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Well, I just went down to the lfs today, and guess what I came home with? Three happy little ottos! I added them to my 29 gallon to help take care of any algae once and for all. I acclimated them over an hour or so, because I've heard that they can be delicate. Anyways, they're all eating away, and don't show any signs of stress. None of the other fish in my tank are aggressive, so no problems there. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures soon!

Just thought I'd share my excitement!

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

All right, they seem to be somewhat shy right now, but I was able to take a couple of pictures. They swam away from the camera, but I was able to catch them where their little eyes can't see.
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Last edited by sirbooks at 02-Oct-2004 16:29[/font]

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Here's another pic:

Incidentally, do ottos gulp air from the surface like cories do? I saw one of the ottos swim up very quickly, hit the surface, then swim back down. [/font]

Last edited by sirbooks at 02-Oct-2004 16:43

Last edited by sirbooks at 03-Oct-2004 10:22

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Congrats on the otos, nice pics

I've never seen my otos surface for air but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't

For supplemental feeding, my otos love fresh spinach & lettuce, as well as frozen peas & broccoli.


Theresa_M attached this image:


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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Very nice pics, both of you. And congrats on the ottos. You will be happy with them, as i have been also.

i've noticed my otos go to the surface from time to time too, but i don't think it's for air. they do it pretty seldom.

i can see your otos already got the stomach!

have fun with them. they're great, and they almost unnoticed for biomass claculation.

Otocinclus will surface and take the occasional gulp of air, but not as regularly as Corydoras, which do this to respire. Otocinclus will also, in the right circumstances, 'suck the water surface' upside down, sometimes for the sheer hell of it, and because it's their idea of fun



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I see my Otos 'hit the surface' for a split second from time to time also. I see yours has the nice full belly already ! Enjoy your Otos

The Amazon Nut...

Well, I've got some bad news in the otto department. Two of my ottos died last night or today, so only the largest one is left. I don't know why they died, water conditions aren't a factor. One of them I suspected wasn't doing well, but the other was the most avid eater out of the three. It was always moving around, and acting as an otto should.

I dunno... If the other one dies, I think I'll try to find a bristlenose instead. Why would two ottos die so suddenly five days after I bought them?

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Why would two ottos die so suddenly five days after I bought them?

Because they do....sadly...
I'd have said an hour was way too short for the acclimation, even with good tank conditions..ottos are just funny like that. All my fish get an hour + acclimation...ottos get closer to 8. Excessive, maybe.....

^_^
*Proud member of the Committee for Sig Line Restoration*

Wow! 8 hours.... must be pretty tiring adding water into the bag. Well how long would you add water for?

how long would you add water for?

8 hours
1/4 cup ever 15 minutes.
Dump excess water from bag
continue.

^_^
*Proud member of the Committee for Sig Line Restoration*

Wow, that's alot of acclimation !

The Amazon Nut...

Good luck.
Maybe you'll set a standard for acclimatization. A high one, but appropriate one, nonetheless.

Wow, I must've been lucky when I got my first ottos- I didn't even know to acclimate fish back then. I just floated them in the bag for 20 minutes and netted them out into the tank. I've only lost one otto in my entire time keeping them and that was due to an injury. (He got spooked by one of my cories and bolted right into the side of the cave. There was a big scrape from his head on back as he hit it very hard and died the next day despite getting the best care I could provide.)

I think ottos are just a "luck of the draw" fish- you either get good ones that live forever (mine have survived my tank's WQ crashing due to a breakdown of my UGF) or they die a couple of day's after being brought home. I hope you get lucky next time if you decide to gt more- they are awesome little guys and are a lot of fun to watch.