Does Otos eat plants?

[Georgeer]

Planted some stalks of E.Tenullus 2 weeks back.

Starting to find some leaves of the "land" E.Tenullus (there are some "water" one starting to grow) been nibbled or eaten. Can see holes on the leave that look like snail trail.

But I remember there is no snail of that kind of size, so made some monitoring and found the real culprit.

Please take a look at the pictures at this link:
http://www.arofanatics.com/members/g...otoseatplants/

Question is: Does Otos eat plants? or only algae?

[bttay]

Ottos don't eat plants. The holes in your plant leaves may be due to nutrient deficiency.
Do you have shrimp in your tank? I heard that when they do not have algae of other things to eat, they nibble plants.

[sherchoo]

Looks more like the E.tenellus leaves are emerse form. Since you've said you just planted it 2 weeks back, I'm probably correct. Just allow the old leaves to rot away and let the new leaves to grow which appears to be thinner (submersed form).

So far I've not heard or seen otos go for healthy plants.

[Georgeer]

But from the picture you can see "not so clearly" the otos is "sucking" on the leave, and after that I saw some holes on that stalk of leave. So I guess Otos does eat plant.......... but I may be wrong.

Anyway, judging from the look of that otos, I think it is the Cambodia species.

[bclee]

IME, otos never eat leaves of plants.

Otos from Cambodia? Never heard of that. I thought that Otos are South American fishes.[:0] Do you have picture of this fish?

BC

[FND]

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On 9/22/2003 1:12:30 AM

Planted some stalks of E.Tenullus 2 weeks back.

Starting to find some leaves of the "land" E.Tenullus (there are some "water" one starting to grow) been nibbled or eaten. Can see holes on the leave that look like snail trail.

But I remember there is no snail of that kind of size, so made some monitoring and found the real culprit.

Please take a look at the pictures at this link:
http://www.arofanatics.com/members/g...otoseatplants/

Question is: Does Otos eat plants? or only algae?

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Hi Georgeer,

No need to worry. I do faced a similar problem. I just let it be. Wait for the new leaves to grow. This is because the e.tenellus that you and I planted is emerse plant. When I bought mine from Teo, they told me to cut off about 75-90% of the broad leave. But I didn't.

Like sherchoo said in his posting, the submerge leave is thinner. With enough amount of light it will turn slightly brownish.

-FND->

[vinz]

George,

Cambodia? I think you meant Colombian?

Anyway, I saw the same holey plant at Plantas Aquaticas recently. I had thot it was characteristic of the plant but on hindsight, it could be deficiencies or rot as the emersed leaf dies. I don't think its the oto.

[Georgeer]

I remember Gan said Cambodia, it's either me in the hearing or Gan in the pronounce.

Anyway, I saw the new Tenullus leaves growing and I know the emerse leaves will rot away, but I am just curious as all the time I thought otos don't eat plants but I saw it with my own eyes.

The S.America otos are darker and more greyish, this so call Cambodia type is a little more greenish grey.

[sherchoo]

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On 9/22/2003 10:46:53 AM

I remember Gan said Cambodia, it's either me in the hearing or Gan in the pronounce.

The S.America otos are darker and more greyish, this so call Cambodia type is a little more greenish grey.
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If you heard it from Gan, then it should be Columbia. Gan only bring in 2 kinds which is either Brazilian or Columbian. I'm quite sure of it.

[danny]

There was a post earlier on this matter and I have said it before Otto do eat plants, same case happen to my Tenullus before.

Right now the otto are going after the leave of my amazon sword plant. Seems that they like the tip of the plant, I have hole at the tips for a few leaves now.

[wynx]

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On 9/22/2003 10:46:53 AM

I remember Gan said Cambodia, it's either me in the hearing or Gan in the pronounce.

Anyway, I saw the new Tenullus leaves growing and I know the emerse leaves will rot away, but I am just curious as all the time I thought otos don't eat plants but I saw it with my own eyes.

The S.America otos are darker and more greyish, this so call Cambodia type is a little more greenish grey.
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You got a mutant Oto. I, personally never heard of anything like this before. Seriously, I do not believe that your oto would eat your plants.

[jon]

u probably have an emersed form of tenellus. just wait for the broad leaves to rot away. or cut some away when u see new leaves growing.

jon.

[hwchoy]

oto have a scraping mouth-part suitable for rasping algae off leaves and surfaces (I think in the wild they even scrap algae off rocks). same like the SAE, they don't have a mouth suitable for nibbling leaves.

and the otocinclus and allied genus comes only from South America and not found in Asia. Asia has a different family of catfishes.

[theodore]

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On 9/22/2003 11:33:49 AM

There was a post earlier on this matter and I have said it before Otto do eat plants, same case happen to my Tenullus before.

Right now the otto are going after the leave of my amazon sword plant. Seems that they like the tip of the plant, I have hole at the tips for a few leaves now.
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Otos will eat any vegetation that is soft enough for them to rasp. That is why they eat the softer brown algae but leave tougher hair and brush algae alone. When you see your ottos 'attacking' plants in the tank, it is probably because the plants are already dying in the 1st place. Healthy plants, esp. Echinodorus sword plants, are way to tough for these critters to chew on.