Otos

[Christmasfish]

Sigh..Algae
green algae is rare in my tanks, the bamboo out-competes it. But bamboo does lay down silicates. Brown "algae" is getting annoying at tank changes.
Seriously thinking that otos are the fish for my son's chocolate gourami tank as soon as it establishes better. Being so small and amiable. But I don't know if they would like the conditions made for the gourami. I have a little peat bringing the level to a stable 6.7 for the chocolates. They prefer lower but I think I will stay with imperfect but stable. And they have a warmer tank at F 85. Everyone else has 80. And one end is highly filtrated. Would otos be good cleaner candidates for that tank?


Though I have a scourge of brown "algae" (its the dusty diatom stuff) this week in my older tanks, but I don't think the knife would resist something that isn't good at darting away. And the botias may or may not harrass them in the croaking gourami tank. I should have got mini corys or otos for that tank too. But now the deed is done and I like Exxon so much I know that he is staying. So I guess I will leave the staus quo for that tank. But the skunks won't touch the brown algae only green and Exxon competes with the ghost shrimp when not just up top with the gourami. He eats no algae at all that I can tell.

I can't use snails because they have to HUGE or be eaten (lost the gold one this week..only the near fist size blue remains.)
guess for now..."i gotta suck it up"

 

[Christmasfish]

My son upgraded to a 15.
Got more chocolates; 2 more osphro s and 2 more sela s and bought 3 large (heh..ooo almost an inch)otos.
All the new ones are in QT. The Chocolates will have a short QT because they are from the same batch, same tank. Since it has been some time and things can happen they will be QT'd all the same. the otos are from the new marine store. I so not like the color of their freshies so I will have to use extreme caution for them before they are in the tank.
LAST CHANCE!
Are otos compatible with chocolate tank's water conditions......
85 F/30C 6.7pH with peat and slight acidicy with extract. Almost no fluctuation with aged water change (6.9 and down to 6.7 again)Heavy current from biowheel is shielded from main tank. Zero readings across the board with the exception of NitrAte. There was media brought from anotehr tank after QT was finished so they have an ols filter cartridge with algae galore but none in the tank. the oto Qt is wher the polypterus Qt was. It is an algae eater paradise. Two flavors! I also have Hikari wafer on backup.

 

[LAGlocker]

I wish I could answer your question about the otos, I have never kept them. After reading about them on here though, I am thinking about getting some if I set up another tank. Let me know how yours turn out, and how you like them.

 

[Christmasfish]

So far all I can find is my tank temp may be high for them but otherwise it is right up their alley.
I will bump it to 28C so as to make everyone happy and see if it can be brought back up in increments.
I hear they die easy. I heard that my son's chocoltes would die unless I personaly cared for them 24/7 *shrug* So I'll take account what I hear but not panic yet.

 

[Christmasfish]

oto info

AaaawCARP! I found little info on otos except a little blurb of where they are found...

Oh nooo! I have been down around Sao Paulo. I have family down there! The Iguape River basin is COLD! The water is cold to swim in and it rains all the time! (sub-tropical California cold as opposed to a sunny day in Panama). So that means that means the water is soft..
the water is drinkable even out in the marshes..need little filtering!
The water isn't very still where they are from, especialy the rivers.
It is mountain river water so still pretty chilly like at 60-75F.
I was there in what is considered summer!
I know some areas have warmer swimming holes but that means the 82-85 the chocolates prefer is not comfy I bet!

Maybe species from the deltas at the Atlantic are warmer blooded. but how can you tell one oto from another? One will thrive with Cloudfish and one prefers real tropical. Auugh! Wrong sub-species = fast death

 

[Christmasfish]

wingin it with otos

Well the otos are doing okay in QT day 3. I don't see them eat but they all have reasonably full belly areas.
Two of them are actually beautiful! The larger flat-faced one is a little more subdued in color but has a pattern that matches the other gold toned oto.

I am keeping them at 25C for now. I probably won't put them in the chocolate tank. During the last week of QT I'll try increments of temp over the 7 day period to see if they can thrive and tolerate the lowest chocolate's temp of 28C

 

[PlatyLady]

Good luck with the otos! I hear that people often have problems with them, although mine were just like getting any other fish. The hardest part was floating them in the bag long enough while they fought to get out of it. Really, I've never had any probs with them.

 

[Christmasfish]

So far so good. I know for sure some of them are eating...heh! Poop doesn't come from fairy magic! They are looking pretty good. The one turns a beautiful color for most the day.They seem to be plumping up some now. I put some plants from my other tank in there for them to clean off. The dont like the moss on the floor for some reason, only on stuff like the old filter cartridge (is clean now) and the rocks.


Next day add on: They are sooo cute now. The kids love them! They are scooting around every once in a while . Still cant SEE them eating, but the improving look to them shows they must be eating. YeAY!

 

[Christmasfish]

My otos are doing fine in QT so far. I had to give them a new "dirty" plant from a "clean" tank and another standby filter. I didn't see them do it...but they cleaned that tank and the extra filter already!

 

[QTOFFER]

I've read that the otos come out to eat at night .

I'm glad you seem to be having luck with the otos.
Interesting observation you had regarding their native temperature. Perhaps that's why I and so many others had so much trouble with them - the lfs was basically cooking them at 82oF!

Please keep us posted on how they acclimate to the rise in temperature.

 

[ScottS]

They're notorious for dropping off several days, even weeks into their new environments, so keep your fingers crossed for a couple months.

 

[Christmasfish]

Right now I have them at my chilly room temps with a heater for a cold night.
They have to come up full 10 degrees to be with the chocolates.
I have the advantage of having soft acidic water straight from tap.
They are definitely quiet lil things. I wouldn't know they are alive except they switch locations and their shiny gold eyes. Perfect for gourami in being unnoticed and still, better still for delicate easy going gourami like the chocolates.
They still have 3 weeks of QT before being in a big tank