ive read that otos are mainly wild caught in the aquarium trade. heres why. i was amazed by this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilnitMs1LRk&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilnitMs1LRk&feature=fvw
Cyanides are illegally used to capture live fish near coral reefs for the aquarium and seafood markets. This fishing occurs mainly in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Caribbean to supply the 2 million marine aquarium owners in the world. In this method, a diver uses a large, needleless syringe to squirt a cyanide solution into areas where the fish are hiding, stunning them so that they can be easily gathered. Many fish caught in this fashion die immediately, or in shipping. Those that survive to find their way into pet stores often die from shock, or from massive digestive damage. The high concentrations of cyanide on reefs on which this has occurred has resulted in cases of cyanide poisoning among local fishermen and their families, as well as irreversible damage to the coral reefs themselves and other marine life in the area.
Environmental organizations are critical of the practice, as are some aquarists and aquarium dealers. To prevent the trade of illegally-caught aquarium fish, the Marine Aquarium Council (Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii) has created a certification in which the tropical fish are caught legally with nets only. To ensure authenticity, MAC-Certified marine organisms bear the "MAC-Certified" label on the tanks and boxes in which they are kept and shipped. See MAC-certification label. [1].
Magnesium cyanide is also used in some countries illegally to stun and harvest nektonic fish.
A mommy oto and a daddy oto fall in love....