Otocinclus in Tropical Climate

[leeway]

Hi all
My tank temperature ranges between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius.
Other fishes accustom well in the tank except the otos.
Anyone manages to keep these type of fishes in this temperature and what is the max temperature they can survive with?

[boofeng]

The real issue might be dissolved oxygen levels - oxygen (and other gases) dissolve better in cold water than hot. So the fish might not actually mind the higher temperature so much as it minds the low oxygen.

There are a few ways to improve oxygenation - adding aeration and surface agitation lets atmospheric oxygen replenish what is used up in your tank, reducing oxygen demand in your tank helps (not just from fish bioload, but bacterial bioload - e.g. if you use an overhead trickle filter, the bacteria will not be competing with your fish for oxygen in the tank), and higher flow and circulation helps in bringing de-oxygenated water up to areas where it can be oxygenated again, plus more oxygen will be flowing across your fish's gills.

I'm not saying for sure that oxygen is the real problem - but it's worth giving that a try (besides, aeration and surface agitation tends to reduce your tank temperature a little).

[torque6]

Hi all
My tank temperature ranges between 29 and 31 degrees Celsius.
Other fishes accustom well in the tank except the otos.
Anyone manages to keep these type of fishes in this temperature and what is the max temperature they can survive with?

Oto is a hard species to keep. In addition, they are not kept nor fed well by LFS.

How well they are able to survive depends on
1) tank size
2) plant density
3) availability of biofilm and diatoms; brown algae
4) population size, minimun 6
5) temperature