# Otto bloated body and breathing rapidly



## Halley (3 Jan 2017)

Hi - I have an Otto which has a bloated body and is breathing rapidly - anyone know what is wrong?


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## zozo (3 Jan 2017)

Internal parasites, probably worms? But thats a very rough guess with the sparse information you give.. Dropsy also bloates and is a bacterial infection.
Some pictures added to the story might help.. Almost any disease causes heavy breathing and or pinched fins because that's a common stress reaction from a fish beeing sick.


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## Halley (3 Jan 2017)

Here's a vid - the other ottos in the tank seem fine - if he was underweight I would put it down to lack of food...


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## Dr Mike Oxgreen (4 Jan 2017)

That doesn't look excessively bloated. Are you sure it's not just a horny female full of eggs? Are there any other Otos in there? Perhaps you're about to witness some Oto lurve!


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

It looks like it's on it's last legs,to me.


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## Dr Mike Oxgreen (4 Jan 2017)

john dory said:


> It looks like it's on it's last legs,to me.


Really? Perhaps the video is too blurred and shaky, but it looked fine to me.

OP, can we have a nice close-up still shot?


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## Dr Mike Oxgreen (4 Jan 2017)

By the way, my Otos always react to a water change by increasing their gill rate. That on its own is not a cause for concern, IMHO.


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

See the fish hovering above?
It knows the oto is sick.


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## Halley (4 Jan 2017)

Apologies for the video - blame the iPhone - just found a dead Otto today ☹️ - not much left of it - the other ottos look fine...


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

Have you been dosing anything,lately?


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## Halley (4 Jan 2017)

Just EI with some liquid carbo and c02


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

Probably nothing you could do then.i don't like easy carbon though.


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## Halley (4 Jan 2017)

I think in small doses it's ok - it is a great algaecide - my tank seems to lose a couple of fish every month - is this normal?


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

No


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## Halley (4 Jan 2017)

I wonder what's causing it


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

Could be, your buying poor fish to start with.
Pushing them with high concentrations of co2,glut,ferts,Meds...will soon pick the weaker ones out.
Stability is the key (for me)


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## Halley (4 Jan 2017)

Maybe - there might be some microscopic parasites or something- bought some medicines but didn't sort it


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## john dory (4 Jan 2017)

Meds are largely a waste of time,in my opinion.
Buy from a trusted seller...give them a consistent maintenance regime and enjoy.
Oh...and a varied diet.


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## castle (5 Jan 2017)

Halley said:


> I think in small doses it's ok - it is a great algaecide - my tank seems to lose a couple of fish every month - is this normal?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



not normal at all.

I'd start of by doing a large water change, maybe 50%, RO water just to cancel out anything wrong with your house water (I bet there is not). Install an air pump, with all that co2, o2 may be lacking.

So many things could be wrong. 

Are the fish dying new fish? are they the same species?


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## Halley (9 Jan 2017)

They generally seem to be platies and guppies that are dying - there is a lot of wood in the aquarium - I wonder if it lowers the ph too much?


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## Halley (9 Jan 2017)

I haven't bought new fish in a long time


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## alto (9 Jan 2017)

Halley said:


> They generally seem to be platies and guppies that are dying - there is a lot of wood in the aquarium - I wonder if it lowers the ph too much?


possibly ... both these fish are very linebred to establish & maintain color/fin variants ...

I don't know the life expectancy of "natural guppies" but 1-2 years is not an unusual observed lifespan in aquariums (of course fish age may vary upon purchase), given how quickly these fish mature enough to begin breeding, I suspect they may be "annual fish" or not far off.   

In general livebearers thrive in harder water, some manage quite well in soft water, others have much shorter lifespans

What's your tank details including maintenance?
(may notice something relevant, may not)


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## Halley (9 Jan 2017)

The neon tetras haven't been doing great but the cardinals and rummynose has been fine. I used to change about 60% water every week but now do it fortnightly. I dose EI, liquid carbon and co2.  Use a jbl e1901 and the internal Juwel filter. Heavily planted


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## sciencefiction (10 Jan 2017)

Livebearers have been inbred so badly, they are now what I call "sensitive" fish. As such they'd be the first to show signs of trouble. Ottos are also sensitive to water quality and the inevitable disease outbreaks leading from that.  Your best bet is now to get serious about water changes and reset the tank. If it were me, I'd sacrifice a bit of time and start 60-70% water changes every other day for two weeks or so. Even if the water is not the issue, it can halt whatever is going on in there. There's nothing like fresh water when it comes to fish health. Even cleaning the substrate or filters isn't that important. Just drain and fill....


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