"Peter Ashby" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"JazzyB!" jazzybjazzy DONTWANTANY @hotmail.com wrote:

Not my first tank. I just moved back to Canada so it's my first tank
since
I've moved back from Europe. I've never kept cichlids, with the
exception
of a pair of rams last year, so I like to ask a lot of questions
about them.
Not having first hand experience with other cichlid's
aggressive/territorial
behaviour, I was a bit concerned for the cories. Seeing that I'm not
"planning" on breeding the blue-eyes I assume the bottom level of the
tank
should be okay. What do you think about having a pair of Ottos
(Otocinclus
affinis or Otocinclus paulinus) in this tank instead of the "normal"
cories
or in combo with a few cories?

I like cories and if you have enough space for a smallish school they
will entertain you endlessly by bumbling around the tank. If I had the
space I'd have them too. Ottos are in my experience nowhere near as
active.

Peter

To add some comments, the Otos would not IMO be as safe as Corys, with
cichlids in place. Corys are armoured, Otos not. Corys are also more
mobile & active.

Your intentions regarding breeding will have little or no effect on their
behaviour. Either you have a pair or you don't. There are consequences
to both situations ;~)

Behaviourally, Rams are not really representative of the average larger
cichlid. Even Kribs are more typical, often becoming a PITA when
spawning. It's not my intention to discourage you. Ounce per ounce,
cichlids will give you far more entertainment value than any other
tropical fish, but this type of 'entertainment' will usually involve
you, and the 'community' will be somewhat dynamic as the cichlids mature.

NetMax