Bloated Otocinclus

[SSK101]

I found one of my Otos upside down this morning extremely bloated, i went and got some epsom salt and by the time I got home it was dead,I noticed what could be eggs coming out of it,not sure though ,I have been trying to condition them over the last couple of weeks feeding them brine shrimp and Rapashy etc ,anyone know if it was egg bound or just bloated from over eating?

 

[SSK101]

 

[SSK101]

Looks like eggs to me,what a shame, I've not heard of many people breeding these .

 

[Wookii]

Sorry to hear that - its is a lovely looking fish with great markings. It looks like she hasn't been able to release the eggs properly.

As an aside, I was advised recently that Rapashy is very high in protein and can cause bloat in Oto's if fed too frequently, so should only be used as a treat alongside the usual vegetable feeds..

I make my own version which is a much lower in protein, and higher in algae content, my Oto Cocama seem to love it (as do my shrimp and snails) - recipe here: Guide: DIY Shrimp/Snail/Oto Jelly Food . . .

 

[SSK101]

Sorry to hear that - its is a lovely looking fish with great markings. It looks like she hasn't been able to release the eggs properly.

As an aside, I was advised recently that Rapashy is very high in protein and can cause bloat in Oto's if fed too frequently, so should only be used as a treat alongside the usual vegetable feeds..

I make my own version which is a much lower in protein, and higher in algae content, my Oto Concama seem to love it (as do my shrimp and snails) - recipe here: Guide: DIY Shrimp/Snail/Oto Jelly Food . . .

Thanks Wookil,I'll check that recipe out,I've noticed this morning another girl looking on large side,let's hope she doesn't have the same problem spawning, from everything I've read getting them to spawn is not so difficult where most people fail is raising the fry, seems that no one really know why the fry die off over the first two weeks ,is it a food issue or a water issue or something else,

I was thinking a small green water tank with drift wood and lots of bio film would be worth trying to raise some of the fry if I ever get to that stage !

 

[SSK101]

Looks like another possible gravid one this morning, since I put that window film around the tank they aren't so skittish, I think if they keep getting disturbed and hiding and they don't feel safe that may be a reason why they would not breed and spawn successfully.

 

[Wookii]

I was thinking a small green water tank with drift wood and lots of bio film would be worth trying to raise some of the fry if I ever get to that stage !

Might be a good idea. Some well aged leaves (oak, catappa etc) might be worth adding if you haven't already done so - a favoured surface for biofilm, and anti-bacterial benefits that may help any fry.

I imagine in the wild the start of the rainy season may be a trigger for breeding, so a few cool rainwater or RO water additions, with resulting reduction in temperature and TDS may be a spawning trigger as it is with other cats?

 

[SSK101]

Might be a good idea. Some well aged leaves (oak, catappa etc) might be worth adding if you haven't already done so - a favoured surface for biofilm, and anti-bacterial benefits that may help any fry.

I imagine in the wild the start of the rainy season may be a trigger for breeding, so a few cool rainwater or RO water additions, with resulting reduction in temperature and TDS may be a spawning trigger as it is with other cats?

I do add leaves to the tank as i have shrimp in these as well,and a change in atmospheric pressure is thought to trigger spawning 👍

 

[Qwedfg]

Sorry to hear that - its is a lovely looking fish with great markings. It looks like she hasn't been able to release the eggs properly.

As an aside, I was advised recently that Rapashy is very high in protein and can cause bloat in Oto's if fed too frequently, so should only be used as a treat alongside the usual vegetable feeds..

I make my own version which is a much lower in protein, and higher in algae content, my Oto Concama seem to love it (as do my shrimp and snails) - recipe here: Guide: DIY Shrimp/Snail/Oto Jelly Food . . .

Which repashy food were you feeding? I have been feeding super green every day since I just rescaped my tank and pulled out all my hardscape and a lot of plants so there isn’t much for them to eat. Was feeding every other day before the rescape last week for a while and didn’t have issues.

 

[Wookii]

Which repashy food were you feeding? I have been feeding super green every day since I just rescaped my tank and pulled out all my hardscape and a lot of plants so there isn’t much for them to eat. Was feeding every other day before the rescape last week for a while and didn’t have issues.

I've never used Rapashy, it was just that I was advised against using it too regularly by the guys at Pier Aquatics when I bought my Cocama, as they stated it can lead to bloat in Oto's as they shouldn't have too much protein in their diet - they're quite a specialist fish supplier, so I'm happy that they know what they're talking about.

If you look at the contents of Repashy, its 35% protein: Super Green Super Green [] - £14.99 : Repashy Super Foods, Crested Gecko Diet | Multivitamins & Calcium for reptiles which is similar to standard fish food.

 

[Qwedfg]

Ok thank you for info that’s what I’ve been feeding them. They really love it I will try to mix in some veggies.

 

[SSK101]

Which repashy food were you feeding? I have been feeding super green every day since I just rescaped my tank and pulled out all my hardscape and a lot of plants so there isn’t much for them to eat. Was feeding every other day before the rescape last week for a while and didn’t have issues.

I've got the super green also,I think the Soilent green would be better as its a Aufwuchs gel ,and otos are Aufwuchs grazers ,since I started feeding them rapashy they will not touch the algae wafers anymore ,they love the stuff !

 

[SSK101]

Does this fish have Ich,I foolishly added some Chilli rasbora on the 27th of July which I did not quarantine, and she also looks to be having problems spawning, breathing heavily and not swimming away when I turned the lights on and sat infront of the tank this morning, I've treated the tank with Esha and I'm doing a small water change

 

[Conort2]

Does this fish have Ich,I foolishly added some Chilli rasbora on the 27th of July which I did not quarantine, and she also looks to be having problems spawning, breathing heavily and not swimming away when I turned the lights on and sat infront of the tank this morning, I've treated the tank with Esha and I'm doing a small water change

She doesn’t look great, could be ich but hard to tell. The bloated body and overall condition almost looks like it could be bacterial. Could you try and get some more photos or even a video as this would help.

Cheers

 

[SSK101]

It's the one on the right on the first pic,the last picture was took last night may be a different one and looks to have strange shapes just below its head

 

[SSK101]

Can't upload video it's saying file to large

 

[Conort2]

Can see it definitely has white spot in a few of those pictures. Not sure if it has secondary issues too, with the bloating and heavy breathing being a symptom.

 

[MrClockOff]

Not sure if I can tap into this thread but I have similar 2 unexplained otos deaths 🥲 hope to find some explanations..