Otocinclus and Goldfish?

Question

I just bought 2 suckers (I guess they are actually Otocinclus) with the idea that they clean my tank that already houses two goldfishes and a sharper clean by eating the algae. The pet store said that these are compatible with Goldfishes however when i did a bit of searching on the net, i get contradictory answers at various websites. Just in case they are incompatible, what happens if 1 small Otocinclus and two medium/large goldfishes be kept in a tank?

I also would like to know if i can put some water plants in a goldfish tank.

Answer 1

If you did purchase an oto, it is sensitive to nitrate levels. Hopefully, your two goldies are in at least a 29 gallon. Still, you should be changing out probably a third or thereabouts of the water weekly. The best thing is to test for nitrates and figure out how often you need to change water to keep them under twenty. This is better for the goldfish as well as the oto's.

You should get a couple more oto's if you plan to keep them; that is, if your tank is big enough. The goldies may possibly eat them, since they are small. Only time will tell if yours will.

If you have a lot of green algae, you can keep the lights on for fewer hours each day. Your tank should not be receiving direct light from a window; that can cause big algae problems.

I wouldn't waste my time on plants if I were you. I've tried many types and the goldies always eat them to nubs. Even tough plants like java fern get eaten.

Otocinclus catfish also are tropical, while goldfish are coldwater. If your tank stays in the low seventies, it should be okay for both of them.

Answer 2

First off, make sure the tank is big enough. "sucker fish" in general get rather big. As do goldfish, and you should have 10 gallon per goldfish alone. I'm not sure about this paticular species, but most "sucker fish" will hurt goldfish. They tend to suck on the goldfish themselves.
Also, with goldfish you shouldn't need algea eaters of any kind. Goldfish do a wonderful job. And as long as the algea is healthy and green, the only problems with it would be the look.
In general I wouldn't risk the sucker until you get some more opinions. Try going to Kokosgoldfish.com There are many people very active that would be glad to help you out.
As for plants, your goldies would love you. But the plants may not last long. Goldies love to eat live plants. But if you want to give it a try, it definately will not hurt your goldfish.

Good luck!

Answer 3

If they are ottos, they may not due to the waste produced by Goldfish. Goldfish are pretty nasty. Also, Ottos do better in groups of at least 3 but best if more. And if common Goldies, hopefully the store told you they need ten gallons per fish..and a minimum of a 20 gal tank, I'd not go smaller than 30 gal though. They get 10 inches or so, long. But most likely, they are Chinese Algae eaters : http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/638.htm
These, can be a bit aggressive when they get big (which is almost a foot in length) but your goldfish get big too so should be able to put up with it. You can put plants in..just need proper lighting, substrate, and fertilizer.

Answer 4

No problem on the plants, though you should get some fairly hardy ones, as goldfish can be rough on the thin and wispy ones. As to the Otocinclus, there's been rumors that they will suck on the goldfish, damaging it's slime coat and exposing it to infections. Other than that, I've heard nothing but good things.

Answer 5

i would not keep any "sucker" mouth fishes with goldfish, they will eventually try to harm your goldfish, if you have an algae problem reduce the amout of light the tank receives
you can put plants in your tank but you have to get plants that your fish won't eat, try hornwort its easy and my goldfish wont eat it ( see at That Fish Place web site )