Keeping Otocinclus with cherry shrimps?

[Lala~]

HI,

I have 2 Otos, About 3-4 CM . It's that okay to put it together with cherries? Will they frighten the cherries shrimp? It is a 2 ft tank

[EvolutionZ]

don't worry, oto is one of the best tankmates with shrimps

[skysky]

it is shrimps and shrimplets safe

[niv]

i just started keeping shrimps and also added this china sucker (bell-shaped) with my shrimps, the guy at the lfs said it was ok, but i realised they swim quite fast to n fro and disrupt the tank a bit

[Quixotic]

Those are hillstream loach and should be shrimp safe. However, based on your description of "swimming to and fro", I am just a little concerned if they are under stress.

Take note that these loaches inhabit fast flowing steams, and therefore best kept in tanks with very good water flow, plenty of aeration and rocks for them to cling on and graze. Although they can be kept in conditions other than above, it will depend on how well they adapt to these conditions.

[niv]

You mean they are loaches? Hmmm, its the one that sticks to the tank wall, bell-shaped. The tank wrote china-sucker though. Was observing them and they do eat off the algae from the tank, just that they swim quite fast from one end to the other every few minutes.

Have one oto and it steals the food from the shrimps instead of cleaning off algae

[Quixotic]

Suckers are just common names, which mean nothing actually. If they are Chinese, they are probably Beaufortia kweichowensis.
http://www.loaches.com/species-index...-kweichowensis

They graze on rocks/glass tank for algae. No different from other algae eaters, if commercial food is available, they will prefer these.

Shrimps do feed on algae or other microscopic food that they can find among the plants or gravel. IMHO, no need to be undully worried if the otos are "snatching" food from them.

[niv]

Yup, that's the same one... The otos eat the food but at least the shrimps aren't really afraid of them

[Matt]

Actually after my own experience with Otos in shrimps tank, I do not really advise adding them in. Otos are indeed harmless to the shrimps and do not pose too much of threat in size and movements, but they do disturb the feeding of the shrimps most of the time.

My personal experience :-

Otos snatching pellets from shrimps by hovering around it, pushing shrimps aside and etc. In the end, my shrimps just got uninterested in the pellet. Swim off or go to another pellet already crowded with shrimps.

So unless you are able to train the Otos to feed only on the algae growing on sides of tanks or wherever there is algae or whatever, if not, this problem is quite annoying.

[skysky]

Bro matt, have to concur with you. I dont know whats the use of oto in my tank. Cant clean the algae and forever fighting with my shrimps for food.

[Quixotic]

As mentioned before, algae eaters are not just algae eaters alone. They do eat other food too, which is why it should not be a surprise at all that the otos are "snatching" the food.

[Cherries Lover]

HI,

I have 2 Otos, About 3-4 CM . It's that okay to put it together with cherries? Will they frighten the cherries shrimp? It is a 2 ft tank

Otto is one of the only fish with Shrimps & will not harm them at all...

Shrimplets are safe too..

[jiahe88]

ya i agree me also have few ottos with my CRS. My otto also use to put inside my cheeries shimp and 1 Pleco snow ball.

[boonpeiu]

I have 5 ottos for my 2 ft shrimp tank. They do clear the glass on the tank but also notice they snatch CRS food. When the algea is clear up, i will reduce to 2 ottos in tank, surprisingly they do snatch CRS food anymore. I think number make them behave differently, I have tried a few times already, the behavior is constant.

[Jungle-mania]

Looks like its one oto per foot of tank. I actually too have the same effect. Got 2 otos in a 1 1/2 footer and they do snatch food at times.

[Lala~]

Haha, till now I also did not put the oto in, cause it is kind of irritating, frightening my shrimps or snatching food.