Oto's Dying

[moggy]

i bought 4 oto's a few weeks ago only got 1 left are these fish hard to keep or something my water stats are fine and no other fish have died i use good quality flake food ,catfish pellets and algae tablets and freeze dried food they is quite a bit of algae in tank which they seem to be eating any other people had probs with keeping oto's ? thanks for any replies

 

[Majjie]

Otos are notorious for dying just after they've been moved to a new tank.

They like really well established tanks with lots of algae ... so are even more prone to dying in newish tanks ... but even in mature tanks, it isn't surprising to lose some of them.

It's a good idea to put in some shelled peas or courgette for them, now and again, if you haven't got lots of algae.

 

[dave_gray2077]

They are sensitive to water starts.

what's the reputation of the shop you bought them at like and do you know anything about his suppliers?

I think wild caught ottos can be trapped by introducing cyanide to the water in a low concentration so they are easy to harvest/catch. I think this is way so many die in such a short time.

Also what are you water stats?
Tank size
Other occupants of the tank?
Has the tank been cycled?

Edit to add.

Well feed ottos should look podgy and very round. Are you feeding them algae wafers or just letting them feed of the algae in the tank?

 

[moggy]

thanks for the replys the tank is a juwel trigon 190 water stats are ammonia 0 nitrite 0 ph 7.5 nitrate 5 temp 25 c been set up about 6 months i feed algae wafers ever other day

 

[vinylman]

With Otos, it's always ideal if you can see that they're already eating well in the shop. They can take a while to start eating when they've just finished their long journey and have just been put into the dealer's tank. I'd put wafers in every night, just before lights out.

 

[SJ2K]

And acclimatise them via the drip method.

 

[coldmachineUK]

And acclimatise them via the drip method.

With sensitive fish like otos I usually find acclimatising them over a longer period of time than usual helps. I usually use the drip method over a period of about an hour to 1.5 hours, draining the bags and refilling them midway through.
Also, reputable sellers help. I've had no problems with otos from Trimar if you're in the UK and fancy having fishies mailed to you in the post (that sounds far worse than it actually is...hehe).

 

[Majjie]

I'd agree with the above ... but my Otos won't touch algae wafers, whereas they quite like real vegetables. Just keep an eye on yours moggy and see if they are eating the food you put in.

Mine don't always get a chance to eat the wafers - because the Amano shrimps rush in and run off with them - but even when they come across one, they show no interest.