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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Otos

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16 Jan 2012 20:58 #1 by Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
Just wondering what Otocinclus species people here have kept and which are the best for the control of algae. Was thinking about getting a nice big group for a 5foot discus tank.
Any feedback would be great.
Thanks
LoB

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16 Jan 2012 22:43 #2 by dyco619 (steve carmody)
Replied by dyco619 (steve carmody) on topic Re: Otos
heres a link with some info
www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=...=macrospilus&id=1066

i have some of these, they are great little fish, and serious cleaners, they have my tank spotless,
the only down side is that they do not travel well and can die in big numbers when being imported
your best bet is to buy from a shop where you know they have been in stock for a while, this will give you the best chance of avoiding losses..

good luck.. great little fish.

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17 Jan 2012 00:27 #3 by murph (Tony Murphy)
Replied by murph (Tony Murphy) on topic Re: Otos
Ottos rock. :cool: :cool: :cool:

When getting them, add a few (6-10 for a 400l) at a time, not big batches.
Wait 2-3 weeks, then add more. Some will invariably die each time. (I know this isn't ALWAYS true, but it's easier to expect it and be pleasantly surprised at how good a fish-keeper you are if you disprove it once or twice.) At some point, your tank will reach its optimum load of them (probably 20 in a 400l, if there is LOTS of plants, lots of nutrients and no competition for food). Stop here and be content.
Most of their food comes from the bio-film that also performs filtration functions in a tank. Accessible surface area is the key to how many a tank will sustain. (If the film has turned to algae, something else is wrong.......)

They apparently taste horrible, which is why they get left alone by bigger predators. (Or so I am led to believe, after witnessing a dwarf puffer beat a hasty retreat, coughing and spluttering, after trying to nibble an otto tail. The otto carried on cleaning the crypt without a further thought. The puffer never tried a bite of one again!)
Try BIG water changes, after a few weeks stagnation, with rain-effects, around the equinoxes (full moon!). This usually gets them frisky......

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17 Jan 2012 11:45 #4 by BlueRam (Sean Crowe)
Replied by BlueRam (Sean Crowe) on topic Re: Otos
was readin that link there and says best at temps off 21-26°C would these suit a discus setup then??

sean

Sean Crowe

ITFS Member

Location: Navan

Always Remember Surviving Is Not Thriving

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17 Jan 2012 13:46 #5 by eire1978 (eire1978)
Replied by eire1978 (eire1978) on topic Re: Otos
try the giant oto,get to around 2 inchs one off the best algae eaters out there.

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17 Jan 2012 13:50 #6 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Otos
A well established Aquarium is a MUST! They need a constant supply of growing Algae.

Kev.

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