Otos are one of our favourite fish in the planted aquarium. We used to think that bristle nose catfish were perfect for algae eating but we’ve found as they get older they don’t eat much algae at all and are constantly digging up the plants and gravel. Not that otos are only good for algae eating, but they can rid your aquarium of brown algae almost over night! They are sucker mouth catfish and are most often viewed from their underside as they hang on your aquarium glass. This gives a perfect view of their pearly white bellies, showing whether it is time to feed them again or not depending on how plump their bellies are. Before first keeping otos we had only seen pictures on the internet of their underside against the glass and so didn’t know they were spotted brown and slightly hairy on their backs! They are often mistaken for Otocinclus afinis however the macrospilus is a mottled brown colour with a distinct white lateral line running from its nose to its tail. The macrospilus is much more common in the aquarium trade but both species have the common name ‘dwarf oto’ and the afinis has a more golden sheen to it. Otos are best fed spirulina discs and should not be introduced to the aquarium until it is slightly mature with some algae present. They can be a bit shy and prefer to eat just after the lights go out.
All otos being sold at the moment are wild caught with only a handfull of people claiming success in captive breeding. Being wild caught means that most otos, once established, are very robust with good genes. Being a popular and seasonal fish can mean that otos are sometimes hard to source with most being imported via Germany. Otos are very sociable fish and like being kept in groups of at least two. They graze by jumping from leaf to leaf in groups and for this reason are sometimes refered to as little monkeys.
Corys are bottom dwellers from the shoals of the tributaries and rivers of South America and make an excellent addition to any planted aquarium. This particular species is quite small, only getting to about 5cm in length unlike the 10cm that some of the larger corys can grow to. The distinctive dark diagonal line over their eyes and their spotted body identifies them as being fairy corys. If the dark line is faint enough and their spots fine enough they can be confused with C. julii, a more rare and expensive cory. In their natural habitat corys forage for insects and vegetable matter in the substrate using their barbels.In our aquarium we feed them a complete sinking pellet for bottom dwellers and invertebrates (nutrafin sinking complete tablets). Cory barbels are sensitive and can be cut or torn easily on any sharp or rough edges of the substrate. For this reason it is recommended that you use a substrate that is rounded such as round gravel (sand), dupla ground, eco complete or aquasoil. Seachem’s flourite, while great for growing plants in, is not very suited to keeping corys.
We have actually seen the signature cory defence called “Cory Torpedo” in the aquasoil one day. Our fattest cory, Lucille, was trying to escape our fish net while being moved to another tank. The defensive move involves them gathering speed and diving head first into the substrate until their body is about half buried. One thing to remember with the softer semi-fired clays like aquasoil is that the corys foraging will stir up a lot of dust and cloud the water. While this is not necessarily harmful to the corys it is aesthetically a little unsightly. Corys like to be kept in groups of at least 3 to 6 and can be a bit timid so give them plants, rocks or driftwood in the tank to hide and swim behind. You need to be a little carefull ith your choice of plants as their constant foraging will dig up small rooted species such as HC and nardoo.
Geographical location: Australia (Central NT and Western Queensland)
Size: up to 50mm in diameter
Water conditions: not critical
We’ve had a few of these snails in one of our aquariums for almost a year now and we are still fascinated by them. They move fairly quickly (by snail standards) and are great fun to watch climbing up and down the glass. Waterhouse snails are one of the most suitable snails for the planted aquarium because they do not eat live plants instead preferring to feed on the bacteria, algae and detritus found in most mature aquariums. For this reason it is not recommended to place these snails into a newly setup aquarium as they may starve. Water quality is not of great concern however they do appear to fair a little better in water that is slightly hard with good oxygen levels. If the water is too soft they may have difficulty producing a shell. You may find snails marked ‘mystery snails’ at your local fish store that look similar to the Waterhouse snail but they are very different. Most mystery snails will eventually attack your live plants!!
Care should be taken when handling all snails so as not to crack their shells. It is a good idea to gently place the snail onto the substrate rather than plonking them into the aquarium from a great height. When initially placed into the aquarium Waterhouse snails will often close up shop and sit half buried in the substrate, sometimes for a week or more. This is normal behavior so let them be, they will be doing the rounds of the tank again in no time.
Waterhouse snails are not that common in most aquarium stores but can be purchased in Australia directly from Aquagreen.
Welcome to Aquatic Forest and our very first post. Since first picking up a copy of Takashi Amano’s book, Nature Aquarium World, we have been hooked on trying to create the same beauty in our own aquariums. The plan for this site is to bring you interesting and helpful information on all aspects of setting up and maintaining planted aquariums. Feel free to subscribe to the rss feed for upcoming articles, reviews and discussions about our latest aquatic adventures as we aspire to create our own nature aquariums.
