Otocinclus Catfish Care Guide
Otocinclus Catfish is a wonderful addition to any tank thanks to their gentle nature. These Catfish don’t have any bones and will not attack other animals within your tank. With the Otocinclus Catfish, you can safely increase your tank’s size without worrying about aggression.
Otocinclus Catfish
Otocinclus Catfish, a calm and peaceful fish, likes to stick to their school of friends. Their calm demeanor as well as their cleaning skills make them the perfect fish. Otocinclus Catfish can clean glass but they love to clean plants. They are great at delicately cleaning your greenery and your Catfish with stay happy and healthy eating any particles off the leaves. These fish are excellent for tanks with shrimp or babies. These fish can add great value to any tank. However, it is important that you are careful when buying Otocinclus Catfish from a store.
How to Purchase the Otocinclus Catfish
You want to make sure that you’re buying healthy fish. However, it is important to check the health of Otocinclus Catfishes before you buy. These Catfish can be at risk of starving to death if they are not cared for properly.
Otocinclus Catfish can be caught wild and then purchased by wholesalers in large quantities. As the Catfish are shipped from the source to the wholesaler, they risk not receiving adequate food. This is also true for the time they arrive at their wholesale home. Otocinclus Catfish can become severely malnourished or starved if they don’t have enough food from their wholesalers.
Life after the wholesaler often does not improve. Many pet stores will overfill the tank and house too many catfish in one aquarium. They will not supply enough food or provide adequate water. One algae pellet can feed 100 fish if it is just one.
The Otocinclus Catfish does not like protein and only wants vegetables. Another fault can be that they are placed in a clean tank, which does not provide a sufficient number of algae for the fish to feed on. You need to ensure that they have enough algae to eat, which can be done by providing Repashy Soilent Green gel foods and canned green beans. This is often not available in pet stores, and it can affect the health of your fish.
Due to the high risk of starvation, it is best to look for and purchase the fattest Otocinclus Catfish that you can find. The healthy fish will have full bellies. A few other ways to ensure you are buying healthy fish is to look at the location they are being sold at, as well as their listed price.
The price range of the Otocinclus Catfish can have a wide range. Some stores list them at $2 per fish while other stores sell them for up to $4 per piece. The less expensive listing price is usually indicative of a sick fish. Otocinclus Catfish, which are often listed at Petsmart at $2 per fish, are thin. Otocinclus Catfish that are skinny will stop eating if they don’t get enough food. Once the Catfish is starved, it cannot be brought back and will stop having the urge to eat. The Otocinclus Catfish is often sold at $2.
The Otocinclus Catfish is available in other shops for as low as $4 per fish. While the increase in price can be frustrating, it is actually a benefit. Fish that sell for as high as $4 per fish are usually healthier and fatter than fish that cost less. These Otocinclus Catfish enjoy swimming around in their tank, enjoying their round bellies and eating provided algae. By investing the $4 in one fish, you are ensuring that it will have a happy life living in your aquarium. A healthy Otocinclus Catfish can live for 5-7 years.
If your Otocinclus Catfish has been in your tank more than a month, you know that you have achieved success in finding a good balance in food. It means that your fish are receiving enough food to enable them to navigate their new home happily.
The Otocinclus Catfish makes a great addition to any tank. If you give them love and care they will thrive for many years.
