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FAQs on Otocinclus Behavior
Related Articles: Otocinclus, Loricariids,
Related Catfish FAQs:
Otocinclus 1, Otocinclus 2, &
FAQs on: Otocinclus Identification,
Otocinclus
Compatibility, Otocinclus Selection,
Otocinclus Systems, Otocinclus
Feeding, Otocinclus Health,
Otocinclus Reproduction, &
Suckermouth Catfishes of South and
Central America, Loricariid
Identification, Loricariid Behavior,
Loricariid Compatibility,
Loricariid Selection,
Loricariid Systems,
Loricariid Feeding,
Loricariid Reproduction,
Loricariid Disease, Catfish:
Identification,
Behavior, Compatibility,
Selection, Systems,
Feeding, Disease,
Reproduction, Algae
Eaters,
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Otos coloration: Sick or normal?
I got four new Otos on Monday. Stupidly, I put them in my tank without first a quarantine (this won't happen again, trust me). I may just be paranoid but I am wondering about their coloration. It looks splotchy to me and I was wondering if this is normal or if it might be something I need to take care of.
< Hard to say what the problem is. It is normal for fish to have a fright pattern when being introduced into a new tank. As they begin to feel more comfortable than they start looking more normal. Many times these algae eaters are starved at the wholesalers and at the local store. I would place an algae wafer in the tank at night to make sure they are getting something to eat. If the splotchy pattern
continues with all the fish or gets worse then I might start thinking there is a problem. -Chuck>
I am attaching two pictures. If you need any other details, please ask. Thank you for your time.
David
Once playful Otos are now lethargic 7/28/06
Hello there,
<Hi from... HI!>
For the past 5 months, I have owned a 46 gallon, unplanted tank, containing 10
rummy nosed tetras, 10 black phantom tetras, 4 peppered Corys, and 3 Otos.
<Better with live plants...>
The Otos were originally quite playful, moved around the tank, stayed within
view, interacted with other fish and ate
any algae that appeared. However, for about the past month, the Otos have been
in hiding.
<Something in the way of water quality changed>
Now I hardly ever see them, and algae is building up on the glass and plastic
plants. They don't appear to be sick, and
none have died. All the other fish appear to be normal. My water temperature
has increased to about 82 degrees due to the warmer summer weather, but besides
that, I can't think of anything that I've changed.
I do 20% water changes once every week or two, and nitrate level is 12.5 mg/L or
lower (my test kit measures only measures 1, 0, 12.5, and 25 mg/L). I don't add
any "Oto specific" food to the tank. Might I simply have more algae than they
can handle, allowing them to become more "lazy"? Do you have any thoughts on
the matter?
<Yes... I definitely would add some live plant material here... Will address
many possible ills, shortfalls that could be at play here... Dissolved oxygen,
food, shelter...>
Thanks in advance for your help.
Bonnie
<Welcome. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/otocinclusart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Oto loses colour
Hi,
We have a sick Oto which has suddenly lost its pigmentation and is looking a
sickly grey. It is swims weakly, sometimes floating at the surface and
drifting in the current. Otherwise its body, fins, etc. look in good
condition. Can you suggest any remedy or is this something to do with the
tank conditions?
We have a 180-litre (40 gallon) community tank with 9 guppies, 3 minnows, a
Pleco and 5 Otos altogether. It has some live and plastic plants, a couple
of logs and a small rock pile (slate), i.e. there is a relatively large
surface area available for the Otos to graze on. It has been set up for
about 3 months, but, about 3 weeks ago, we had problems with water quality,
fungus and white spot. These were successfully treated with 10% water
changes every day and ESHA 2000 and EXIT. Treatment finished 7 days ago.
Current conditions pH = 7.8, KH = 6°, GH = 12°. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
levels all low.
We have isolated the sick Oto. Grateful for your advice.
Regards,
Quentin
<Hello Quentin. Let me start by making a general statement about Otocinclus:
they are extremely difficult to maintain, and the vast majority die soon
after import. The problem is that they feed on really only a single thing --
aufwuchs, a combination of green (and exclusively green!) algae together
with the tiny invertebrates that live within that green algae 'biofilm'.
Unless you have an established aquarium of large size with very strong
lighting (2+ watts per gallon) so that green algae can flourish, it is
exceedingly unlikely your Otocinclus will be getting enough to eat. How many
months it is before they die is variable, but starve they will unless ample
substitutes are provided. Algae wafers can work, but Otocinclus find it
difficult to compete with other fish, and the fact you have other
algae-eaters, specifically guppies and Plecs, makes this point critical. For
this reason, I simply don't recommend them as community fish. Furthermore,
while water chemistry itself isn't all that important, temperature and water
quality are very important. Most people keep their tanks far too warm for
Otocinclus, which come from cool, fast-flowing streams and want something in
the 20-25 degrees C range rather than the usual 24-28 degrees C most people
maintain standard community tropicals at. In other words, a
near-subtropical, fast-water tank with things like White Cloud Mountain
Minnows and Danios is much closer to what they want than a standard Amazon
community aquarium. You also mention ammonia and nitrite levels as being
"low" -- but be under no illusions here, Otocinclus MUST have zero levels of
both. If you can detect either in your tank, it is simply not suitable for
Otocinclus. In all likelihood the sickly specimen will be dead within a few
days, so treatment here is irrelevant. Optimizing water quality, lowering
water temperature, providing ample green algae and suitable invertebrates
would all be things you could do to help the isolated fish, but that's about
it. For the rest, you need to ensure your aquarium satisfies the demands
outlined above. Hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: Oto loses colour 7/6/08
Neale,
Many thanks for your helpful advice. The Oto has now died, sadly. However,
we will develop the tank environment to make it better suited to Otocinclus.
They are an entertaining fish to watch.
<Yes they are. In the right tank, they can be great fun. In the wrong tank
though... My most recent run-in with this species was a disaster, some of
the Otocinclus deciding to graze on the mucous of some large benthic gobies.
They have a reputation for attacking big, slow moving fish such as Discus
and Angelfish. On the other hand, aquarists like Takashi Amano make much use
of Otocinclus in planted aquaria, usually alongside Caridina shrimps as a
superb combination for green algae control in brightly lit aquaria.>
Thanks again. Your website is a mine of information and a great support to
the budding enthusiasts in our family.
Regards,
Quentin
<We're happy to help, and thanks for the kind words. Cheers, Neale.>
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