Oto Deaths

TexAg08

TexAg08

Large Fish
#1
Dec 12, 2006
122
0
0
#1
i recently got 3 otos for my 10 gal, and within the day one had died and i found a second one dead last night. also, when i had found the second fish, its stomach area was bright green looking. also, both fish when found didnt look like they had been attacked. my tank has a lot of plants, so there was a fair amount of brown algae before they were in, because there has only been 2 fish in the tank, female bettas. also in the tank are 4 ghost shrimp and 6 bloodfin tetras (these are some nippy tetras too).

would they have killed themselves on the algae-gorging (there was a lot and they have eaten a TON) or is there something funky about my water im not catching? all levels were normal. :confused:

On a side note, anyone know how to get the level of brown algae down?
 

Mahamotorworks

Mahamotorworks

Superstar Fish
#3
Aug 26, 2006
1,722
6
0
Thule, Greenland
www.myspace.com
#3
Tex done feel bad. Ottos are really a fragile fish they caught in fast moving streams by adding a little seddative to the water. This slows them down enough so the people can catch them. They are really weak from that. After they have been caught they are shipped across the ocean here to the US. Where they are placed into algea free tanks at the LFS. So they dot get a lot of food while they are in the store. Then they get stressed out by the person at the LFS catching them cause they cant catch fish for the life of them. Then transported to your tank and added. I havnt had much luck with them either. I only have 2 in my 29G tank. I want more but they never last so I havent bought any. It isnt anything you did they either were really stressed before you got them or they had an internal parasite from the wild.

Hope this helped

MAHA
 

T

theimpossibles1

Large Fish
#4
Aug 7, 2005
149
1
0
Houston TX
#4
Ya these things are hit or miss. They either thrive or die right away for me. I just recommend getting them from the store to the tank as quickly as possible and do whatever you can to keep the stress low while they acclimate. EXCELLENT algae eaters.
 

SANND

SANND

Large Fish
#8
Jul 20, 2005
627
4
0
56
Washington, DC
#8
You probably didn't do anything wrong Tex. They can be a bit fragile but not impossible. I learned the hard way that it's imperative to QT them before adding them to your main tank. I drip acclimate them as others have said and then I slowly get their water temp up to the mid 80's because it seems every oto i've ever brought home has developed ich. If no ich shows after a few days then you're prolly safe to put them in the main tank. It's a bit of a pain but very worth having them. They're cute and fun to watch in groups and keep your tank sparkly clean. :)
 

TexAg08

TexAg08

Large Fish
#12
Dec 12, 2006
122
0
0
#12
wassup luke. so apparently these things are very fragile. i still have one left of the three and it is swimming around fine eating all the algae in the tank. what i guess im wondering now is if i should get some more, or get something different. the tank at this point is very planted, and there is a lot of brown algae or something everywhere. is there a better way to control the algae? if so im open to suggestions because i cant afford to be driving an hour to get these fish every time one dies (i got them at Aquarium World in houston Aquarium World: Houston's Freshwater & Saltwater Tropical Fish Store ).
 

TexAg08

TexAg08

Large Fish
#16
Dec 12, 2006
122
0
0
#16
where did you buy your plants luke? i got a bunch of java moss yesterday and its way too much. if you want ill bring you some when i come home. yea and heat the tank up and add salt or if you add meds take out the carbon filter.
 

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#17
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#17
yeah, it seems like Oto's are fine as long as your tank has no spikes when they are introduced. But then if you have any extreeme spikes them may not survive. I went on vacation for a week and missed a water change and lost over half of my otos. But I'm gonna get more. I think it's just hit or miss with them.
 

T

theimpossibles1

Large Fish
#18
Aug 7, 2005
149
1
0
Houston TX
#18
i got my plants all over. One at petco, couple at this really sweet place off almeda genoa right by 45 but mostly at that place on HW3, and i got a crapload of java moss myself a big bunch of it is just floatin around in one of my 10gs.

Wont that mess with my plants if i did that temp and salt thing?
 

Last edited:
TexAg08

TexAg08

Large Fish
#19
Dec 12, 2006
122
0
0
#19
it might mess with the plants, i dont know. what ive heard of people doing is moving the fish to a quarantine tank and treating, and since there are no fish in the normal tank the ich will die on its own because it doesnt have a host to live on.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.