I brought 4 Otocinclus but can only see 2 for last week

[Long1234]

About 3 weeks ago I brought 4 otocinclus and put in my 12 gallon tank with 8 guppies and 2 gouramis . For first few days they all swam around fine. Then i could only see 3 otocinclus, now I can only find 2. I can't see any dead fish or bits of fish and my ammonia levels are fine. Are they generally amazing hiders or is there something I'm missing

 

[JuiceBox52]

Could have died and been eaten by the other fish, I've found guppies to be very happy when they get the chance to munch on a body

Move all your plants around just to check if they're hiding

 

[I nEEd mEnTAl HeLP]

If you literally can't find them then I'm guessing they died first and got eaten. Have you checked your decorations? They aren't necessarily the bravest fish ever and may just be hiding.

Another possibility is that they jumped out.

 

[Long1234]

Thank you for the reply, I didn't think the guppies would eat it. Would they eat everything as there is no sign of a dead body.

 

[Byron]

Otos can be difficult to spot, if they are resting motionless on a plant leaf. I just sit in front of the tank and wait for movement--if they move.

 

[Long1234]

If you literally can't find them then I'm guessing they died first and got eaten. Have you checked your decorations? They aren't necessarily the bravest fish ever and may just be hiding.

Another possibility is that they jumped out.

I do have a lid on my tank so I guess I can count jumping out of the list. I did poke around a bit but I didn't want to disturb my plants to much. I shall wait till the weekend water change and have a good rummage with all my decorations. Thank you

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up for?
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH of the tank water?

 

[Long1234]

Hi the levels are all good. We've had the tank for nearly 4 years , but about 12 weeks ago we had to empty it as had a leak. It was left cycling for about 4 weeks then we put new guppies in then following week we added the otocinclus