What the heck, Otos??!

[threnjen]

What is with these stupid fish? Or is it me? I know they are super duper delicate but honestly this is ridiculous. I started with 16 and at this point I MAYBE have 8 (could be less, I'm not sure I found every body and I can't ever see that many at once).

I have a 90g with plenty of bio film, but they spend most of their time attached to the glass doing a whole lot of nothing (including eating). Then they just die, and die, and die, and die some more. My husband worries they are starving but there is lots of algae and bio film and they don't even try.

I can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong or if Otos really just suck this much. Is it me?

 

[Mifsud]

Why does your husband think they're starving? What type of food do you feed them?

I feed my catfish OmegaOne veggie rounds. There was a picture of a catfish on the container so I knew I was purchasing the right one.

They seem to like it since they all charge towards it when I drop some in.

 

[Brookster123]

Why does your husband think they're starving? What type of food do you feed them? I feed my catfish OmegaOne veggie rounds. There was a picture of a catfish on the container so I knew I was purchasing the right one. They seem to like it since they all charge towards it when I drop some in.

otos are not your average catfish... They specifically feed on the bio film that accumulates on the surface of your tank and deco's.. I don't know threnjen.. You've said it yourself.. The means in which these fish are obtained.. Who knows the permanent damage done? Maybe they have lost sense? Perhaps they are traumatized? Oto PTSD??

 

[Mifsud]

Have you tried cucumber? This guy's oto likes to eat veggie rounds...

168. Oto cats eating cucumber - YouTube

 

[threnjen]

I put in two algae tabs a night, and I've never seen them go near them. They would not eat the algae tabs when they were in QT before going to my display. I always had to net them out when they became moldy. I always put one in though, just in case.
In the QT I also tried feeding them shelled peas and blanched kale. Nope. Netted out when they were moldy. Tried more than once.
I eventually moved them to my display ahead of when I planned, specifically because I couldn't get them to eat anything I offered in the QT. They don't seem to want to eat anything. I never see eat anything in the display.

Brookster I feel like you with rams >.< STOP DYING OTOS!! ARGH

 

[Brookster123]

Well I'm guessing you had an idea what you were getting into with the Otos, as did I with poor ol ramster.. This is as much frustrating as rewarding huh?
Ps Rammy is still fighting!

 

[threnjen]

I'll have to try some cucumber, not something I have laying around though. Maybe I'll snag a piece next time the kids and I go to the pizza buffet to give it a try, lol.

 

[threnjen]

Well I'm guessing you had an idea what you were getting into with the Otos, as did I with poor ol ramster.. This is as much frustrating as rewarding huh?
Ps Rammy is still fighting!

Good job Rammy!!!

I was hoping to end up with 10 if I bought 16, I'm already under that! Argh! It's worse than I had anticipated, honestly.

 

[Brookster123]

They're that delicate huh? Wowzers! Where'd you get then from?

 

[Mifsud]

Good job Rammy!!!

I was hoping to end up with 10 if I bought 16, I'm already under that! Argh! It's worse than I had anticipated, honestly.

This one time, I purchased 12 neon tetras and figured 6 would survive. I don't have any neons anymore.

 

[threnjen]

This one time, I purchased 12 neon tetras and figured 6 would survive. I don't have any neons anymore.

Oh that sucks

I got the Otos from my LFS, it's not Petco or Petsmart! I don't usually have an issue with their stock. Maybe I will try Otos from a different place though if I end up needing more =|

 

[Brookster123]

If your going to order another 76 in hopes that 8 will live.. try that online Lfs? Wetspot?? I've heard good things about them.

 

[threnjen]

Wet Spot is local to me It's not the closest shop (and not the one I got them from) but that is where I would go for the replacements.

P.S. LUCKY ME because that shop is AMAZEBALLS

 

[skullminerteam]

All i know is ottos need a really old tank

 

[Brookster123]

All i know is ottos need a really old tank

not necessarily.. Just a well "coated" tank if I'm not mistaking.. Threnjen.. You're very fortunate, you'd best road trip it to that place and get some fish from the deep end of the gene pool!

 

[Fishdude3233]

Is wet spot really as good as people say it is? I've never really heard much about them.... We're are they located?

 

[threnjen]

Is wet spot really as good as people say it is? I've never really heard much about them.... We're are they located?

They are in Portland, OR (NW US)

Their fish are very colorful and their shop is HUGE, absolutely enormous, and specialized only in freshwater so it's pretty amazing. They carry like... everything. They have tons and tons of plants too so I usually go there for those.

I don't *love* their transparency. I went to buy some dwarf cories from them. They had a red sticker on the tank. The guy said "oh they're in quarantine, they will be available in a few days". He did not say they were sick or anything so I assumed (my bad) that they were just new or something. Well I went back and bought them the next weekend. Then my tank got columnaris and 50% of my fish died and I spent upwards of $250 on meds, hospital tank (now QT), replacement fish, replacement plants. When I went back the next time they were in quarantine again and a girl said she had been treating them for months for an "unknown illness" . I told her how the cories had killed my tank and she was just like "oh that sucks". I felt like she could have at least said more...

So. Honestly, I don't LOVE them for that. I mean I realize it wasn't directly their fault but a bit of transparency would not have hurt. But who knows, maybe the employee didn't know why they were in quarantine. Their selection can't be beat and their shop is immaculate and amazing. That was really a service gripe more than anything (a very costly one, but at least I use a QT tank now).

I got my ram there and she seems quite hardy.

 

[Caliban07]

Where the ottos in the tank when you were treating for columnaris?

I had 4 and now I have none. I think they may be really sensitives to certain medications. Also we know how they are obtained. Someone once told me if they survive a month they will be ok but this turned out to be wrong.

They definitely love cucumber and see to find it really easily.

 

[Caliban07]

iPhone makes it look like I can't use proper English but I swear it's not me!

 

[threnjen]

Where the ottos in the tank when you were treating for columnaris?

I had 4 and now I have none. I think they may be really sensitives to certain medications. Also we know how they are obtained. Someone once told me if they survive a month they will be ok but this turned out to be wrong.

They definitely love cucumber and see to find it really easily.

Nope, they are recent. I know they tend to just up and die which is why I bought so many. But SHEESH. It makes one feel like a terrible fishkeeper I think I will just manage with however many end up surviving, because I don't want to keep spending money on them.

I'll try the cucumber, hopefully I can keep the snails off it so the otos can try it!