CHoffman

...I'm so sad...One of my ottos didnt make it..They all looked fine last night when I went to bed...I know ottos can be tough but I really thought they'd do ok..They didn't look the best when I got them..Thier fins were pretty tore u[p but I thought it would be fixable. ..Another one I'm worred about..But we'll see...The 3rd one looks great. I just hated to go to my tank this morning and see that..This is 1 part of fishkeeping I do not like at all.

jdhef

So sorry to hear about you Otto. Hopefully the other one will perk up and the third will stay healthy.

Martinismommy

Awwwwwwwwwww I'm sorry you lost your Otto.....I agree, this is the down side of fishkeeping.....

capekate

Im sorry to hear you lost an oto. Yes, they are extremely sensitive fish and from what I read and my own experience, a person can end up loosing them or at least one out of a group. I also read, but not sure that they are wild caught? And that being again.. making them very sensitive fish.
Best of luck with the remaining otos.

shih-tzu mom

Sorry, Choffman, that you lost your baby-i was following your posts and i hope your other 2-are very heathy and remain with us.-it is hard to lose a fish even when, they are with us for a short time lol. good luck. bella

CHoffman

Thank you guys...I appreciate all the kind words..I feel awful..There is a knot in my stomach....I hope I didn't it cause it..It was a 2 hour trip home..Poor thing.

Lucy

I'm sorry you've lost an oto.
It's really disheartening isn't it?
I started with 3 and lost 2 for no apparent reason. Water was fine, not really overstocked and my tank is well established.

MrsM3197

So sorry you lost your otto. They are really sensitive fish, and I've lost several just in days of purchase before. One of the unfortunate downsides of fishkeeping, but I think I also read where they are wild caught and the methods put the fish in jeprody from the very beginning. Something about their waters poisoned and then they are just scooped up. Somebody that knows more than I would need to elaborate on that, but if that is the case it's no wonder these little guys have such a high mortality. I love them anyway, when you get them past those first few weeks they are just little workhorses on the algae, and so cute!!!

jdhef

I seriously doubt you were the cause. I'm sure the fish were transported longer than 2 hours just to get to the fish store. I have a feeling that he would probably have died in the fish store last night if you didn't buy him.

Red1313

<hugs>

Dozey

For every fish you have lost you have helped many more. Sorry for your loss.

CHoffman

..I just checked and my other little guy has also passed.....I'm not good with otos....I really will not be buying more of these little guys..They are so cute but my heart his breaking now...The other one looks great but I'm just waiting for something bad to happen to him..Poor things.

Ok I just went and checked the other guy and now he's not looking so great....What did I do wrong??...I let them float in the bad for a hour while I added like a 1/4 of a cup of my water every 15 min..What a awful experience..

sirdarksol

Otos are difficult fish to keep. I introduced mine into a huge, well-established tank with low nitrates, and I'm pretty sure I've lost 40% of them. I'm not positive, because there are plenty of spaces they might just be hiding in the tank, but I see their siblings out and running around.

CHoffman

My goodness...I really thought that I'd be able to keep the guys alive...I knew they were tough to keep...But I thought since I'm so good at maintance and the tank was cycled and there was algae for them to eat, I'd be golden. ...Guess not

sirdarksol

I think the problem is that, because they are so fragile, the poor care they receive prior to arriving at your home leaves them in rough condition. They then have to acclimate to a new water source, which may just overwhelm their systems. I've heard of people putting them in an ideal tank: decent amount of algae, 5 nitrates, zero ammonia and nitrites, etc... and they still died off. It's not something we can control. We can only do our best to provide ideal conditions, and then their fragile little systems have to overcome the previous abuse they've suffered.

CHoffman

Well..My 3rd one didn't make it either..What a horriable day..I had to try to explain to my 3 year old who just got home from preschool that the 3 otos didn't live in her aquarium anymore...Geez...How sad..She was real upset..Poor little guys..I will not be getting otos again..no matter how cute they are..I checked the water levels..All is good..0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate..and that is coming from my tap water..I just don't get it..I thought I could keep them alive.

sirdarksol

That's too bad about the little kid. It's rough to have to explain these things.
Just keep telling yourself that you did everything right. If the fish is already sick or hurt when it comes to you, there's nothing you can do, other than provide good water quality (which you did), proper temp (which you did), and hope they pull through.

fishlover78

sorry to hear that CHoffman

soldieroffortune1974

Sorry to hear about them all dying........If you do choose to try to keep ottos again,I would suggest finding a reputable breeder who is willing to sell them from a tank raised environment,and not the wild caught ottos.

Lucy

I'm really sorry you lost the little guys. I feel fortunate to have one left.
Don't blame yourself.

Big hug to your 3 year old.

CHoffman

Thanks Lucy,
I appreciate it...My little girl has all but forgotten it...or at least she hasn't brought it up recently..I think it must of just been the day..Nothing has gone well today..I never have bad days, I always just try to make the best of things..but today was bad..I guess my number was up. Shouldn't have bought the little guys...There fins were badly torn and nipped too.Maybe I'll try again someday after I have a little more experience. I do feel awful about them but I do know I couldn't have changed the outcome. Thanks again Lucy. and everyone for the kind words..My hubby thinks it's no biggie so I didn't get much sympathy from him...but he'll figure it out when he starts helping more and once we get the bigger tank that he'll be picking fish out for.

pepetj

Sorry for your losses. I don't think you did anything wrong at all, their visible injuries may not be all they had to deal with. Maybe they were already sick.

I know how you feel. I have lost several fishes, some without seeing any red flag at all. I guess we win some and lose some.

Out of eleven Glossolepis Incisus (Red Salmon Rainbowfish) that have made it home since July 2008, only two survive today. I keep on trying, by February next year I might receive another group from a different breeder. In October 2008 Eleven adult female Bettas died, one by one, in a 24 hours period. I keep 17 juvenile females now. This is a part of fishkeeping we need to cope with.

I suggest that once you have a tank that is six months old, you try Ottos again. I haven't found one single specimen of ottocynclus for sale in Santo Domingo. They are so cute and useful I wish I could keep some too.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

fishlover78

Loosing fish is hard especially for a 3 year old to understand. when I was little for Christmas I got two fancy goldfish in a 10 gal. tank. their names were Hocas and Pocas. every time they died my Mom or Dad would run out to the pet store and buy two identical fish! LOL! its funny but its not funny. -fishlover78

komarsha

i'm so sorry about your fish!!

CHoffman

Thanks Pepe...They are vey cute and very useful...I wish things could have turned out differently..It is a part of fishkeeping we have to deal with..I'm just to soft hearted and hate to see anything suffer..I will try again someday and hopefully have a different outcome.

fishlover78

Nice positive outlook on it CHoffman

CHoffman

LOl..fishlover..they were pulling the ole switcharunie on you..Your right..Funny but not

Thanks Komarsha.

fishlover78

Lol!

CHoffman

My daughter was real upset at first..She cried,..She cried when we gave our Algae eater away too..I thought she was going to chase the people down to get it back..lol..

Once I got her calmed down I just told her that they decided to move...They didn't like it in kansas......They wanted to be in Heaven instead..She said..OH NO....you mean they died and went to heaven!!!...She's to smart..lol..I said "Yes, they died, they were sick and just wanted to be in a better place..She said "that's good...Heaven is nice".

jdhef

When you have kids of your own, you'll understand better.

The biggest thing I learned after having my daughter, is how much my parents loved me.