Excited, got otos today.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:07 pm

Hey hey hey. i woke up today and tested my tanks water parameters.
Perfect. No Ammonia, no Nitrites, no nitrates(according to my test kits...must be from the massive amount of pennywort i put in the other day.)

Went out and bought 2 oto's from the LFS and brought them home and floated them for 1/2 hour and then placed them in their new home. Both are out and about , one more active then the other, eating all the algea that has started growing.

The one looked like he wasnt gonna make it, with a labored breathing, but he has done a 180 and is now eating and swimming about as well.

We shall see. But i am glad something besides pond snails and plants has entered the tank. I think i am gonna give the otos 1-2 weeks to settle in before i go get a puffer or two.

RachelS · Post by **RachelS** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 5:45 pm

I've a few otos in with dps and they are doing great - lots of broad leaved plants and veg on a regular basis. I lost a few the first time I got them in a small tetra tank. They can be a bit hit and miss IMO. Hope yours keep on doing well

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 7:02 pm

yea, from what i have heard, very hit or miss. But, it seems they are sensitive to ph change, more so than other fish. The petstore said they use their own RO water and keep it at 7.2. My water has tested at 7.8 and 8.0. I hope they make it, but everyone says ph stability is more important than actual #'s.

Both are eating like they are at a buffet.

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:43 pm

It is very important to have a large availability of soft algae for them to eat and this usually isn't the case in relatively new tanks. They are easily starved since they basically need to continuously eat to get enough nutrition out of the green matter.

They are extremely fragile fish and have a very poor survival rates in aquaria. Due in part to their nutritional requirements, and the extremely poor shipping conditions. Once they arrive at the store, if they aren't placed in a long established and mature tank with lots of algae to eat, they will likely starve. And once they have been deprived of food for long enough, the micro-organisms in their gut die off, so even if they get food again, they can't digest it properly.

I had 3 of them and over a month I've lost all 3, one by one. I think I'll try again in a month or so when the algae in the tank has had a chance to build up a bit more.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 12:11 am

i have a good amount of brown algea in the tank already(been running about 3-4 weeks). I am gonna start dropping algea waffers and or some blanched vegies in tomorow and see if they eat them.

I know, #1 cause of death is starving these poor guys.

Post by **Myaj** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:18 am

If they are eating, that's great! Most of the time when they don't make it they never start eating in the first place.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:31 pm

well, both are eating, one is eating all the time(has been up and down every leaf in the tank). The other seems less active and only seems active after the lights go out although he/she was active earlier today. I think the smaller skinnier one(who in't as active) is a male while the other larger more active is the female(the active one has a wider body).

Still feariing for the smaller guy, he's just relaxing on a leaf of pennywort right now, while the other is vacuuming the entire tank again.

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:27 pm

All of mine were constantly roving the tank for food, but still died. I don't know if there just wasn't enough for them to get, but I also had a piece of zuchini in there constantly and they were occasionally seen on it, but I think they may have been scared away from it by everything else in the tank that was nibbling on it, even the platties!

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 7:47 pm

nothing else is in with them right now.

i blanched a piece of zuccinni and placed it in along with an algea wafer, the snails in the tank have already detroyed the wafer.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 10:24 pm

Update. still alive. They appear to be more shy than when i first brought them home. Whenever i walk into the room they swim off to hide.

one still is lighter in color and is less active than the other, which is larger, darker, and more active.

time will tell. Caught one of them eating bits of an algea wafer i dropped in. Neither snail nor oto will touch the blanched zuccini slice.i wonder why?

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:58 am

Next time try weighting down a chunk of fresh zuccini and letting it sit for a day or too. Once it softens up they will be all over it I bet. Maybe the blanching took too much flavour out of it.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:17 pm

well, its sad too say but it looks like i am gonna lose the weaker one. I came home form school today and found him just lying on a leaf of pennywort, breathing but not looking too good.

He at one point since i've been home(around5pm) moved and is now laying on the eco-complete somewhat on his side, heavily breathing.

I just re-checked my water parameters, everything is non existant..
water temp:79 degrees F
0ppm ammonia
0ppm nitrites
0ppm nitrates.

The tank has plenty of brown algae forming on the rear and side glass and the other oto is thriving. If this one passes i am going to go get my tank water tested at the store i bought it from, and see if my test kits are inaccurate. I have a decent amount of plants in the tank, and it is plenty over filtered(2213 on a 10g). I do water changes(50%) on sundays, and did so this past sunday.

Maybe he was just one of the weaker ones.

Phaedrus · Post by **Phaedrus** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:23 pm

Probably one of the weaker ones.

Does your LFS have a fish replacement policy?

The Petland around here has a 7 day (i think) guarentee on fish provided you bring the dead fish and a sample of water as well as your receipt back to the store with you.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:53 pm

72 hours(i particulary am not much of a fan of the place but they are an independent and only 2 minutes from my house.)

i am gonna take a trip to a much better place this weekend and probably pick another one or 2 up. I am only planning on 1 dp, and so i think 4 otos should be alright(considering the bioload).

I also want the otos as this is more of a learning tank for me and they'll transfer once i go big.

Seriously, i need to get a pic posted of the tank so ppl dont think i am just making all of this up.

saynever · Post by **saynever** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:26 am

sad to say, i awoke today to find the little guy lifeless, not a huge surprise, but it was sad none the less. I buried him outback before i left for school.

The other guy, well, is doing marvelous.

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Excited, got otos today.

Excited, got otos today.