This is a great thread!! I have two Otos that would love to have some friends. When you're ready to sell and ship, let me know. My Otos are very hardy and it would be great to have some healthy Otos from such a wonderful tank.
The Oto Journal
- Thread starter James0816
- Start date
10/28: Zucchini is gone! Only hair remnants remain. Getting ready to do a 10% wc. CO2 still churning nicely. Drop checker standing at green. New bottles are a go.
Anubias 'Petite' came in today. Just a couple more plants remain and that should take care of the flora for now.
Going to be adding TDS and barometric pressure to my variable list. Trying to collect as much data as possible. Looking for a TDS meter as I type.
Anubias 'Petite' came in today. Just a couple more plants remain and that should take care of the flora for now.
Going to be adding TDS and barometric pressure to my variable list. Trying to collect as much data as possible. Looking for a TDS meter as I type.
10/29: Water Test today:
Temp: 76 (slight drop due to colder temps inside...winter's a comin)
PH: 7.4
NO3: ~10 (this is rather interesting. not sure why the big drop)
NO2: 0
NH3: 3
KH: 5 (slightly low since there was a gap in the CO2 delivery)
GH: 7 (slightly low as well. all tied together. these will come back up)
Here's a pic of their current home: Mom and Dad are in this pic in the lower right.
Current list of flora:
Assorted Crypts, Anubias barteri 'Petite', Bacopa monnieri (may just move this out, but mamma likes to place eggs here. May replace with Bacopa sp. 'colorata'), Echinodorus Angustifolia, Littorella Uniflora, Lobelia cardinalis, Ludwigia repens, L. repens x. Arcuata, Ludwigia senegalensis, Pogostemon helferi (may not stay, relocated to help it recover) and Suesswassertang
Current list of fauna: Otocinculs Affinis (naturally
), bakers dozen of Neocaridina sp. 'yellow', one Brigg Snail (Boris).
Temp: 76 (slight drop due to colder temps inside...winter's a comin)
PH: 7.4
NO3: ~10 (this is rather interesting. not sure why the big drop)
NO2: 0
NH3: 3
KH: 5 (slightly low since there was a gap in the CO2 delivery)
GH: 7 (slightly low as well. all tied together. these will come back up)
Here's a pic of their current home: Mom and Dad are in this pic in the lower right.
Current list of flora:
Assorted Crypts, Anubias barteri 'Petite', Bacopa monnieri (may just move this out, but mamma likes to place eggs here. May replace with Bacopa sp. 'colorata'), Echinodorus Angustifolia, Littorella Uniflora, Lobelia cardinalis, Ludwigia repens, L. repens x. Arcuata, Ludwigia senegalensis, Pogostemon helferi (may not stay, relocated to help it recover) and Suesswassertang
Current list of fauna: Otocinculs Affinis (naturally
), bakers dozen of Neocaridina sp. 'yellow', one Brigg Snail (Boris).
Wow- followed this thread from start to finish- what an amazing success!
Quick question- will you be breeding from your current tank- bred stock? I've read that otos are difficult to breed, I'm just curious as to whether or not captive-breds would breed easier. Genetics being what they are, though... one would need to introduce wild stock or breed from other captives not in the same gene pool.
I know I'd happily pay extra money for a tank raised and bred otocinclus, though, and there are probably a ton of aquarists who would also. =)
Quick question- will you be breeding from your current tank- bred stock? I've read that otos are difficult to breed, I'm just curious as to whether or not captive-breds would breed easier. Genetics being what they are, though... one would need to introduce wild stock or breed from other captives not in the same gene pool.
I know I'd happily pay extra money for a tank raised and bred otocinclus, though, and there are probably a ton of aquarists who would also. =)
Not sure really. I do currently have three females that are much older in another tank. I may have to look into bringing in another group that will be more age appropriate. Once I have identified another pairing, I can go from there.
I'm currently working on rearranging a 20long to move the juvies in to. I have a tank on stand by for Zebra's if I can find them. I do plan on setting up two other 10s in the future.
I've occasionally seen Zebras up for auction in Aquabid, but not lately.
Did your current breeding pair just join up out of a group, or was it simply by chance that you got a male and a female and boom? Sorry about all the questions- I'm getting increasingly interested in these little fish, especially captive breeding.
No need to apologize. Don't mind the questions one bit. It was a little bit of both actually. They were originally part of a group but I decided to put two in their current home to help combat a diatom issue. It was strictly by chance that I wound up moving a male and female. And an even bigger chance that they started to breed.
I'm assuming that you can tell momma from dad. How does one go about sexing otos. I have three -- two who are about the same size and coloring and another who is smaller (not younger, just smaller) and almost monochromatic (meaning almost totally dark velvety grey with few, if any, markings). I'd try to get pics, but mine are all so shy, it's rare that I see any of them out of their hidey holes.
