Oto mysteriously died within days to weeks

[Aquanoob]

Somehow the Oto that I bought kept dying mysteriously in my planted tank for no reason or illness. I just bought 2 Oto from Seaview on Sunday, and they were very lively for 2 days and went "disappeared" only to be found lying dead on the substrate behind the dwift wood. I have kept near to 10 Otos from 3 LFS (the other 2 from Yishun) and the longest living is about 3 months and the shortest is 2 days, I wonder what is wrong with them or is it my tank? Anyone can share their experience with Oto? I don't want to keep buying and indirectly keep "killing" them?

[ervinelin]

From what I've read, Otos are not the hardiest aquarium fishes around, neither are they very good at clearing algae.

Something about them not being able to eat enough in a typical aquarium, can't remember exactly what it was.

Either way I've stopped buying otos altogether, now I rely on shrimps and my bristlenose pleco.

[chooz]

You have to be careful when you buy them. If they are newly arrived in a shop, a large number will die out. Wait for a while before you buy (1 week later) so that the weaker ones are weeded out.

That is the only "trick" I found. Hope others have more suggestions. I also found that if they can survive for 2 months in your home tank, they can then last quite a long time.

I do find that they clean up brown algae (diatom) very well. Though their poo also stained the glass brown.

Recently there was a layer of purple-brown red stuff (what algae is that?) covering my driftwood and mosses. Took the otos a few weeks to realize it is actually pallatable and then they cleaned the whole mess in two days. You can see fat stomachs after that.

[felix_fx2]

my otos also died for no reason.
now i am only using SAE and CAE, but they are more hostile then little otos.

[Aquanoob]

Kept about 10 Oto and all died within days to weeks, and I have also bought 2 SAE last Sunday. One is quite active and I saw it eating the algae on the dwiftwood myself, the other one is timid and will hide at the corner. I am crossing my finger that it will get used to the tank soon. I have read negative comments on CAE, and I won't try it now.

[rainforest]

I share the similar observations as chooz and ervinelin.
Otos will ignore fish food completely (at least mine) and does not contest for it during feeding time but thrives on a lot of algae and are especially good at diatoms.


Check if they poo, which is brownish green, the stomach should be slightly bloated, not sunken. Blanched cucumber (boiled till soft/slightly mushy) or algae wafers can be used as supplements.

No missing pectoral fins (near the eyes) nor pelvic fins (near stomach area).

Try to keep tank temperature below 28 degrees.

Good Luck!

[AsNiDmY]

Yeah i have the same problems too. Some of my otos would just die mysteriously. I`ve got a hardworking SAE in my tank too ! They`re great when it comes to algae eating but they are abit fiesty haha !

[PKB]

I think the main reason is starvation. There might not be enough algae in the tank to keep them well fed. I think that is the reason why they fight with the shrimp for Veg-base shrimps food.

Just my opinion....

[Aquanoob]

I initially thought was died from starvation too, that is why I introduce algae wafer into the tank as food for them, but the fatality rate is still 100% for my otos. Don't think I will get any more as I don't want to indirectly kill them again and again.

I think the main reason is starvation. There might not be enough algae in the tank to keep them well fed. I think that is the reason why they fight with the shrimp for Veg-base shrimps food.

Just my opinion....

[vinz]

In previous years (5 or more ago), there was less die off in Otos in my experience. Probably 2 or 3 out of 10+. Usually, those who survived more than a week would live for years, even through crises where other fishes would mass die-off for whatever reasons.

Recently, when I restarted planted tanks, I've had probably 8 Otos die out of 12 that I've bought in batches (basically to maintain the population in my tank). And the period before death range from days to months. And these are from shops that are known to be picky about the quality of fish they get from suppliers.

Do note that different fauna handle different algae. Otos are good at scraping flat or short algae off leaves and other surfaces. They are also the only ones I know that clear up brown clumpy algae.

Shrimps and SAEs are good for longer hair-like algae, like BBA, the green ones that look like BBA, hair algae.

So, don't discount any algae crew because they didn't clean up the algae that is still in your tank. They are doing their job keeping the other algae in check. This is why we usually recommend a mix of algae crews, and not just one type.

For me, the minimum is yamato shrimp and otos.

[blue33]

My experience of Otto is choose those tails that longer, the survivor rate is much higher, those short tail seem to die more easily, broader body and darker colour also good.

[Aquanoob]

Vincent and Adrian, thanks for your views, but I think I will be using other algae eaters in my tank now. I bought SAE and Molly, and actually saw them eating the algae on the leaves and tank glass. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[vinz]

Feed minimally. Once SAE learns they get regular yummy processed food, they stop eating algae. One reason why I stopped getting SAEs.

Another thing, many fishes eat algae, but probably not as much as the well known ones. I've had a dwarf gourami clean up all the hair algae in an old tank overnight. Never had hair algae in that tank after that.

[Aquanoob]

Interesting, dwarf gourami become a alage eater. I wanted to keep it for quite some time, but just cannot find some nice one, as most of them in the LFS have some defects: incomplete tail or fins mostly.

[reveru]

Think that most forum members also have similar experience. Otos does not seem to be as hardy as some fishes in an aquarium. My experience is that usually some otos will die during the transition phase into my tank from the LFS. This is quite normal I feel.

However, 100% fatality is quite fierce. My overall experience is more like 30% fatality. Currently in my 2 ft which is about 50+ days, only 1 out of 6 otos i bought died, and it died within the 1st week. The rest is quite lively and always seen foraging for food on the leaves of plants and glass. They help to keep my green spot algae in check on the glass too, not just brown algae. I don't feed any additional algae wafer supplements.

Personally i'm disinclined towards using SAE nor CAE (GAE) for smaller tanks. They can grow quite big and become aggressive towards other fishes. And the worst thing is, SAEs stop feeding on algae after they realise they have fish food to eat!

My algae eaters of choice are otos and yamatos

[blue33]

You cannot totally rely on those algae eater, those algae is just a desert for them, they still need source of food to get them alive.

[binniez]

Hmmm... I bought 8 otos when i cycled my tank.. 5 died.. Now the 3 that is left are super super hyper active.. Dashing around the tank so much that my CRS jumping around.. Anyway.. How to stop otos from hogging the food that i put in my tanks for the CRS? They seem to be there when ever i drop food down.. I even broke it into smaller pieces but still they are everywhere.. Any advise from anybody?