Dwarf Sucker Mouth Died In Less Than 24 Hours

[tekisui]

I picked up the little fella because he is an algae eater that won't get very big. I acclimated him, and dropped him in the tank yesterday at 4:00pm. He hurriedly began sucking the sides of the tank and the plants. I had very little algae, but did have some starting to grow on the back glass. He was doing well this morning when I left for school. But, was dead when I came home at 2:00. I tested the water(pH, nitrite, nitrate, hardness, temperature), and everything was fine. All of the other fish are doing fine.

I had also dropped an algae wafer in just in case he couldn't find enough algae on the tanks, but he never left from sucking the glass. I want an algae eater, and I thought this one would be ideal for my 20 gallon community tank, and don't know what happened.

Thanks for any help.

Here is a picture of what he looked like.
http/badmanstropicalfish.com/Image/ron/oto1a.jpg

 

[JenCliBee]

Firstly otto's do better in groups.... how mature is the tank?, they tend to prefer the much more mature tank and alot seem to have problems with introducing them to newly established/cycled tanks.

 

[tekisui]

Firstly otto's do better in groups.... how mature is the tank?, they tend to prefer the much more mature tank and alot seem to have problems with introducing them to newly established/cycled tanks.

The tank is about a month and a half old. I wish I had known that they prefer a more mature tank, I would have waited.

I have two cory otto's, but those are bottom feeders. This one was a sucker, should he have also been in a group?

When would a tank be considered mature enough for the sucker?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi tekisui

I just want to clear something up. It might not have been your fault that your oto died. They are sensitive fish and they do their best in more established, and especially in planted, tanks.

However, it's not at all unusual to have them die early on. This is due to two factors that the buyer has no control over. First, they are sometimes captured, in the wild, by people who put poison in the water to stun them so they can easily net them out. Some never completely recover from this. Second, unlike some fish, they need a steady supply of food to survive. There is bacteria in their stomachs that help digest the vegetable matter they eat. If they are starved for a period of time during shipping, they will lose this and never be able to properly digest their food again. In that case, even if they are fed again, they will eventually die.

The best thing to do is to look for ones that have round tummies when you buy them. If the shopkeeper tells you they have been in the store for awhile, it's a good sign. It's no guarantee that they will survive, but it's all you can do.

They are nice little fish and I hope you have more luck with them in the future.