How should i add my otos?

[Bogben14]

Should I do all 6 at a time, 3 and 3, 2, 2 and 2 or..?

 

[Hubert90]

Should I do all 6 at a time, 3 and 3, 2, 2 and 2 or..?

I would add them all at the same time but I'll take my time acclimating them. I've never lost any Otos using the drip acclimation method.

 

[Fishfur]

I would also add them all at once. But be careful buying them.

Make sure they have been in the store tanks for a minimum of one week, longer is better. Get the ones that are eating what the store feeds them. Not all adapt well to man made food. They are wild caught and algae tabs are not what they lived on in the wild.

I'm pleased to hear someone has good luck with these delightful fish, but it is not so much that they are fragile as it is that they are starving. They rely on gut bacteria to digest their diet, and the bacteria die off while they are held before shipping. By the time they get to stores, they are literally starving and before they can get any nutrients from the food they eat, the gut flora must grow back.

The ones that die in the first week in the store would never live in your tank, they were the ones most affected by the lack of bacteria. Those that live longer have a better chance ,but I am not comfortable about them until two months have passed.

Drip acclimating is very worthwhile, the less stress these fish endure the better their chances to live long lives. They can live quite a long time once they adapt.

 

[Hubert90]

I would also add them all at once. But be careful buying them. Make sure they have been in the store tanks for a minimum of one week, longer is better. Get the ones that are eating what the store feeds them. Not all adapt well to man made food. They are wild caught and algae tabs are not what they lived on in the wild. I'm pleased to hear someone has good luck with these delightful fish, but it is not so much that they are fragile as it is that they are starving. They rely on gut bacteria to digest their diet, and the bacteria die off while they are held before shipping. By the time they get to stores, they are literally starving and before they can get any nutrients from the food they eat, the gut flora must grow back. The ones that die in the first week in the store would never live in your tank, they were the ones most affected by the lack of bacteria. Those that live longer have a better chance ,but I am not comfortable about them until two months have passed. Drip acclimating is very worthwhile, the less stress these fish endure the better their chances to live long lives. They can live quite a long time once they adapt.

Wow! Awesome information!

Oh ya, the Otos buy from my LFS are locally bred! That's probably why I haven't lost any.