Do Ottos attack my Betta?

Otocinclus fish is freshwater fish, and they can live with any other freshwater fish.

Do Ottos attack my Betta? Otto’s fish are peaceful and won’t get aggressive often. They can share water with betta without any trouble. Betta and Ottos could thrive comfortably in the same water temperature.

Keep pH level moderated. Also, control nitrates as low as possible. Avoid any stressful conditions in the water.

What to do if your betta is Chasing Otocinclus fish?
How will betta stress with Otocinclus catfish?
What Size Tank is best for betta with Otocinclus fish?
Can betta fish eat Otocinclus fish food?
Can betta kill Otocinclus fish?

How many Otocinclus can you keep with your betta?
What temperature do bettas and Otocinclus fish need?
Can Otocinclus fish live with female bettas?

What to do if your betta is Chasing Otocinclus fish?

Betta does chase every fish they find in the water. It is their typical behavior to deal with the other fish. Betta becomes aggressive when they are kept in the small tank where they share water with the other species.

Betta is a territorial fish who like to define their territory and keep other fish from sneaking their place. Also, when there is a female betta around, the male would not prefer any other fish to have a close encounter with the female.

They do not want other fish to try to influence their mate. Thus, they start pushing the other fish away from the female.

Otocinclus is known as an explorer. They may find a way to get into the water where they have new things to explore.

How will betta stress with Otocinclus catfish?

When they are placed in the tank with the betta, there will be several occasions when the Otocinclus would meet the betta.

This may cause stress to the betta as they may think the Otocinclus fish are trying to create their influence in their water.

Chasing Otocinclus could have several reasons, but generally, betta does chase the other fish only when they are not comfortable with the other fish. Another reason could be the female Otocinclus playing around the betta.

The betta male may try to engage her in the mating without knowing they are the other species. The male is more active when they are into their mating period.

Hence, when the female Otocinclus come close to the male betta, they may make the chase which could appear as they are attacking Otocinclus fish.

Here are a few things that you could do to avoid betta from chasing Otocinclus fish.

Keep them as a group

Give the space to both the species. Plenty of swimming space will keep both the fish away from each other.

Please keep them in the group. The group makes the community and prevents the other fish from entering each other territory.

Feed sufficient food

Provide sufficient food to both the group in separate places. This will keep them away from each other and reduce aggression during feeding time.

Add more live plants and rocks.

A densely planted tank would have enough hiding space. Also, both the fish betta and Otocinclus will have less chance to see each other. The hiding space keeps the fish calm as they do not fear predator attacks.

Check the water condition.

Control the water condition, especially the temperature, pH level, and nitrate level.
Place an equal number of fish in each group. When any of the groups outnumber, they try to dominate the water. A similar number of fish in each group would have a balance equation and reduce their friction.

Balance male and female fish

Get more females than males. The male is most aggressive when it comes to sharing the space. Having more females than a male could reduce the stress in the water. Male would also have more than one partner into mate, which will keep them engaged all the time.

What Size Tank is best for betta with Otocinclus fish?

You need at least 20 gallons of water to ensure both species have sufficient swimming space. Well planted tanks with the moderated water temperature create natural habitat that makes them thrive quickly.

Ensure that there is enough natural food for them, such as live plants, algae to eat.

Can betta fish eat Otocinclus fish food?

Betta is a meat-eater, but they do not have a condition to eat the particular type of food. That’s why betta are known as opportunistic eaters.

When they are offered other fish food, they do not resist it. They will enjoy the other eats the way they eat the meat base food.

So if you are placing betta with the Otocinclus fish, then ensure that betta saves some food for the Otocinclus fish.

Can betta kill Otocinclus fish?

Yes. If the condition in the water changes, there are possibilities that the betta could attack the Otocinclus fish and kill them. Otocinclus fish is exceptionally peaceful. They do not bother much about the territory.

They like to explore the things around, find the food under the gravel, enjoy the habitat and live peacefully with the other fish in the tank. However, this is not the case with the betta fish.

Betta likes to eat the fins of the other fish. The taste of the fins attacks them, and they often attack the fish when betta is having a close encounter with them. The long tail of the Otocinclus fish could also become an easy target.

Betta generally chases the Otocinclus fish and makes it stress out. Eventually, the Otocinclus fish will develop health problems and die due to fewer food and diseases attack.

Otocinclus fish’s immune system weakens when they do not have sufficient food.

Betta tries to keep them away from the food, which worsens the situation for the Otocinclus fish. Therefore, when betta and Otocinclus fish are kept together, observe the reaction of both the fish.

If you find any fish producing trouble for others, immediately remove them from the tank and put them in a separate tank.

How many Otocinclus can you keep with your betta?

Otocinclus fish stay comfortable when they are put in the group. You can have a group of 6 or more in a single tank with an equal number of betta. Otocinclus fish will become more active when they are in the group.

Ensure that you have more females than males. The male fish of both the species sometimes cause trouble to each other. Hence, it would be best if you had more females in the tank than males.

What temperature do bettas and Otocinclus fish need?

When you house betta and Otocinclus fish in the same tank, you should control the water temperature to suitable conditions. Betta lives comfortably in the water temperature between the 76-80°F.

In contrast, the Otocinclus fish would prefer a temperature between 72-82°F.

The ideal water temperature for the fish tank would be 78°F. It will keep both species calm and enable them to thrive in natural conditions.

Can Otocinclus fish live with female bettas?

The answer is yes. Otocinclus fish and female betta can make great tank mates. They are companions with each other. Both the fish would have peaceful behaviors and never cause trouble for each other.

Ensure that you have put an equal number of fish in the tank. Both the fish stay comfortable when they are in the group.

So when you introduce Otocinclus fish to the betta, they should be in the group; otherwise, the betta would try to dominate the water and cause trouble for the Otocinclus fish.