otto cat acting wierd

shadrac

shadrac

shadrac
Feb 4, 2005
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my ottocinclus has been acting wierd he spends all day and night in the darkest corner of my tank and dosent really move much and he isnt eating ether and now the alge is really starting to build up. his apperence seems healthy he looks normal no spots or clamped fins. so any thoughts on whats worng would help.
 
I wouldnt rely on your one ottocinclus to clear up your algea problem. They help, but are not a solution. Ottos are usually very chilled out species..so if they are not moving that much, that is pretty normal from my experience. Keep an eye on it but I would be more concerned about your algea problem...which is probobly a totally sepeate issue than the health of your otto
 
How long have you had your Oto and what other fish do you have?
The only advice I would give, regarding Otos in general, would be that since they are a schooling fish, they likely prefer to be in a group. Maybe your Oto is lonely.
 
What size tank, and how do you know he stays there at night, you turn all your lights off rite? Most catfish, bottom dwellers are nocturnal, ie, come out when its dark.
 
my otto is in a 10 gal with tetras an albino cory and a yoyo loach. I've had him for about two weeks at least, but i put another otto in there today and im hoping this will help. (side note when i first got him he was very active and swame all over eating alge)
 
Shadrac, three things ....

Firstly, you mention algae, but is your tank planted?

Secondly, how does your Yo-Yo Loach behave towards the Oto? I cannot speak from experience, and I am not suggesting you add more fish to your tank, but I did read that a lone Yo-Yo loach can be a little boisterous towards other fish (possibly stressing the Oto) when he doesn't have other Yo-Yo loaches to interact with. I understand they prefer to be in a group (min. 3), like Otos.

Thirdly, I have also read that tank size is an important consideration with Yo-Yo loaches since they can grow up to 6 inches, are active swimmers and need alot of space.

Finally, I must stress, I don't have any experience with Loaches, and advise getting these points confirmed by more experienced forum members.
 
Otos definitely do prefer to be in groups. Yours may become more active now that it has another for company. However, some of them do become mostly nocturnal and don't move much at all during the hours that the lights are on. Most are active day and night, but not all. Yours might just happen to be nocturnal.
 
Sounds fairly normal to me. When I first got my Oto's, roughly a year ago, they swam around and ate the masses of brown algae characteristic to a new tank. I suspect the burst of activity may have something to do with being nervous about the new surroundings. Since they're unfamiliar, they don't want to stay in one place for too long. Once they become acclimatized to the environment and realize that no one is trying to eat them ;) they chill out.

Mine spend most of the "day" resting on a length of fluval tubing that runs the length of my tank along the back. For me, it's a great CO2 reactor, for them it's a nice, smooth spot to rest that's well shaded by all the plants. I rarely see more than one during the "day". I use quotes, btw, because I mean the timer run day-night cycle and not the actual day-night cycle. During the night however, I can usually spot at least 2 of the 4, but even with the peaceful blue beams of "moonlight" illuminating the tank, they're pretty tough to spot with their dark coloration.
 
LOL mine sped the day flitting from leaf to leaf, sometimes I see all five on the same valseneria leaf all lined up like they are waiting at the Dairy Queen. Othertimes I can only see one or 2 and have to look to find the rest. They are youngsters I've had for a couple months now.
 
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