Oto help!

S

Spclk1981

Freshwater n00b
Oct 4, 2004
54
0
0
45
Shelby Township, MI
www.wishuwerehere.us
Well, I think I am doing something wrong. My Kuhli Loach, ADF's and Neons seem to be doing really well.

My Otos, on the other hand, are not. One was a light color (like totally washed out, almost translucent) and passed away. Found him on the bottom of the tank. My second one, I don't know where it went, it's just G O N E. My third, he seems to be kinda translucent in color when I turn on the tank in the morning, he just doesn't look right at all.

Am I starving the poor guys? There's still the general algae on the glass/plants, and I had a bloom of really stringy algae (hair algae?) that's mostly died down - it was growing on my plants.

I have some algae tablets I bought at Petsmart and he seems to go after them. Any suggestions? How do I know if I am starving them?
 
I give 1 algae tablet per 3 otos every two days and that is fine. Some of the other fish eat whats left too.

Otos aren't big fans of hair algae so don't be suprised if they don't eat so much of it. They really like the brown soft algae.

I would check your ph, ammonia, nitrates, and the other basics. Take a cup of water from your tank to the lfs. Most will test it for free. I know petsmart does, and there is likely one by you. They don't require a purchase to test the water.

I would be the problem is in your water, not how you feed them.

As for the hiding oto, that perfectly normal. But the translucent color is a problem.

BTW, you do have quite a few fish in your tank. That might be the root of your problem. You have more fish than I do in my 38 gallon tank.
 
Yes, sorry to say that I believe you're overstocked.

A good solution would be to set up a new 10 gallon for the dwarf frogs. They really do better in a species tank and that would take care of your overstockage.
 
Last I checked, my nitrates/nitrite/ammonia levels weren't bad at all.

15 gallons, I have 10 neons and the 4 frogs, and apparently 1 oto. I assume the other one is dead, it's nowhere to be found, I definitely looked for him.

I figured 15 animals in a 15 gallon, especially something small and clean like neons were fine. The rest of the fish seem to be doing really well. Everything I read lead me to believe the frogs and Neons could be safely counted as <1" of fish each. :sad

I will definitely have the water re-tested. Actually, it's probably about time I got myself a test kit.
 
Spclk1981 said:
Last I checked, my nitrates/nitrite/ammonia levels weren't bad at all.

15 gallons, I have 10 neons and the 4 frogs, and apparently 1 oto. I assume the other one is dead, it's nowhere to be found, I definitely looked for him.

I figured 15 animals in a 15 gallon, especially something small and clean like neons were fine. The rest of the fish seem to be doing really well. Everything I read lead me to believe the frogs and Neons could be safely counted as <1" of fish each. :sad

I will definitely have the water re-tested. Actually, it's probably about time I got myself a test kit.
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Your a tad overstocked, but not terribly where your gona have to make changes asap. Ive seen people so much worse, and be just fine. But that no excuse too do so.....

As for the ottos, how long have you had them? When you fist get ottos, the first month is always critical. Most people often loose some in the first 4 weeks, if they survive after that, they will be just fine most likely for years to come. Are they fat at all by they way?

Also you say your levels werent bad, but what were they?
 
Last time they were checked, with all the animals in the tank, they were near 0ppm, very small. Everything seemed fine, and other than the otos, they seem fine still.

The Ottos I have had for a good...3.5-4 months. I had purchased three (I know, I shouldn't have) because the LFS told me a lot of times they don't survive the first few weeks. All did until maybe 4-6 weeks ago until the first passed.

I know I sound stupid, but I really can't find the other one in the tank, it's just a 15 gallon tank. It's vanished with no trace. The remaining Oto, no, he's not fat, but even now his coloring is not correct. It's too light, I am thinking he's a goner in the next few days.

I put in half a tablet - they are about .5-.75" in diameter. I placed it in there this morning, and it was gone by the time I got home from work 9 hours later. I don't know if it was eaten by the other fish, or by the Oto, or dissolved (most likely)
 
Spclk1981 said:
Last time they were checked, with all the animals in the tank, they were near 0ppm, very small. Everything seemed fine, and other than the otos, they seem fine still.

The Ottos I have had for a good...3.5-4 months. I had purchased three (I know, I shouldn't have) because the LFS told me a lot of times they don't survive the first few weeks. All did until maybe 4-6 weeks ago until the first passed.

I know I sound stupid, but I really can't find the other one in the tank, it's just a 15 gallon tank. It's vanished with no trace. The remaining Oto, no, he's not fat, but even now his coloring is not correct. It's too light, I am thinking he's a goner in the next few days.

I put in half a tablet - they are about .5-.75" in diameter. I placed it in there this morning, and it was gone by the time I got home from work 9 hours later. I don't know if it was eaten by the other fish, or by the Oto, or dissolved (most likely)
Click to expand...


Most likely hes got some parasites. Maybe some meds are in order?

Im not sure to be honest, ive never had this problem with my ottos...
 
katfood said:
Yes, sorry to say that I believe you're overstocked.

A good solution would be to set up a new 10 gallon for the dwarf frogs. They really do better in a species tank and that would take care of your overstockage.
Click to expand...

Curious to where this information is from. The frogs deal well with Neons from what I read prior to purchasing them, and also just from watching them.
 
Stocking issues aside, my advice is to get a test kit first of all. Second, blanch some zucchini or seedless cucumber, put it in the tank and see how the oto responds. Be patient - he may not recognize it as food right away, but if he is hungry he will go for it eventually. Don't leave it in the tank for more than 24 hours though, or it will start to rot.

The pale color means the fish is stressed. It is often an indicator that something is not right with the water. Otos tend to be very sensitive to water quality issues, and the pale color is a sign that something isn't right.

Could you tell us what your water change schedule is? Also, if you can't buy a test kit right away, could you take it to a local store and have them test it for you? It would help us to help you if we knew your water parameters.
 
Aqualung, thank you.


Water Changes, I typically do a good 30%-40% every two weeks or so. I am careful to put in dechlorinator and match the temperature in the tank. I guess I should probably step it up to once a week? I know that's kinda standard.

I will definitely be picking up a test kit or going to the LFS to test the water.
 
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