I bought two otos on Saturday. By Sunday morning one was dead. I tested my water. All was fine - nitrite and ammonia at zero. I took my time acclimating the fish. The tank is well planted and there is algae in there. What gives? What is it with otos just dying for no reason? They looked healthy in the store - I watched them for a long time. Is it just the stress that does them in?
Otos
- Thread starter Branflake
- Start date
Otos are just one of those fish that sometimes dont do that well intitially. Its because they dont get fed properly in the store (they need algae, and store tanks are cleaned of this regularly), and by the time you get them home they are weak and ready to give up. If they survive the initial 2 or 3 weeks of being in your tank, then they will generally do quite well.
I agree with Chris Drake. Otos have a difficult time changing tanks. Almost all my fish are bought online and the only fish I have had die are Otos and Corys. If they survive the first few days, they will be fine.
Its rather sad.
Otos are usually wild caught and what i read mostly its done by dumping cyanide in the river and then fishing out the stunned/ dazed/ paralyzed fish. Otos also need to constantly eat - which they cant when they are shipped.
Being poisoned first plus the mentioned starvation time in transit is what gives them such a high death rate.
People say its best to buy the Otos that have a nice round belly. Its even better when you can ask your LFS how long they had them - the longer they stayed alive in their tanks the better the chances they'll stay alive in yours. I guess once you found some that live they are very hardy fish.
Otos are usually wild caught and what i read mostly its done by dumping cyanide in the river and then fishing out the stunned/ dazed/ paralyzed fish. Otos also need to constantly eat - which they cant when they are shipped.
Being poisoned first plus the mentioned starvation time in transit is what gives them such a high death rate.
People say its best to buy the Otos that have a nice round belly. Its even better when you can ask your LFS how long they had them - the longer they stayed alive in their tanks the better the chances they'll stay alive in yours. I guess once you found some that live they are very hardy fish.
Well, I hope the one that is left makes it through the initial adjustment. I don't know - he isn't moving around the tank much. He's just suckered onto the glass and hasn't moved from there too much. I wish there was something I could do!!
ETA my LFS (at least the one I go to) has great quarantine procedures. They have more tanks in the back than they do out front where they sell. So these guys would have been around for a few weeks before they were put out for sale.
ETA my LFS (at least the one I go to) has great quarantine procedures. They have more tanks in the back than they do out front where they sell. So these guys would have been around for a few weeks before they were put out for sale.
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Never buy any that have a concave stomach. 99% chance they wont survive. Best to go with the ones with round bellies if possible, but unfortunately you dont see many like that at the LFS.
It can be hard to find healthy otocinclus at the local stores, depending on where you are. Strangely enough, the only place I could find healthy otos was Wal-Mart. There was a bit of brown algae in the tank and the otos were quite healthy, which was a surprise. I bought three and still have them 2 years later.
Purchasing them online is a gamble, but can be the only way to get some of the harder-to-find varieties. I've had fairly good luck, but I did get one batch of zebras that was DOA. Luckily there was a live arrival gaurantee and the next batch fared well. A few of these did die off in the first few days (the skinnier ones), but the survivors are still healthy and doing very well.
It's all in the stock you buy. An oto that is starving is next to impossible to bring back to health.
Purchasing them online is a gamble, but can be the only way to get some of the harder-to-find varieties. I've had fairly good luck, but I did get one batch of zebras that was DOA. Luckily there was a live arrival gaurantee and the next batch fared well. A few of these did die off in the first few days (the skinnier ones), but the survivors are still healthy and doing very well.
It's all in the stock you buy. An oto that is starving is next to impossible to bring back to health.
Branflake said:
It's good that the tank is well planted and algae is available, this is important. You will definitely want to get a few more otos as "friends" for the one you have. A group of three is an absolute minimum IMO.
Can you explain your acclimation precedure?
Lights out. I float the bag for 20, then open and secure it. I add 1/4 cup of water every 10 minutes until the bag is pretty full. I empty about half the water out into the sink (carefully) and then 1/2 cup again every 10 until it is full again. I empty most of the water from the bag, then invert so opening is down (while holding shut) and release fish at the surface of the water. Lights stay out for rest of the evening (it was close to "bedtime" for the tank anyway). I added some stress coat - watched them for about 15 minutes and then left them alone.
I don't know - I guess maybe I should have used a drip, but I've never had problems with this method before. Is there something else I should have done?
I asked the LFS guy about the ph etc of their water and it was very close to the levels of my own water.
I don't know - I guess maybe I should have used a drip, but I've never had problems with this method before. Is there something else I should have done?
I asked the LFS guy about the ph etc of their water and it was very close to the levels of my own water.
Branflake said:
hey curious, did you feed them any food? like the sinking algae pellets. I know you said you have algae in the tank, but just wondering. thanks