View Full Version : What is wrong with my Oto?
caffeine
08-05-2003, 9:20 PM
I came home two nights ago and noticed that one of my Otos didn't look quite right. His body is very pale, it seems to have lost most of its color. The mid section of his body also looks slightly bloated. I have two other Otos that appear to be doing fine. What could be wrong with him?
20L tank, pH 6.7, kH 5.5, ammo and nitrites 0, nitrates 15, temp 80F
Rocketman
08-05-2003, 9:57 PM
Most diseases have symptoms that include pale body color. If the "sinking" in his belly is quite profound, it could possibly be Dropsy. You may want to treat that with Maracyn-Two, (in fact, if it is Dropsy, you will want to treat it with Maracyn-Two, we are just not sure if that's it.)
If you could describe everything in more detail, that would help. What other fish are in the tank? Did you add any recently? Change the water? Change the filter?
Another possibility with Oto's is that he is literally starving to death. When Oto's are shipped, often times they do not get anything to eat. When this happens, the bacteria in their stomachs that digest food die. After that happens, the Oto can eat as much as he wants, yet he will never digest any of it and will eventually die.
caffeine
08-05-2003, 10:07 PM
The other fish are 6 rasboras, 1 betta, and 1 pleco. They have all been in the tank at least 2 weeks, most longer. My tank is fairly new, it just finished cycling about 2 weeks ago so I have been doing water changes less often but I'm still doing about 20% every 4 days. I really haven't made any changes to the tank other than adding a second foam block in my AC 200.
oh yeah, and it has been about a week since I fed them fresh veggies but that is mostly because algae in my tank was starting to really spread and I wanted them to take care of that. The algae has been disappearing so tonight I dropped in some romaine lettuce and zuccini. Nobody is eating it yet except for my pleco.
wetmanNY
08-06-2003, 1:20 PM
Feast-and-fast doesn't work for herbivores. After one day of algae-eating, give them a small helping of veggies, only enough to last a day or two. Then another day of algae-eating. etc.
Otos need company. (I think they share gut bacteria, but it's just a hunch.) And they need lots of natural surfaces, such as plants offer.
Once your Otos are settled in, they'll be quite hardy for their size.
Rocketman
08-06-2003, 7:04 PM
Did you say you have a 20 Liter tank? That would be 5 Gallons, correct? That may be your problem...
caffeine
08-06-2003, 7:26 PM
no, it's a 20 gallon long tank. 30x12x12
Rocketman
08-06-2003, 7:48 PM
Ah. Scared me buddy. I looked on your profile but saw no location, so was thinking you could be Australian or English. Sorry 'bout that, mate.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13548&highlight=Otto+Cats
i used to have an otto cat with a bloated stomach. so maybe this thread can help you!