Otocinculus catfish

[Snophi]

HI!
I've heard that the Otocinculus catfish is a difficult fish to keep due to their sensitivity.
Yesterday, as I was watching my tank, I noticed a baby Otocinculus on the side of the tank (I didn't even know they had bred).
My question is what is the survival rate of babies and how do I ensure that it survives when I'm cleaning my tank.? I didnt put it in the breeding tank as it is too small to catch aND would swim straight through the net.
Now I know I have a breeding Otocinculus pair, how do I ensure that they continue to breed? - I'm having a slight problem with health of other fish so have had to mess slightly with the pH.
Thanks

 

[Byron]

The sensitivity of Otocinclus is primarily upon their arrival. All will be wild caught (unless one has a local breeder) and almost starved to death by the time they reach the store. Placing them in a tank with algae usually allows them to settle, otherwise they frequently die. Once settled, they are fairly hardy fish, and will learn to graze sinking algae-based foods. You mention medications, so be careful, as not all medications can be safe for all fish.

I've also had these fish spawn; I had three in a heavily planted 90g tank several years ago, then one day I counted five of them, with two a bit smaller than the other three. I hadn't even noticed this, as usually I can't see all of them, they can be well hidden among thick plants and if they are at rest probably won't even be seen.

The only way to successfully raise them is to separate the breeding fish into their own planted aquarium. The eggs are most vulnerable, as with any fish, especially if other species are present. Once they hatch, if they have sufficient hiding places, they may survive on the natural microscopic foods of which algae must be a staple. I've not come across reports of aquarium spawning methods, though some might exist.

Byron.

 

[Baccus]

From everything I have read most spawnings of otocinclus have been fluke/ chance and the "breeder" usually is not 100% sure of what exact triggers got the otos to breed let alone being able to replicate it.
If you have been playing around with the pH and possibly also water temp, this may have triggered a spawning because the otos where fooled into thinking they had gone through a dry season (more concentrated pH/ gH and higher water temp) and have now entered a wet season (diluted water regarding pH/ gH and lower water temp).
From all the research I have done there seems to be a low survival rate for oto fry, this could be because they are spawned by chance usually in a mixed tank collection and the other fish in the tank feasted on the eggs and fry. The low survival could also be from lack of suitable food, their may be enough micro foods and algae to support a set number of adults but not enough to feed even 10 fry.
To try and ensure the survival of fry you may need to grow aufwuchs on rocks or plates of glass, this to the naked eye may just look like algae but will also have micro organisms living with in the biofilm that the otos will eat. You could also try suppling the fry with sunken Indian Almond Leaves as this will have antibacterial properties (good for protecting eggs) but will also grow micro flora that many fish and shrimp relish.
In order to get the adult otocinclus into breeding condition you may need to feed them up with more protein much the same way as you would for corydoras.

 

[Snophi]

Hey,

Thank you so much for all your replies