# Bough some fish from petsmart..



## mkayum (Jul 5, 2012)

I bought 4 otocinclus and a rubber lip pleco as sale from petsmart... they're for my 20 gal but right now they are in 10 gallon tank along with other fish. Couple of otocinclus juststarted to nibble on the java leaves. I hope they would stay alive as I set up the 20 gallon tank!

and I also bought 10 ghost shrimps and a moss ball for my Unicorn (betta)'s 5 gal tank. I watched closely if he decides to eat them but he just ignored them and kept swimming just to look at me. Thank goodness! lol. 

25$ worth of fish & a moss... wow. lol.


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

Hope you have a ton of algae/spiralina tablets and thinly sliced veggies to feed them. 

I would try to fatten them up in case they weren't fed enough at the PS. 

Not sure if you have enough algae growing on your tanks to keep them alive. 

I hesitated on the otocats because there's not enough algae growing in my tank without supplementing their diets. 

PS had the Otos for $1 each a few weeks ago.


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## mkayum (Jul 5, 2012)

MSG said:


> Hope you have a ton of algae/spiralina tablets and thinly sliced veggies to feed them.
> 
> I would try to fatten them up in case they weren't fed enough at the PS.
> 
> ...


Yes I do have good carpet of algae on all of my plants ( java ferns ) I also dropped some of algae tablet for them a while ago... they seem nervous but only took a bite and went to rest on the leaves of java ferns as the group of kuhili loaches finish the tablets. The rubberlips pleco seem do well cause it's starting to explore around the tank.


I know! But they were out of stock. I only bought them for $1.94 each today.


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## MSG (May 8, 2012)

I think you can get rainchecks on the fish when they're out of stock. 

Just check with the employees to see when they'll get a new shipment in. Mine usually has them delivered Monday morning.

All my otos vanished one at a time & I gave away my common pleco. Pleco's get way too big & destructive. Not sure about the rubberlip/bulldogs ones though. 

When it comes to new fishies, I always wait for the sales, because 50% off is quite a discount.


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

rubber lip pleco? i haven't heard of that. i'm going to have to look that up!

sounds like he'll be fine in your 20 gallon. Pretty critter!


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## mkayum (Jul 5, 2012)

MSG said:


> I think you can get rainchecks on the fish when they're out of stock.
> 
> Just check with the employees to see when they'll get a new shipment in. Mine usually has them delivered Monday morning.
> 
> ...


I used to have many common plecos in the past. They only grew to 5 inches and died. I decided to stop getting them all over again. I bought a pair of chinese alage eaters and they grew double for a year and beaten up on my poor 3 yrs old lady minnow. She fought them back by darting them away. I had enough and gave them away to pet store and they used them as a display. Thank goodness!


I did ask but they said they were sold out and couldn't get more. But now I'm happier with my four otos and a rubber lip pleco.  I plan to get more otos so just to make it a school of them.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I had two otocinclus (had more but they both died) that I gave to my brother to have in his tank. I am babysitting his tank now, and because there is little to no algae I have been blanching zucchini and offering algae tablets daily.

Just remember otocinclus tend to only eat soft algae. They will not touch other types, and while you might have a lot of algae in your tank, only some of it may be palatable to them. Your otocinclus should never had a gaunt looking stomach. Because they have to constantly graze and can be reluctant to switch to other sources of food, they can easily starve at pet stores and in brand new set-ups. 

If your otos don't look like they have a plump stomach at all times, it means they are not getting enough food. I have found that my brother's otos really like the New Life Spectrum brand of algae wafer. They are almost always eating them when I go past so they must taste good. Although you would have to make sure it was your otocinclus and not just your pleco feeding on the wafers.


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