Otos dance with danios

[L number Banana]

Hi, some quick pics of my new otos dancing with my danios(Zebra, Zebra, Longfin). The otos were labeled as

Otocinclus vittatus

but I think they may be

Otocinclus macrospilus

Not sure but the tail spot looks right? Fingers crossed. Better pics after dancing pics.

Looks like the way the danios court, don't know which one's confused Still 'schooling' together, otos stop on the glass once in a while.




otos:



Just had to share these!
Where's everyone else's 'just for fun' pictures? hint,hint.

[andywoolloo]

I so love the otos!! those are awesome pics!!
I need to take some of all mine these days off and I'll post some. Gotta clean the outside tank glass.

[Mike_Noren]

Looks like Otocinclus hoppei. They look very skinny to me, make sure they get enough to eat.

[L number Banana]

Thanks andywoolloo, I'm still working on getting my camera to focus on the fish! Auto-focus keeps keeping a nice clear picture of the aquarium glass! Oh well, practice makes perfect. They are great little fish! Really active and curious about their new home. Have six and I can already tell them apart. (I think)
I'd love to see some of your fish or tanks, people on this forum seem as shy about their wonderful fish as...well, the fish

Looks like Otocinclus hoppei. They look very skinny to me, make sure they get enough to eat.

Thanks Mike, I thought maybe it wouldn't be Otocinclus hoppei because there's so little info about them in the Cat-elog. Also the others have much more black on top and not such a distinct stripe. Only one has the lighter patterning on top. Is there any other features I should look for specifically?

As for food, I'm not so sure what they favour. I put a slice of zuchinni (courgette) in the tank last night and used some plants from the other tank that had algae on them. The Zuchinni looked a bit scraped but was mostly intact. Maybe P. affinis and syno had a bite. A spirulina tab was stuck to the glass (almost untouched) and a few shrimp pellets - also untouched.
Any suggestions? I've got some green water brewing on the windowsill for shrimp BBs, should I add a plant to it to feed the otos? Try something live maybe?

Thanks

[MatsP]

They will probably eat zucchini that is about 24 hours old - try a small piece, as it's almost impossible to clean out a 36 hour old piece of zucchini from the tank.

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

Thanks MatsP,

I'll try putting the same piece back in. I was afraid it would make the water bad - thanks for the tip! Also I softened some Spirulina and smushed it into a piece of wood, 3 have found that so far. Hammered little dents into it for grip.
I have some lettuce and cucumber too. We'll get these little guys chubbier!

[L number Banana]

Maybe P. affinis and syno had a bite

I'm sleepy, watched fish too late last night - should have read P.maccus.

[hotsauce48]

I think they are otocinclus mariae.Keep them happy and full!

[andywoolloo]

my otos eat sinking algae wafers, sinking shrimp pellets, zuchinni, cucumber, mango, sweet bell pepper strips,their fav is red or orange, defrosted Hiakri everything....lol...they are little munch heads!

[L number Banana]

Thanks for the suggestions andywoolloo,

They've found the lettuce and tried the zuchinni once that I saw, seem to be mainly on the wood, added another algae plant. Shops look at you funny when you ask to buy their 'messy' plants hiding in the back of a tank... Haven't touched the algae wafers but I had to change the sand so I may have interrupted their browsing. I'm sure they would spend more time eating if they weren't so busy schooling with the danios! Two clearly have 'bellies' and they're all, um, pooing. I'll try the sinking shrimp pellets again tonight, but it's hard to say who's eating them. Never thought of mango, wow.

Bad news for two of them The two skinniest, smallest ones didn't make it. First time I ever lost a fish - it sucks. One the bright side maybe I saved the next shipment from being so underfed - I went back to the store and all but 5 or 6 were still alive!! I asked them what they had been feeding them and the girl (manager of this chain store) said that they didn't because they ate algae of the glass. I told her what I had learned from this forum and pointed out that they had just starved them all to death. Okay it was mean but I bet this happens every time they get a new shipment! I did tell her what I had learned about feeding them after the singapore (?) to canada fast, so hopefully I helped by being such a grouch. You'd think a chain fish store would get a little info binder or something about their job??

From hotsauce48:

I think they are otocinclus mariae.Keep them happy and full!

That's the one I thought they were at first but I'm still learning and so many little things are important in ID. I'll get them fattened up first and post better ID pics later. One of them really looks like O.hoppei now, bold stripe etc, others are very patterned on top or almost black. One looks like O.macrospilus more. Food first
Cheers

[MatsP]

I think they are otocinclus mariae.Keep them happy and full!

And you are basing this on what?

Mike is the resident Oto expert, so I'd be inclined to go with what he thinks - although having a discussion is always good. It helps, however if when you think different from someone else, that you explain on what grounds that difference is based.

--
Mats

[L number Banana]

From MatP:

Mike is the resident Oto expert

Yipee! My O.hoppei is going into My Fish officially

[Mike_Noren]

Mike is the resident Oto expert

Whoah, i'm definitely no expert!

But I think that's a

Otocinclus hoppei

based on the presence of a single very large round to diamond-shaped spot on the caudal peduncle;

Otocinclus macrospilus

has a smaller pigmentation spot, which is bisected by a narrow unpigmented vertical stripe (visible on this fishbase photo http://www.fishbase.de/Photos/PicturesS ... at=species ).

[Richard B]

Whoah, i'm definitely no expert!

A-ha, modest too You certainly are compared to most of us Mike.

[L number Banana]

Mike wrote:

Whoah, i'm definitely no expert!

Your website's pretty awesome though. The fish omelet may have saved my little guys

Maybe I'll post some better pics later and we'll all have a go again? There's definitely no separating of the black patch on the caudal peduncle so you're right there. I was looking at the O.mariae because of the black line separating the top and bottom of the caudal fin. I think the thing throwing me off is how the colour of the whole top of the fish is so much darker than any of the pictures. One of them has a distinct stripe like O.hoppei, really light and patterned on top. Others seem darker, one almost black.
Do these fish go through colour changes? Stress or otherwise?
When I get better pics, I'll pop them into the ID page, I always learn something there thanks to you guys.

[Death Pony]

They look a little skinny. Cool pictures with the danios.

[L number Banana]

Thanks DP, they still swim with the danios.
Lost the two little guys Heartbreaking! The others are eating cucs, zucs, mushrooms, brussel sprouts but haven't touched the algea tabs (spirulina). I made Mike's fish omelet for them after he also mentioned that they were looking skinny and they ate off it but left it alone in the area where the algae tabs were thickest. (?) Have been letting plants in the other tank get lots of sunlight/algae growth and transferring them to the oto tank for 'cleaning'. They seem to like it and some have little bellies happening - whew!

I'll post some more pics when I get them - it looks like I have 3 diff types of otos!
Cheers and any other feeding tips are always welcome

[L number Banana]

Chubbier oto pics
Thanks for everyone's help to fatten these guys up, they're still on a strict 'everything they can eat' diet. - no more losses
Couldn't get a pic of one but he's like the kind with the black patch - short stripe but there's a white stripe starting to appear on the black patch. 3 different otos!?!
Should I worry about them making little frankensteins or is it so rare that I needn't worry?


Keeps his tail closed.

Keeps his tail open!

Eating mango

Darker on top.
Get the other two when they pose nicely.
Cheers!

[L number Banana]

This is the guy with the white stripe starting to bisect his black patch - caudal peduncle. More pronounced on his other side.