Has Anyone Bred Otos?

[AlexAndCarmen]

Our panda corys spawned last night, and all the corys got excited. But everytime our pandas have got excited, otos get really excited. This morning, we actually saw them "T"ing like the corys do, and we have eggs!!!!!! We've taken some out, but not sure how long they take to hatch, or how to raise fry!! Anyone got any info

 

[§tudz]

Thats impressive, I wanna see some pics I've been told they are very hard to breed?

 

[geo7x]

I've been told they are very hard to breed?

If it is hard to breed them then they must be happy. Its probably no coincidence that they spawned after the pandas because seeing the pandas breeding would probably get them in 'the mood'

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

I didn't know they were hard to breed They started this morning, and are still at it. We've retrieved a few eggs, even though they've been at it all day. We got 5 about 2 weeks ago, 4 of the stripey kind and 1 peppered. Didn't know till we got home that there was a peppered one. We have 2 males and 2 females of the stripey kind and one of the males has been spawning with both females. Shame, the one female has been so fat for ages, glad she's layed some eggs. They look the same as cory eggs, just a tiny bit smaller. Since putting them in the net a few hours ago, they have gone amber. They are also sticky like the cory eggs. We didn't get all their eggs, since the one female has taken to eating the eggs as soon as she lays them.

Raising them might be harder than the actual spawning. Finding is also difficult, since they spawn and lay under the leaves, so you have to crank your neck to find anything.

I have attached a pic of them spawning, but not of the eggs. Will try get some of the eggs again.

 

[Bloo]

How exciting ! Awesome and good luck !

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Trying to find out any info on these breeding is very difficult. But I did find someone who'd bred them and she said 48 hours till they hatch. So this morning I check them often and just after 12, the first 2 started to hatch. Same as corys, tail sticks out of the egg while they wriggle to free themselves. Didn't take too long, but the first wriggled to much, the egg became unstuck from the leaf and was floating on the surface with them still wriggling out. But we witness the birth and the little thing swam all over. They have more control than cory fry and as so tiny and clear. So, we're pretty excited about our new babies and our breeding net is full of algae. Just hope they are similar to raise as cory fry.

I took a load of pics of the eggs hatching, but none of the pics came out. They all were blurry, a bit difficult in a breeding net. So far, we have two hatched, and there's a bunch more eggs still to go. Will keep you posted on their progress and hopefully have some picks of them too. Carmen

 

[catxx]

ooo yes keep us updated! one of my 3 otos is very fat, shes the big girl and has 2 boyfriends. they all zip around together all the time.

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Just took some more pics. They are so cute. Look at that huge yolk sac

First born

Second born

Some eggs waiting to hatch

Hope you can make them out.
They are so cute
Keep well, Carmen

 

[catxx]

sooooo tiny!! surprised you managed to spot them!

their eggs look near-identical to my ramshorn snail eggs haha

 

[§tudz]

just out of interest did you feed your otos white worm?
As I've had problem with my cory eggs, they hatch but don;'t last more than a week, well the last batch didn't anyway. I was told that white worm will give the fry bigger yolk sacks, when the worms are fed to the parents?

lol I need to know how to get hold of some, as the guy I was told to contact doesn't seem to sell them anymore.

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Hi Catxx

Thanks. If you have plants in your tank, check under the leaves for eggs. That's where ours layed, and normally in the same place. Good luck


Hi Studz

We feed our corys JMC catfish pellets and bloodworm twice or three times a week as a treat. The only problem we've had with their fry, were a few dying at about 3 months old due to internal bacterial problems. What did you feed your fry after 3 days when they've absorbed their sacs?? We feed ours microworms.

As for the oto parents, they are only interested in the algae in the tank, and don't touch the food we feed the other fish. I do feed a algae wafer for my plec, so maybe they eat some of that, not sure.
Keep well, Carmen

 

[catxx]

my otos LOVE plec flakes, they get one every 2-3 days.
they eat a lot of the algae in the tank before it grows
i had a really bad brown algae problem they cleared overnight
they love to snuffle over the gravel and on the bogwood, will peer closer at the underside of my leaves, but if my betta spots it first they'll be gone!

 

[Bloo]

Great new photos !
I guess you would have come across this weblink - with more links further down but worth pointing out.

Keep us updated.

 

[geo7x]

wow, according to that website it is pretty rare......you should write a report on what happens and put it on the internet because it's clear not many people have

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

Thanks Bloo

I was on that site this morning. Like I said, not too much info is there.

And Thanks geo7x

I'll wait till they've grown a bit and maybe do a detailed report. Taken enough pics. I think the hardest thing to do will be to raise them. All fry are difficult. But I will keep everyone updated.

Does anyone know what type of oto these are? They just said oto at the LFS.

Another pic, with 4 hatched fry and 2 still to hatch. The earlier fry have already absorbed a lot of their yolk sacs!!

Keep well, Carmen