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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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