when one dies and others survive

[tiintinn]

Hi all,

am having a small planted nano with current residence of 4 cherry shrimps and 1 cherry barb. The tank is about 6 months old with mini nana, hairgrass, frogfits, duckweeds and some US fissidens (still growing).

Temp for the tank is kept at ard 25-27 degree celcius and having a HOF (forgot the brand) and 11W clip on lights. am not having water testing kits hence am unable to provide the water parameters.

Had been trying to introduce algae cleaner since 2 month back but they have been dying on me after been introduce to the tank, started with 1 otto (last about 3-4 days, then died), bought another otto (replacement, lasted abt 2-3 days) and lastly a pleco (lasted abt 2-3 days). The fishes were not bought immediately after the predecessor past (have waited for a few days, or 1 week)

All the time the rest of the shrimps and bard are doing well.
wondering if anyone could advise on the possible cause of algae fishes being lost

much appreciate!
thanks
david

[Avant-Garde]

hi david, from what i had observed from my 10 gallon tank, oto/pleco may not adapt to the tank's water readily. i had a similar experience a week back. bought a bag of malayan shrimps and a separate bag of 2 rock shrimps and 3 otos packed together. i did the temperature acclimatizing and pouring tank water into their bags before releasing them into the tank.

so far, my malayan and rock shrimps had zero casualties but strangely enough, my first oto died on the second night and my second oto followed suit a few hours later(surprisingly, under my surveillance too!). the third oto is still alive and swimming actively. they can die so suddenly..

[apisto31]

I had a hard time with Otos mortality last time 4 out of 5 died especially those small and not fully matured ones.
But after reading some techniques on choosing otos from LFS, I had better success rate. I'd choose the biggest, matured size (if you've been looking/comparing Otos on LFSes, you would know what is the matured size), more define black, wider head part. Of course tank should be properly cycled before putting Oto inside. Good luck!

[xXXXx13]

I had a hard time with Otos mortality last time 4 out of 5 died especially those small and not fully matured ones.
But after reading some techniques on choosing otos from LFS, I had better success rate. I'd choose the biggest, matured size (if you've been looking/comparing Otos on LFSes, you would know what is the matured size), more define black, wider head part. Of course tank should be properly cycled before putting Oto inside. Good luck!

Hi apisto31, that's some learning points from you, will take note of when getting otos at a later stage again, thanks. My last 2 otos also died about 2 weeks apart since a week ago but i do notice that both developed some white patches around their eyes area, wondering if you guys had this similar symptoms?

[dannyfish]

Could it due to the acidic water?

[xXXXx13]

Could it due to the acidic water?

hmmm...think i should invest in some test kits prior to next purchase of otos, if its due to acidic water...

[tiintinn]

Hi all,

thanks for all the sharing of similar experiences, does make me more confident that it might not be all me.
just a update.. decide to do manual scraping of the spot green algae, prob will wait 2-3 weeks before buying any cleaning crew.

just bought 3 golden tetra and introduce them into the tank 3 days ago, from advise by seller that they are very tough, so hopefully they will be able to survive.

cheerio to all and happy planting and keeping!

[Avant-Garde]

I had a hard time with Otos mortality last time 4 out of 5 died especially those small and not fully matured ones.
But after reading some techniques on choosing otos from LFS, I had better success rate. I'd choose the biggest, matured size (if you've been looking/comparing Otos on LFSes, you would know what is the matured size), more define black, wider head part. Of course tank should be properly cycled before putting Oto inside. Good luck!

last friday i went to c328 and picked up 3 otos, went back home and settled them in. upon settling, 2 of the 3 became friends with the one i originally had very quickly but 1 appeared very sickly and lethargic. it just remain stagnant at the bottom. next morning, i couldn't find it. just 3 swimming around and short of 1. i went out and came back later at night and its still missing. then my maid found it buried below my volcanic rocks. had a hard time digging it up. i found out that otos have a tendency to dig into substrate or find a place to hide before dying, happened to my 3 otos already. anyone else noticed that?

[Kenng]

Hi,

My own 2 cents worth, I read from somewhere that oto should be introduced only when the tank is very stable, usually >6 months. I followed that and no otos had died on me. And I always choose the smaller ones as the rule of the thumb for most algae eater is only the small ones is hardworking on the algae, the big one will go for fish or shrimp food.

[xXXXx13]

.... i found out that otos have a tendency to dig into substrate or find a place to hide before dying, happened to my 3 otos already. anyone else noticed that?

Hi Avant-Garde, didn't notice and not to my knowledge that otos have the tendency to dig into substrate or find a place to hide before dying although 5 had died from me i'd always found them in the open...

[Avant-Garde]

Hi Avant-Garde, didn't notice and not to my knowledge that otos have the tendency to dig into substrate or find a place to hide before dying although 5 had died from me i'd always found them in the open...

first casualty died in the corner, second died under my plants on wool, third died IN THE MIDDLE of my volcanic rock deco. really wondered how it dug in in the first place lol.

[NMSS_2]

Have the same issue with otos in my tanks of >6months.

[stormhawk]

With Otocinclus, always pick the ones that do not have sunken bellies, eyes, and are actually feeding happily on the tank sides while still at the LFS. Many times people purchase already sick Otos, which will just drop dead on you if they have been suffering like this for awhile at the LFS. Age or size of the Otocinclus does not matter as long as they are healthy to begin with.

A mature tank with decent algae growth is what they need to survive. They will usually go for the brown and green algae, so you have to have both in your tanks for them to survive. They do not usually take dried fish foods like pellets and such, but will occasionally scrape from algae wafers and such. However, they have a tendency to go for meaty foods like frozen/live worms.

I kept a bunch of Otocinclus for quite some time and they were more than happy to feed on frozen bloodworm and the occasional treat of live tubifex. In a mature tank with decent plant and algae growth, they will thrive if purchased in a healthy state.

[Avant-Garde]

I kept a bunch of Otocinclus for quite some time and they were more than happy to feed on frozen bloodworm and the occasional treat of live tubifex. In a mature tank with decent plant and algae growth, they will thrive if purchased in a healthy state.

isn't otocinclus a herbivore? they take live feed too? then if so, does shrimps take bloodworm and tubifex? does it promote their growth? would like to give it a try then sorry for asking so many questions

[stormhawk]

They are opportunisic omnivores, not so much a primary herbivore, like some of their bigger pleco cousins. Live foods will be taken if they are given the choice. Where shrimps are concerned, they do take worm foods but not advisable due to the issues of cleanliness, especially with tubifex.

[Avant-Garde]

They are opportunisic omnivores, not so much a primary herbivore, like some of their bigger pleco cousins. Live foods will be taken if they are given the choice. Where shrimps are concerned, they do take worm foods but not advisable due to the issues of cleanliness, especially with tubifex.

the auntie from PetMart was telling me the same thing about feeding worms in a shrimp tank. she said something about protein, dirty and planaria. i'm supplementing them with algae wafers in case there isn't enough algae in the tank. the 3 i have are doing really well now.

[stormhawk]

Shrimps don't just require good food to survive, but also certain minerals must be present in the water to ensure their shell growth and vitality. That explains why so many people require those CRS-related products, aside from chillers, to ensure their little shrimps survive. In some packaged shrimp food, the main ingredient is usually fish meal, so that usually is the source of their protein needs.

Planaria can arrive in a tank in multiple ways, and it has been said that planaria can be present in our tap water but not manifest themselves unless there is an abundance of uneaten food in the tank. The main issue with using live worms is more about their bacterial content, especially with tubifex, and heavy metal contamination, with bloodworms in particular. That is why it is not recommended to use these foods to feed expensive shrimps.