Oto and cardiac arrest?

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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Oto and cardiac arrest?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

1. Last checked two days ago, will check this afternoon, but problem began two days ago. At last check, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 7ish.
2. 10g, 2 DPs, 2 otos.
3. Feeding - 3 bloodworms and an algae pellet per day, all-you-can-eat snails, algae pellets, veggies periodically. Water change - 25% if nitrates meet 20, 50% weekly. Products - aquarium salt to destress new inhabitants, Melafix for same purpose, AquaSafe dechlorinator. Currently treating for IPs with Jungle Parasite Gaurd at 75% dosage, beginning last night (before problem began).
4. Had the DPs for only a week, otos for three days.
5. A week, cycled fishlessly.

Okay, I have class in 10min and must be brief. Since getting my otos, one has settled in fine, but the other one just won't stop swimming! He dashes around the tank nonstop all day! At first he'd stop if I turned out the light, but now he does it in the dark too. Right now I have a blanket over the tank to see if total dark helps, but of course I can't see him to know if he's quit yet. I'm afraid he'll just swim his little self to death!
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

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Re: Oto and cardiac arrest?

Post by edmlfc1 »

He might be getting picked on by the puffers. Have you noticed any nipping?
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Re: Oto and cardiac arrest?

Post by Nick »

Otos are really tough to keep in newly established tanks, even if they're cycled. Some won't eat algae wafer or veggies... they're strangely delicate, odd fish.
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Re: Oto and cardiac arrest?

Post by Myaj »

Yes, this is why people say not to try to keep otos in tanks that aren't well established and stable for at least 6 months.

These fish are caught in the wild via tranq's being dumped into the water to slow them down, then netted. The drugs do a number on delicate little catfish, and many of them just never fully recover.. or any added stress such as a newly set up tank with slightly elevated nitrates can be just that last little bit that they can't handle. Meds in the water is even worse.

Good luck with them.. don't be surprised if they don't make it but that doesn't mean give up on them.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Dwarf puffer - Thumbelina (only mine in my heart now; she lives in CT with my friend)

RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond.
Location (country): United States
Location: Kentucky

Re: Oto and cardiac arrest?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Good news! I got a chance to watch them for a while this morning, and I figured out what they were doing. They were dashing into the bubbles from the airstone, letting the current carry them halfway around the tank, and then jumping back into the bubbles! Sometimes the puffers joined them too!
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


Image

Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!

I AM A DUDETTE!

NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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