Unpopular Opinions (fish related)

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I took the black background off my tank the other day when moving it so I could give the glass a good clean, and haven't put it back on yet. The wall behind is a pale blue, so I was quite enjoying the different view. But right now, I can see my group of otoinclus glass surfing and playing on the back pane, which I wouldn't normally be able to see when the tank is dark. So I might go without a background on their permanent tank so I can enjoy them more.

Weird, I was just watching/listening to a video about how to breed otocinclus, and she described a "mating call" where the female circles around and the male chases her, and that's what I was seeing last night. Well, I don't know if they were male and female, but it was the same circling each other behaviour I saw in the video. Perhaps my otos weren't just glass surfing and playing in the bubbles above the air filter, but were actually mating?

I'm not expecting or getting my hopes up for them to successfully breed (yet!) but there are six of them in there, the chances of there being a male/female mix are pretty good. Now to find out more about how to get them to have babies! I put the black background back on earlier, shame, I might not catch it again, but we shall see. Might put the background over half of the back and leave the other half bare and see what they do.

 

[LostBear]

Weird, I was just watching/listening to a video about how to breed otocinclus, and she described a "mating call" where the female circles around and the male chases her, and that's what I was seeing last night. Well, I don't know if they were male and female, but it was the same circling each other behaviour I saw in the video. Perhaps my otos weren't just glass surfing and playing in the bubbles above the air filter, but were actually mating?

I'm not expecting or getting my hopes up for them to successfully breed (yet!) but there are six of them in there, the chances of there being a male/female mix are pretty good. Now to find out more about how to get them to have babies! I put the black background back on earlier, shame, I might not catch it again, but we shall see. Might put the background over half of the back and leave the other half bare and see what they do.

It would be wonderful if they did breed. At the moment almost all of the otties sold are wild-caught, and the mortality rate is huge - more than 50% IIRC - the stress of being caught, transported, half-starved just carries many off them off. This is why, though I LOVE otties I haven't got any (also, my tank isn't big enough for a decent-sized shoal even if home-bred was an option)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

It would be wonderful if they did breed. At the moment almost all of the otties sold are wild-caught, and the mortality rate is huge - more than 50% IIRC - the stress of being caught, transported, half-starved just carries many off them off. This is why, though I LOVE otties I haven't got any (also, my tank isn't big enough for a decent-sized shoal even if home-bred was an option)

I agree, I would dearly love to breed them for those reasons. I got them because they were recommended as good tank mates for guppies (I didn't know about hard/soft water requirements at the time, my bad for not researching enough) and I thought they were adorable. Knew they needed an established tank though and lots of algae and extra food so they didn't starve, so waited until my tank was around three months old I think.

I got four since he was selling them at like 2.99 each or 4 for £10, and they like groups, so I got four. Then another four later to round out the school more. Only discovered how important soft water is for them (mine is hard) since coming here, so I'm in the process of setting up a soft water tank just for them. Was thinking of adding ember tetras, but I might get some more otos and keep it oto only for a while, see if I can get them to breed. I've learned more about how they're caught in the wild, how they struggle with shipping and being in clean shop tanks etc, and it makes me sad. Also how often they're recommended as cleaner fish for algae, and sold in ones and twos, and just treated like a clean up crew, not awesome little fish in their own right that really need a pack of buddies, and to be fed. So many must starve to death in tanks where they've cleaned all the algae they eat, but are expected to live on hair algae or other algae that isn't food to them, and aren't given extra food

Personally, I think more of us should keep them. While not buying them on principle is a sound stance to take, I hope if more committed fish keepers keep them in the right conditions, we'll be able to start producing captive bred ones, and reduce the trade in wild caught otos. They're going to be shipped anyway to be sold singly as cleaner fish, but we need hobbyists to crack the code to breeding them well here, and educate more people on what they need.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Bettas and guppies are the most generic boring fish ever.

I respectfully disagree with you...

Bettas are not generic whatsoever - each betta look different in some way, and their personalities are always different.

Guppies may seem “generic“, but here again, they are all different. There are so many varieties it’s not even funny!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

While I agree that you may get a better view you may also stress out the fish with all the light coming into the tank and the additional movement they may see outside the tank and react to if you have the tank set up with no background and in the middle of a room and not against a wall. Some fish like tetra like shade. If you have a big enough tank with plenty of plants, driftwood and rocks maybe it would be less stressful.

I agree, it all depends on what fish you are going to keep. If you have no background (even if the wall is a color you like) it can still stress the fish out.

 

[LostBear]

I agree, it all depends on what fish you are going to keep. If you have no background (even if the wall is a color you like) it can still stress the fish out.

TBH I can't see a problem if the tank is against a wall. What is the difference between a solid (or patterned) wall, that a tank is against, and a solid (or patterned) background stuck on the back of the tank? I agree with Viking, that if you have the tank in a position in the centre of a room, with no shade on any side so that all aspects are open, this would be very stressful to any fish - especially if there was little plant. rock or branch cover inside the tank, but very few of us would even think of doing a thing like that, and I don't think that's what Adorabelle was suggesting.

A wall can act as a background just as effectively as a sheet of printed landscape, or card or whatever attached to the back of the tank.

 

[SkrimpBoi]

Theres nothing wrong with mixing shrimp colors, and u dont always get wild when interbreeding colors. I kept black red and orange rili and now have lots of baby red and black, lots of mutations into blue carbon and some new babies look almost like blue velvet shrimp... reds and oranges are getting rich and babies have way cooler markings than the parents.

Also you can totally keep caridina and neocaridina together in the right circumstances

 

[Croissant]

My store keeps bettas with other fish fro time to time, they say that male bettas are community fish

 

[EllRog]

My store keeps bettas with other fish fro time to time, they say that male bettas are community fish

Mine too! Horrible to see them wrapped around the filter at the top trying to avoid tetras, platties, mollies or swordtails. Poor little things!

 

[LostBear]

My store keeps bettas with other fish fro time to time, they say that male bettas are community fish

60 years ago my dad had a community tank and had a pair of betters - they built a bubble nest and everything. I can't remember there ever being any aggression problems (but to be fair, I was only 7).

 

[Croissant]

Mine too! Horrible to see them wrapped around the filter at the top trying to avoid tetras, platties, mollies or swordtails. Poor little things!

I saw one pacing from one corner to another. Poor little things

60 years ago my dad had a community tank and had a pair of betters - they built a bubble nest and everything. I can't remember there ever being any aggression problems (but to be fair, I was only 7).

Never heard of two males coexist together :O

 

[LostBear]

I saw one pacing from one corner to another. Poor little things

Never heard of two males coexist together :O

Not two males - one male, one female. They were in with angel fish, kissing gouramis (I'm not keen on these), black widows (which now seem to be known as black skirt tetras), zebras, neons, guppies, mollies and platties and a corydoras, from what I recall. Also red-tailed black shark and something that sucked onto the glass. As I say - I was young but I can remember that lot!

 

[EllRog]

Not two males - one male, one female. They were in with angel fish, kissing gouramis (I'm not keen on these), black widows (which now seem to be known as black skirt tetras), zebras, neons, guppies, mollies and platties and a corydoras, from what I recall. Also red-tailed black shark and something that sucked onto the glass. As I say - I was young but I can remember that lot!

That stocking is literally just as odd as my first tank

 

[Croissant]

Not two males - one male, one female. They were in with angel fish, kissing gouramis (I'm not keen on these), black widows (which now seem to be known as black skirt tetras), zebras, neons, guppies, mollies and platties and a corydoras, from what I recall. Also red-tailed black shark and something that sucked onto the glass. As I say - I was young but I can remember that lot!

That I have never seen. They did go fine together?

 

[LostBear]

That I have never seen. They did go fine together?

As far as I am aware - it was a pretty big tank though - four foot long, I think.