# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Cyprinids >  Witnessing my goldfish swallow an Otocinclus

## Joseph*

very sad.

I thought my Ryukin is too slow for my otos as I witness them trying to chase them flashing otos in vain that's why I let my otos settle in my fishtank to eat algae.

this morning my oto was complacent and didn't notice my slow fat Ryukin hovering behind it and got swallowed while it was still enjoying its algae.

the whole swallowing process took at least 5-10 minutes. 

very sad and slightly grossed by it.

----------


## meerkat

Wow this is something new and shocking!  :Shocked: 

Never heard of goldfish being active predators. Read somewhere otos are unpalatable so other bigger fishes give them a wide berth.

Or is it your golddie is very hungry?

Anyway thanks for sharing and hope you get over it...  :Sad:

----------


## Joseph*

well i do try to underfeed them as goldfish are prone to overfeeding.

Anyway goldfishes are always hungry. never seen one that is not eating, unless it is ill. 

Anyway now i'm fearful of my other oto (i had 2 otos in the tank).

Do goldfish eat Ramshorn snails? I was thinking of buying some from the forumers here to clear my algae, but now having doubts.

----------


## chiller

Many thought goldfish are peaceful fishes, including me, until I found one of my goldfish with its mouth open unable to close, stuck with a ram. I have difficult netting a ram which move so fast but for a slow moving goldfish to get it is simply unbelievable. The goldfish actually has a extended mouth which is can suck food into its mouth and it waited patiently until the prey is just swimming in front.

----------


## chelseaman67

looks like you have a predator golde fish.

----------


## RHX

Goldfish are not predatory fishes, but they will eat anything that'll fit into their mouth.

----------


## juggler

The oto has some backward pointing spines on its fins. So once in the goldfish mouth, it can't reverse.

----------


## Joseph*

> Many thought goldfish are peaceful fishes, including me, until I found one of my goldfish with its mouth open unable to close, stuck with a ram. I have difficult netting a ram which move so fast but for a slow moving goldfish to get it is simply unbelievable. The goldfish actually has a extended mouth which is can suck food into its mouth and it waited patiently until the prey is just swimming in front.


kinda shocking when you first witness it right?

My movement hanged for a couple second when I saw a tail hanging out from my goldfish's mouth.

----------


## VTan

1 week ago, when I was stock counting my cory, notice one missing.
Then I look at my ranchu, one of my 4 inch ranchu just swallow 1 of my 1 inch albino cory(cory's tail still hanging outside my ranchu's mouth).

Afraid that my ranchu may choke on the cory, I quickly fish out my ranchu, hold my ranchu in my palm, grap how of the cory tail, move the cory side to side and manage to dislodge from my ranchu's mouth.
Both the ranchu and cory was alive after the incident, praying for the survival of both.

But in the end, I realised that the cory was too bad a condition to survive.
I decided to put my cory to a quick death... Today, the ranchu is still alive and kicking...

----------


## yyylarry

goldfish are a killer! 

hmmm didnt know goldfish was that difficult to keep! Need large tank, eat alot, poop alot and eat tankmates too! Never gonna buy a goldfish ever!

----------


## mojave

> Afraid that my ranchu may choke on the cory, I quickly fish out my ranchu, hold my ranchu in my palm, grap how of the cory tail, move the cory side to side and manage to dislodge from my ranchu's mouth.
> Both the ranchu and cory was alive after the incident, praying for the survival of both.
> 
> But in the end, I realised that the cory was too bad a condition to survive.
> I decided to put my cory to a quick death... Today, the ranchu is still alive and kicking...


Had the same experience with my Oranda and panda cory. Cory didn't survive long afterwards.

----------

