafer. They will start eating the leaves and driftwood.
You may think they are very hungry and overfeed them. Don’t do it.
The otocinclus will be eating the small organisms on the driftwood and leaves.
These are the best for otocinclus to eat and they will not survive only with algae in the tank, You need to feed other items for the survival of otocinclus.
Do otocinclus catfish eat hair algae?
The otocinclus loves to eat softer algae in the tank. But if the algae are too hairy, then they will struggle to eat them.
If the algae were a soft green, they would eat and survive for some days. But it was very hard to sustain the life of otocinclus without any feeds.
So I’ll recommend feeding veggies and algae wafers to the otocinclus.
Do otocinclus catfish eat detritus worms?
Otocinclus fish will not eat detritus worms because they will be searching for foods like algae.
Detritus worms will be spinning on the top and other fishes may eat them. The otocinclus fish stay at the bottom of the tank or on the driftwood and leaves of the plants.
Do otocinclus catfish eat bloodworms?
The otocinclus will not eat bloodworms. But if they don’t get any feed, then they will eat the decayed bloodworms.
In my experience. The otocinclus will eat everything that fits their mouths. So you need to be careful while feeding this kind of feed to otocinclus.
I will not recommend giving blood worms to otocinclus because they are very sensitive in nature. So it will affect the health condition.
Do otocinclus eat fish flakes
Otocinclus will eat fish flakes when they become hungry. If they didn’t get any feeds that they love. The otocinclus will start searching for feeds and eat what they get.
So you need to provide a good schedule for feeding the otocinclus fishes.
Do otocinclus eat shrimp
You can keep the shrimp with otocinclus without any problems. The otocinclus will not attack any fish.
But they were attacked by other fish, the otocinclus will be stressed and it was very hard to treat them. You can also feed baby shrimps to otocinclus fry after a few days of birth. The otocinclus egg pouches are the first food that fry eats.
Will otocinclus eat dead plants?
Otocinclus will eat dead plants and decayed feeds or vegetables. Their job is to clean the tank and remove the algae.
You may also observe that otocinclus stays more time on driftwood and leaves. But don’t be afraid of eating the plant’s leaves.
Otocinclus will take a rest in the bottom of the tank or stay at the glass.
Do Otocinclus Eat Brown Algae
Otocinclus will eat any type of algae such as brown algae, green algae, etc. But they prefer soft green algae for eating more times. Don’t introduce the otocinclus fish after setting a tank because they will start eating live plants due to the unavailability of algae in the tank. There are a lot of other fish that eat brown and green algae such as snails, shrimps, etc.
Do Otocinclus Eat Black Beard Algae
Otocinclus will eat black beard algae but they will eat only less due to digestion problems. Blackbeard algae are hard to digest for a fish.
Weekly water changes and tank maintenance will reduce the growth of black beard algae and improve the water quality.
Do Otocinclus Eat Fish Poops
Otocinclus are herbivorous fish and they will not fish poops. The otocinclus are mainly for reducing the growth of algae and cleaning the leaves of the plants. You can use a filtration system and weekly tank maintenance to remove the waste.
Do Otocinclus Eat Leftover Food
Otocinclus will not eat leftover food. Otocinclus only eats algae, algae wafers, and vegetables. Leftover food is harmful to the fish tank which makes water dirty and reduces the oxygen content in the water.
Do Otocinclus Poop A Lot
Otocinclus will not poop a lot like goldfish and koi. Otocinclus poop is not harmful to the fish tank. You can keep a filtration system and tank maintenance for removing the physical and chemical substances from the fish tank.
Can Otocinclus Overeat
If you feed algae wafer then otocinclus will overeat. You need to feed only less quantity of algae wafer per week because the otocinclus does not eat algae from the tank. So there will be sudden algae spreading in the fish tank. The uneaten algae wafers are harmful to fish tanks that encourage the growth of algae.
Do Otocinclus make the water dirty?
Otocinclus will not make the water dirty. You need to reduce the feeding quantity and install a proper filtration system to improve the quality of water. Overfeeding and leftover food was the main reason for reducing the water quality.
Why Otocinclus Not Eating
The main reason for otocinclus not eating due to
- Overfeeding
- Aggressive tank mates
- Having health-related problems in digestion
- Poor water quality
Why Otocinclus Not Eating Algae
Otocinclus will not eat algae when they eat more algae wafers. You need to feed less quantity of algae wafer to otocinclus to encourage the growth. Overfeeding will make water quality low and cause health problems for otocinclus.
Why Otocinclus Not Eating Algae wafer
If otocinclus eat algae and small bacteria then otocinclus will not eat algae wafer. Their stomach size was smaller and they needed more time for digestion. So they will not eat algae wafers and other reasons may be sudden water parameter changes.
What happens If you don’t Feed Algae wafer to otocinclus
The otocinclus needs an algae wafer to increase the health and immunity system. Many people are not feeding algae wafers for otocinclus fish and they will die in a short span of time. Algae wafers are the best protein food for otocinclus.
What is the lifespan of otocinclus fish?
The average lifespan of otocinclus is 3 to 7 years with proper care. You need to provide high-quality algae wafers and water water-conditioned tank for otocinclus. Sudden water parameter changes can affect the health condition of otocinclus.
What is the Best Food For Otocinclus Fry
In the beginning stage, the otocinclus fry will eat egg shells and after a few days, you can feed them micro foods like baby brine shrimps, daphnia, etc. The otocinclus fry will eat small bacteria on the live plants. So you need to keep live plants in the breeding tank.
What is the Best Food For breeding Otocinclus?
In the breeding period, you can feed algae wafers with high protein and high quality. The algae wafers are important for otocinclus in the breeding time. The new breeding tank will not have algae. So you need to feed algae wafer to the breeding pair.
2 Comments