I have a med-heavily planted low tech 20 gal long. It's been running without fish for 1 month. I just added 4 juvie otos as the first fish 5 days ago. I know they are sensitive and not the best first fish but I had a lot of soft green algae and didn't want to see it go to waste. I'm committed to monitoring water parameters and maintenance and have some QT's in case things go awry. I've also been adjusting my light and aeration to reduce the algae, to not rely on otos to cure my algae problem, just help me clean it up and keep it in check.
They have been doing really well. They hang out in the open and while they don't school, they hang out together at times. I have been absolutely astounded how much algae they have eaten in just a few days. I'm not sure where those tiny little guys pack it away!
I work from home so have been able to keep an eye on them several times a day. I usually try to account for all four when I check on them. I noticed yesterday evening that one them has two large white spots on his head. The spots look flat not "furry". Further it seems to have happened suddenly since I would have noticed something growing earlier. The spots remind me of an abrasion that I saw on a betta that had gotten himself stuck in an ornament and thrashed himself out. Oto has been acting normally, he was munching away on algae while I was trying to get this pic. His fins are out normally and he is swimming normally.
They do suddenly dart around freakishly quick and my tank has some driftwood that he has been hanging out in. I'm wondering if maybe he got stuck or collided with something. One other possibility is I did see some of them "clean" each other when they were hanging out together. It was quick, not an extended behavior, and did not look aggressive.
I also found this link which looks scarily similar and turned out to be fatal and possibly be a bacterial infection, although the fish was not treated. The only thing is, as mentioned before, in my case it seems to have happened too quick for an infection.
Otocinclus With Big White Spot - Tropical Fish Emergencies - Tropical Fish Forums
Here's my oto:
Does it look like disease or injury? Any advice on the next step? My current plan is to monitor closely. If it seems to spread or get worse then medicate and possibly QT him. I have a variety of meds coming in tomorrow, was setting up a med kit. But I don't want to use any unless it I am certain it is disease. Thanks for any help!
Tank parameters:
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrates: 0
- pH: my Hanna meter says 7.8, master test shows 8. Water is quite hard. I'm taking the strategy to keep it simple, stable, and not mess with RO water, pH adjusters etc... just try to gently acclimate plants and animals.
- temp: 76-78 degrees F
- conditioner: Prime
- substrate: 20 lb bag of eco-complete with some course river rock on top
- filtration: HOB Aquaclear 20 and a sponge filter in the other corner
- maintenance: minor aquascaping (e.g. removing dead leaves) & 10-20% changes every few days
They have been doing really well. They hang out in the open and while they don't school, they hang out together at times. I have been absolutely astounded how much algae they have eaten in just a few days. I'm not sure where those tiny little guys pack it away!
I work from home so have been able to keep an eye on them several times a day. I usually try to account for all four when I check on them. I noticed yesterday evening that one them has two large white spots on his head. The spots look flat not "furry". Further it seems to have happened suddenly since I would have noticed something growing earlier. The spots remind me of an abrasion that I saw on a betta that had gotten himself stuck in an ornament and thrashed himself out. Oto has been acting normally, he was munching away on algae while I was trying to get this pic. His fins are out normally and he is swimming normally.
They do suddenly dart around freakishly quick and my tank has some driftwood that he has been hanging out in. I'm wondering if maybe he got stuck or collided with something. One other possibility is I did see some of them "clean" each other when they were hanging out together. It was quick, not an extended behavior, and did not look aggressive.
I also found this link which looks scarily similar and turned out to be fatal and possibly be a bacterial infection, although the fish was not treated. The only thing is, as mentioned before, in my case it seems to have happened too quick for an infection.
Otocinclus With Big White Spot - Tropical Fish Emergencies - Tropical Fish Forums
Here's my oto:
Does it look like disease or injury? Any advice on the next step? My current plan is to monitor closely. If it seems to spread or get worse then medicate and possibly QT him. I have a variety of meds coming in tomorrow, was setting up a med kit. But I don't want to use any unless it I am certain it is disease. Thanks for any help!
Tank parameters:
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrates: 0
- pH: my Hanna meter says 7.8, master test shows 8. Water is quite hard. I'm taking the strategy to keep it simple, stable, and not mess with RO water, pH adjusters etc... just try to gently acclimate plants and animals.
- temp: 76-78 degrees F
- conditioner: Prime
- substrate: 20 lb bag of eco-complete with some course river rock on top
- filtration: HOB Aquaclear 20 and a sponge filter in the other corner
- maintenance: minor aquascaping (e.g. removing dead leaves) & 10-20% changes every few days
