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The case of the disappearing otocinclus

Where are the missing otocinclus?

  • Betta ate them

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bristlenose ate them

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Neons ate them

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • They jumped through the tiny hole in the top and disappeared

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .

mrhoyo

Member
Joined
20 May 2020
Messages
263
Location
Halifax, UK
My beloved wife bought 5 otocinclus for her tank last year but I can now only see 2.
I know one died a few weeks after bringing them home because I fished it out. That should leave 4 but I absolutely can't see them anywhere.
Stocking is:
2 (4) otocinclus
10 green neon tetra
1 bristlenose pleco
1 betta
Numerous neocaridina shrimp
1 military helmet snail
Loads of tiny pink snails that came on a plant

The tank is covered
The filter is built in to the back and they're not in there

Where do we think they are?
 

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Hi all,
That should leave 4 but I absolutely can't see them anywhere.
May well have starved unfortunately, particularly with the Bristlenose, snails and shrimp in there. Try looking just after lights out, they are largely crepuscular or nocturnal when they are happy, when you see them careering around the tank all day it is because they are starving and desperately looking for some food.

cheers Darrel
 
Have you/your wife been target feeding them - e.g. algae wafers, cucumber/courgette slices as least a couple of times a week?
We feed algae wafers daily, whether we see them eat them depends where they are. We make an effort to divide them up so the bristlenose doesn't eat everything.

Possibly: Starved and died long ago, you often dont find their remains. Unless they were observed eating well, in which case I dont know.

Hi all,

May well have starved unfortunately, particularly with the Bristlenose, snails and shrimp in there. Try looking just after lights out, they are largely crepuscular or nocturnal when they are happy, when you see them careering around the tank all day it is because they are starving and desperately looking for some food.

cheers Darrel
if they starved wouldn't there would be corpses? I've never had dead fish disappear before so I don't know.
 
bristlenose pleco
would’ve taken care of the main parts rather quickly

Numerous neocaridina shrimp
picked the bones clean

Of course I was also convinced I had only 2 remaining otocinclus from a group of 6 as I never saw more than 2 - removed them to another tank
Except I still had 2 Oto’s in the first tank
Only managed to catch 1 to move to that second tank
Except I still had 2 Oto’s in the first tank
As you’ve likely guessed, I did still have 6 otocinclus :rolleyes:
 
I lost an oto a couple of months back in my low tech tank. No idea why it died as they’re all well fed, and the other weee all in good condition and still are.

All I saw of it was a perfect clean white skeleton laying on the soil. Absolutely picked clean - like something it of a cartoon - presumably by all the shrimp. The only way I could tell it was an oto was from the shape of the skeleton. The next day that was gone too.

It’s the only fish corpse I’ve ever found inside a tank, beyond those that have been killed by the butcher that is the Eheim 350 skimmer.
 
Balls, sounds like they've gone to meet their maker then. I quite like them but certainly don't want a repeat so won't be replacing. Good job we didn't get the £16 a pop zebra otocinclus
 
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