SKSuser

YouTube - Otocinclus

fluffiebuggie

I'm no expert, but I would say...
Yes they are.

Chuppy

expect fry/eggs soon lol

SKSuser

Hehe!
Too bad, between the yoyo loaches and angelfish, I suspect there will be nothing left.

Chuppy

that's too bad... but having otos to spawn... your params must be great for them.. care to share?

never had much success with 100% survival when i buy my otos usually its just 50%~60%

SKSuser

You're in luck Chuppy! I had a chance to check some parameters over lunch.
My friend gave me 4 Otos when he broke down his tank. These are the two that are left. The other two never did have the full bellies you associate with a healthy Oto. I guess they didn't enjoy the numerous kinds of algae they could find in my tank.

I'm suspecting my ammonia test kit is not right. I'll try to get some RO or sterile water to check it against.

Temp 79.5°F (26.3°C)
PH 6.0+ Probably closer to 6.2 but my test kit doesn't have a color between 6 and 6.4
NH3 (Ammonia) 2.0ppm
NO2 (NitrIte) 0.0ppm
NO3 (NitrAte)10ppm
GH 160
KH <10

jARDINI

my yoyos love bolivian ram eggs

erijnal

Pretty cool video. I think a few times they went into the T-position that otos are supposed to use when they spawn. Then again they might just be competing for algae, but that'd be awesome if you could get some fry!

Chuppy

Wow that helped a lot SKSuser....
hmm otos are quite hard to accliminate (is this the proper spelling>? mind my english.. ain't that good)
no matter how slow i accliminate them... like a drop per 2 secs. they tend to die off(50% of them usually)

SKSuser

Hehe, I had to google it and I'm sure I will continue to spell it wrong: acclimatize.


Anyway, I don't know how much help I'll be because my death rate is about the same. 50%

I did add the GH/KH to my previous post.I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the tank yet, so I'll just have to describe it. The 2" rocks you see in the foreground are the substrate for the whole tank. (I know, not the textbook best setup for the loaches and angel..... or anything else for that matter. However, it was my wifes guppy tank until recently. The rocks gave endless places for fry to hide. Its a good little setup for that.) Back on topic. Algae enjoys the smooth surfaces on the rocks, and in turn the Otos enjoy eating the algae. Theres a potted sword, a curtain of rotala, two Anubias barteri (one of which is on a piece of drift wood), a dying rhyzome of a java fern, and a foreground stand of H polysperma var rosanervig. Topping it all off is a hang on filter for movement, a single 24" bulb, and some southern light coming from across the room.