Karensfish
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- Apr 4, 2011
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I have a 20 gallon tank that has been up and running for about 8 months now. My Tiger Barbs and Panda Corydoras are doing well. I have what looks to be brown diatoms/dark green algae all over the sides of my tank, which looks like it is turning into green spot algae, but not really? When I use a gentle sponge sweep across it, it comes off easily, and looks like dark brown/green fuzzy slime. I heard that green spot algae is bad, and it is hard to scrub off. So it seems like parts of this film is starting to develop little circles that are a little less wipe able than before.
I thought this kind of algae (brown/green fuzzy layer) would be okay for an Oto's diet.
Yesterday I bought four Otos who seemed to be pretty healthy, though I know that they go through a lot of stress and die easily. They were at the LFS for no more than one-two weeks.
The smallest Oto seemed to be eating the algae on the filter earlier today. (still don't know if it's algae or just slime) But I just got home now after a few hours, and he was backwards, on the filter! I poked him to see if he was alive or not, and he quickly bolted away, onto the nearby tank wall. When the Otos swim around, they seem like they have a hard time going upwards.
I have a Penguin 20 gallon Bio-Wheel filter that is right next to where the Otos are (They are in a separated section along with the Panda Corydoras. The Tiger Barbs are in the other section. I am using a mesh tank divider screen. The filter is on the Corydora/Oto side.
What is the best possible explanation for this? Are they dying? Is the filter too strong?
1. This morning, I saw:
a. Couple Otos resting on the sand occasionally (Btw their bellies all look sufficiently fed)
b. One Oto on the rock ornament, not sucking on the surface, but just laying there, on the rock, being kept on the rock by the current I guess, but his mouth was not grasping anything.
2. Just ten minutes ago, I saw:
a. the small Oto on the filter backwards, then I poked him and he stuck to the tank glass for ten minutes, then he let go of the glass and in a millisecond, was pulled instantly onto the filter tube again (dorsal fin side on filter)
b. an Oto on the glass, kind of sucking on the glass, but moving upwards, and then chilling where his nose was almost at the surface of the water.
c. none of them are really gasping yet
So... what's going on??
(I have more pictures! )
UPDATE:::
Okay now (twenty minutes after I started writing this post), I am seeing the smallest Oto struggling to swim/stay on a surface. I turned off th filter to stop the strong water current. I took a couple videos of the small Oto struggling to stay on a surface, It was wobbling and trying to swim correctly but was weak. Then it fell to the sand, motionless. I moved the sand next to it and it swam away very wobbly and jerky. Now it's on and off with its behavior. In comparison to a bigger Oto that was swimming next to it, it was more graceful and moved with a purpose. The little Oto was kind of getting in the path of the other one, and seemed clumsy as it was trying to swim. It was like it was drunk, and didn't know what it was doing, and was at the mercy of the (now almost non-existent) current since I turned off the filter.
And now it's laying motionless at the bottom of the edge of the tank divider and sand. Oh dear.
I thought this kind of algae (brown/green fuzzy layer) would be okay for an Oto's diet.
Yesterday I bought four Otos who seemed to be pretty healthy, though I know that they go through a lot of stress and die easily. They were at the LFS for no more than one-two weeks.
The smallest Oto seemed to be eating the algae on the filter earlier today. (still don't know if it's algae or just slime) But I just got home now after a few hours, and he was backwards, on the filter! I poked him to see if he was alive or not, and he quickly bolted away, onto the nearby tank wall. When the Otos swim around, they seem like they have a hard time going upwards.
I have a Penguin 20 gallon Bio-Wheel filter that is right next to where the Otos are (They are in a separated section along with the Panda Corydoras. The Tiger Barbs are in the other section. I am using a mesh tank divider screen. The filter is on the Corydora/Oto side.
What is the best possible explanation for this? Are they dying? Is the filter too strong?
1. This morning, I saw:
a. Couple Otos resting on the sand occasionally (Btw their bellies all look sufficiently fed)
b. One Oto on the rock ornament, not sucking on the surface, but just laying there, on the rock, being kept on the rock by the current I guess, but his mouth was not grasping anything.
2. Just ten minutes ago, I saw:
a. the small Oto on the filter backwards, then I poked him and he stuck to the tank glass for ten minutes, then he let go of the glass and in a millisecond, was pulled instantly onto the filter tube again (dorsal fin side on filter)
b. an Oto on the glass, kind of sucking on the glass, but moving upwards, and then chilling where his nose was almost at the surface of the water.
c. none of them are really gasping yet
So... what's going on??
(I have more pictures! )
UPDATE:::
Okay now (twenty minutes after I started writing this post), I am seeing the smallest Oto struggling to swim/stay on a surface. I turned off th filter to stop the strong water current. I took a couple videos of the small Oto struggling to stay on a surface, It was wobbling and trying to swim correctly but was weak. Then it fell to the sand, motionless. I moved the sand next to it and it swam away very wobbly and jerky. Now it's on and off with its behavior. In comparison to a bigger Oto that was swimming next to it, it was more graceful and moved with a purpose. The little Oto was kind of getting in the path of the other one, and seemed clumsy as it was trying to swim. It was like it was drunk, and didn't know what it was doing, and was at the mercy of the (now almost non-existent) current since I turned off the filter.
And now it's laying motionless at the bottom of the edge of the tank divider and sand. Oh dear.
