2nd oto gone

[navigator]

In the last 2 hours I have lost a 2nd zebra oto the other perished a couple of days ago. I am now down to my last one and am thinking that this one is gonna go the same way as the other 2. there was absolutely no warning of this oto perishing as it was swimming about at 8am this morning. have just tested my water agaion and it is currently standing at
ph 7.0
nitrite 0
nitrate 25
can anyone give an explanetion for this happening as I only got these 2 weeks ago.

 

[Morrgan]

Ottos are not that easy fish to keep. They need clean and, more importantly, oxygen-rich water. Do you have a good water circulation at the surface or an airpump running? What's the temperature?

Did you quarantine the fish? It could also be a bacterial infection caused by sudden exposure to the bacteria in your tank. Every tank has its specific bacteria that are harmless to fish that are immune to them. The fish living in the tank will be immune, but new fish, with the added stress of being moved, might have trouble getting immunity and are thus prone to infection during the first couple of weeks. Quarantining the fish and slowly introducing them to the water in the main tank can help avoid this.

 

[chris_1127]

i lost 2 of the first 3 otos I got within the first 2 weeks of keeping them, one with the same symptoms as your first one (bloated and reddened belly). both seemed to have bouts of hyperactivity not long before they died though. I've had about 8 in total now, and at present have 3 remaining that i have had for about 5 months , and seem pretty healthy. They just seem to be fragile fish though, and others that i have lost have died suddenly with no signs of illness or other symptoms. It seems to be a lot of pot luck whether they survive or not.

Good luck with the last one, hope it makes it. I know that a local lfs has zebra otos for £19.99 each so hope that you arent losing expensive fish too

 

[navigator]

hi there Morrgan the temp of the water is steady at 78 degrees and for at least 4 hours every day I have an airpump running. I never quarantined the fish as I do not really know much about quarantining in the sense of where do you keep the fish how to you slowly introduce them to the main tanks water etc. can you please help me out here with how best to quarantine as I want to replace these fish.

 

[Morrgan]

Hum, I have no idea what 78 is, can you convert to C?

When have the fish died, is it during the day or night? Are there live plants? The lack of oxygen is greatest at night in planted tanks, as then the plants absorb oxygen instead of making it, so it would be more important to have the airpump on at nighttime. If the fish have died during the day, I'd guess it's the bacterial infection that's the culprit.

As for the best way of quarantining, people have different opinions. I'd quarantine fish by having a separate tank, say around 10 gal for small fish, with a cycled filter, some hideouts for the fish, a bit of sand on the bottom and completely new water (i.e. nothing from the main tank). After a couple of weeks of observing the fish to make sure they don't have any disease to begin with, I'd add a tablespoon of main tank water to the quarantine tank and vice versa. This way both the new and the old fish would get a little of each other's bacteria. Think of it as a vaccine. I'd do it again once or twice during the next few days and then new fish could be moved to their permanent home.

 

[navigator]

78 degrees F is 26 degrees C I am going to get another tank set up and purchase some more otos and try and do as you are saying. Both of the otos that I have lost have died during daytime the 2nd was ok and swimming about at 8am but dead at 12.30pm when I checked the tank. I only put the airpump on during the day, is it ok to put the pump on at night time and leave it on till morning, wont this disturb the fish.

 

[Morrgan]

Ok, I'd say 26C is a bit high for ottos in general, but I seem to remember the zebra ottos don't mind a higher temp as long as there's enough oxygen.

Best of luck in the future with your fish and I hope the last otto will be ok.

As for the air pump, you'd better ask someone with more experience of them in community tanks. I only use them in fry tanks and there I haven't noticed any trouble. Depends on how strong the air flow is compared with the tank size, I suppose. However, seems to me that if you're only going to keep the pump on during the day, it's little more than a decoration.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi navigator

Otos can be tricky to buy. Often they have been without food for some time before you get them and will never be able to recover. The important thing to know is what they look like when you buy them. Pass any by that do not look absolutely healthy and fat.

Here's a link to a thread that you might find helpful. Bignose's post should be particularly useful to you:


http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=75879

 

[navigator]

Thanks for that Inchworm and yes bignoses post is a massive help, judging on inspection of the 2nd dead oto it looks like it has been starved but the 3rd remaining oto looks a little bit plumper and fingers crossed it survives. I am gonna get some more otos but the problem I have is getting up here in Scotland they do not seem to be very easy to get, I may have to again order them from a shop that is no where near where I stay and this is only going to stress them out. Will quarantine the next batch for a month to give them a chance.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi navigator

Will quarantine the next batch for a month to give them a chance.

I don't know if that will help or not. It seems like some of them are too far gone to recover no matter what you do. Since they are dependent on the bacteria in their stomach to convert their food so that they can digest it, if it is gone, there is nothing you can do to bring it back.

If you are considering ordering by mail order, I don't think it's a good idea for buying otos, unless you can contact the source and be assured that they have kept them alive for several weeks and that they have fat bellies.