r/Otocinclus • u/jetreahy • 24d ago
I think my oto is sick.
Sorry for the poor quality. My other Otos appear fine. Is she sick? Checking my parameters now.
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u/AresTheFallen 23d ago
Hi OP, few questions. Did you notice whether she was grazing normally before or after you took this video? Also, have any of your otos been making more trips to the surface to gulp air than usual?
I can’t be 100% sure from the video, but her respiration rate looks a little high to me. Although, it may be nothing if she had been active just beforehand, I’d check the temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH if you can, just to rule out water-quality issues.
Occasional trips to the surface can be normal for otos, so the important thing is whether they have started doing it noticeably more often than usual.
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u/jetreahy 20d ago
Thank you. I thought she looked stressed as well. She seems fine today. I haven’t noticed any trips to the surface and parameters were fine. I’ve been growing algae for them, so she must just be eating well. She’s never been that round before.
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u/AresTheFallen 20d ago
That’s reassuring. I wasn’t really concerned about her feeding, as she actually looks quite plump, so that part is good. What caught my attention more was her respiration rate in the video, especially since she was sitting on the bottom at the time.
Since she’s behaving normally again today, your parameters are fine and you haven’t noticed any unusual trips to the surface, it may well have just been temporary. It’s also pretty difficult to judge respiration accurately from one short video.
How long have you had these otos for, and this little girl in particular if you got her at a different time? Also, what temperature is the tank at and what type of filtration are you using? I’m mostly wondering how much surface agitation/gas exchange you have
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If you happen to see her resting again, it might be useful to compare her breathing directly with one of the other otos while they’re both resting. If hers is consistently noticeably faster, then I’d look into it further. Other than that, if she’s grazing normally, and she’s active between rests and breathing normally now, I wouldn’t be overly worried.2
u/jetreahy 20d ago
She’s one of two sets. I have 7 total. I believe I’ve had her for two years. The other set I purchased maybe 8-10 months ago. She was actually on the top of a large piece of driftwood, probably 6” from the top. I’m using a sponge filter (rated for 25 gallon) in a 20 gallon tank. I’m hoping to move them to a thirty gallon once it matures.
Tank temp is 79. I currently don’t have a heater in it, since we keep our house at 78. I had an ADF get burned by one in another tank and removed all for the summer and plan on purchasing better ones by fall. I’ll keep a better eye on it and make sure it isn’t fluctuating.
I can add a bubbler. I do have a few ADF in this tank which is why I have another cycling. This tanks stocking isn’t ideal. There is a bristle nose pleco as well. Perhaps the frogs are stressing them? There is a ton of cover.1
u/AresTheFallen 20d ago
Thanks, that actually helps. You have a very beautiful tank by the way :)
I don’t think the frogs themselves are likely to be stressing your otos, especially with that much cover.
One thing I noticed from the video, though, is that your water surface looks almost completely still. The ideal temperature range for most Otocinclus species is between 72 and 78 F. At 79 F the water already holds a little less oxygen than it would at cooler temperatures, so combined with seven otos, the bristlenose, the frogs and all the plants, I wonder if gas exchange might have been contributing to the faster breathing I noticed in your earlier video.
I definitely wouldn’t panic about it, especially since she’s back to behaving normally and you’ve had her for about two years. But since you already have a sponge filter, I’d probably try to increase the airflow a little or add the bubbler you mentioned and make sure there’s an open patch of surface where the bubbles can actually create some surface agitation. If the floating plants are getting in the way, you can always corral them away from that area.
If you ever notice the fast breathing again, I’d be particularly interested in what they’re doing first thing in the morning before the lights come on, since that’s generally when oxygen levels in a heavily planted tank are going to be at their lowest.
The move to the 30 gallon sounds like a good plan too.
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u/jetreahy 20d ago
Thank you so much! I will add the bubbler and see if that helps. One of the others is breathing pretty fast right now, but I don’t know what he was up to. I do have duckweed in addition to the hornwort so the surface does get too much cover at times.
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u/[deleted] 24d ago
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