Question about ottos!

I am prob going to come off as a horrible person but lesson learned, read up on something before you cluelessly dive head in.

I have a very new 10 gallon aquarium, it's three days old and has had no fish till today. To the water I added: aquarium salt, Fluval Biological Enhancer, and Stress Zyme. I checked the PH and it is 6-7ish.

Today I added 7 tetras, 3 ottos, and a betta ... I started a previous aquarium at work the same way excluding the ottos and everything worked out fine, though I know it might not be the proper way to do so. My question is did I basically kill the three ottos or is there something I can do to prevent them from dying? I mean, from what I've read they do not do well with salt and in newly established aquariums ... I brought three of them. :;alien

My house mate is bringing me some algae wafers for them since they have no food ... is there anything I can do so the little guys don't die??

Thanks!!

 

I don't have ottos, but I thought I read that they need pristine water conditions. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the best thing you can do for them is make sure that the water is clean. I don't think ottos are the best fish to cycle a tank with, but hey, as you said, you made an honest mistake. Happens to all of us. At least you're doing your best

 

Welcome to fishlore...

I would return them immediately, along with the other fish because most of them won't last a aquarium cycle. A betta will most likely kill all of your fish in that small of a tank.

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Welcome to Fish Lore!

First off, your tank is slightly overstocked imo, and the tetras and betta might not mix well, especially in a tank that size. What kind of tetras are we talking?

Secondly, is your tank cycled? If so, what are your water parameters? The API Freshwater Master Test Kit is the way to go with checking water parameters, as the strips are inaccurate.

Good luck!

 

Welcome to fishlore!
That tank is too small for most tetras, and otos. What type of tetras?
Otos are a shoaling fish and need a group of 6+.


Otos and some tetras are sensitive to water quality. Otos are also supposed to be sensitive to aquarium salt.

Do you know the nitrogen cycle? Do you know what your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) are?

Also, bettas imo should be housed on their own. But if you really want them with other fish, a 20 gallon is min for tank mates in my opinion.

What test kit are you using that says the pH is 6-7ish? That isn't exact at all, as pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7.
BornThisWayBettas, the tank can't be cycled at three days old.....lol


You should add TSS and rehome the tetras, imo.

 

The OP didn't really make it clear what was done to the tank though, lol. So I want to find out exactly where we stand.

 

I would rehome all of the fish, not just the tetras, but also the otos, and the betta until you can get the tank cycled

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For the tank to be cycled, you'd need an ammonia source, so it's either you do a fishless cycle or a fish-in cycle.....

 

For the tank to be cycled, you'd need an ammonia source, so it's either you do a fishless cycle or a fish-in cycle.....

That's exactly what I was thinking! Lol..... But I don't think the tetras or the otos will be suitable for cycling.

 

Nope, they won't be. And they aren't suitable for the tank size, either.....

 

Depends on the type of tetras.....

 

For a betta? In that size tank?
In a bigger tank possible, 30-40gs+ but not in that small...

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why do you feel the need to use aquarium salt. you do not need to use it in your tank. it can harm your fish

 

Bettas are very hardy and I have known a betta or two to survive cycling. Although it might take forever to cycle as the bioload of bettas are minuscule.

 

I used the API test strips for the PH, I just did it again and it gave me around 6.5, the color is in between 6 and 6.5. As for the rest I am not sure, I let the water sit out for 3 days filtering and with the bio enhancer, I read that that is more than enough for any harmful chemicals to be released. I did not cycle the tank, however I did the same procedure with another tank and everything worked out smoothly. The betta and tetras in the other 10 gallon tank get along well and are in great shape, that tank is a little under one year old now ... it does not seem to be over crowed to me but what do I know. They are neon tetras. I thought about moving the ottos over to the tank at work but I'm not sure if all the moving around is good for them. Thanks for your replies, I think I'll just feed them and see how it works out, if they do survive (crossing my fingers they do) I will most deff get a bigger tank and cycle it the right way this time.

Thanks again!

*the temp is 78 degrees Fahrenheit btw

 

I'd rehome all the fish and start cycling your tank
Get a bottle of tetra safe start
And add fish that are hardy and can be suitable for a 10 gallon, for example platies
You can fit 3 platies in a 10 gallon

 

First off you need to cycle your tank. Go return your fish and pick up a bottle of Tetra Safe Start at your LFS.

Now, when you do add fish:

-A single betta would be OK
-I would advise against keeping tetras with a betta, but if you do not keep a betta, there are several small schooling fish that would be suitable for a 10:
-CPDs
-ChilI Rasboras
-Ember Tetras
-Neon Tetras

-If you DO want a betta, a couple platies would be fine, but you can't do much more than that.

 

I used the API test strips for the PH, I just did it again and it gave me around 6.5, the color is in between 6 and 6.5. As for the rest I am not sure, I let the water sit out for 3 days filtering and with the bio enhancer, I read that that is more than enough for any harmful chemicals to be released. I did not cycle the tank, however I did the same procedure with another tank and everything worked out smoothly. The betta and tetras in the other 10 gallon tank get along well and are in great shape, that tank is a little under one year old now ... it does not seem to be over crowed to me but what do I know. They are neon tetras. I thought about moving the ottos over to the tank at work but I'm not sure if all the moving around is good for them. Thanks for your replies, I think I'll just feed them and see how it works out, if they do survive (crossing my fingers they do) I will most deff get a bigger tank and cycle it the right way this time.

Thanks again!

*the temp is 78 degrees Fahrenheit btw

Otos aren't cycle fish at all. They need to be in groups of 6 or more, and can be only added once the tank is established, which takes 6 months
Neon tetras are very active fish that need to be in a school of 6 or more, and need at least 20gallons. They aren't cycle fish either

 

First off you need to cycle your tank. Go return your fish and pick up a bottle of Tetra Safe Start at your LFS.

Now, when you do add fish:

-A single betta would be OK
-I would advise against keeping tetras with a betta, but if you do not keep a betta, there are several small schooling fish that would be suitable for a 10:
-CPDs
-ChilI Rasboras
-Ember Tetras
-Neon Tetras

-If you DO want a betta, a couple platies would be fine, but you can't do much more than that.

Neon tetras aren't suitable

 

I am prob going to come off as a horrible person but lesson learned, read up on something before you cluelessly dive head in.

I have a very new 10 gallon aquarium, it's three days old and has had no fish till today. To the water I added: aquarium salt, Fluval Biological Enhancer, and Stress Zyme. I checked the PH and it is 6-7ish.

Today I added 7 tetras, 3 ottos, and a betta ... I started a previous aquarium at work the same way excluding the ottos and everything worked out fine, though I know it might not be the proper way to do so. My question is did I basically kill the three ottos or is there something I can do to prevent them from dying? I mean, from what I've read they do not do well with salt and in newly established aquariums ... I brought three of them. :;alien

My house mate is bringing me some algae wafers for them since they have no food ... is there anything I can do so the little guys don't die??

Thanks!!

Welcome to Fishlore
You're not a horrible person, you've just made a mistake that most of us have made when starting out.
Most Oto's are wild caught & not in the best condition when they get to the Lfs, many don't make it & in an uncycled tank I doubt they'll do very well as they're sensitive to water conditions.
I'd suggest you return the Oto's & tetras as they really aren't suitable for a 10 gallon & pick up a bottle of Tetra safe start or similar bottled bacteria, in the meantime do a water change to remove some of the salt as that can be an irritant for Otos.
You could also do with a liquid test kit such as the ApI master kit, once your tank is cycled we can make some suggestions for suitable fish for you.

 

Neon tetras aren't suitable

That's debatable. Some people claim they aren't but some claim they are. It all comes down to experience IMO

 

IMO all these bacteria bottles are a waste of money. Those bottles have been on the shelves of a long time. The majority of the bacteria is dead in those anaerobic conditions. Though anaerobic bacteria can grow, the moment you open the bottle even those bacteria die. You're really just adding dead bacteria to your tank.

A good way of cycling your tank is asking you LFS for old dirty media.

 

IMO all these bacteria bottles are a waste of money. Those bottles have been on the shelves of a long time. The majority of the bacteria is dead in those anaerobic conditions. Though anaerobic bacteria can grow, the moment you open the bottle even those bacteria die. You're really just adding dead bacteria to your tank.

A good way of cycling your tank is asking you LFS for old dirty media.

Most of the time it works
TSS isn't pure bacteria. They add things to preserve it
And who knows what is in LFS filter media
You can also grow your own bacteria. Put in a filter cartridge in dechlorinated water and feed it every day with fish food

 

That's debatable. Some people claim they aren't but some claim they are. It all comes down to experience IMO

IMO, they aren't.
My tetras were in my 10 gallon when my 20 gallon cracked
They were really inactive, then when I introduced them into my 29 gallon, they swam everywhere

 

Most of the time it works
TSS isn't pure bacteria. They add things to preserve it
And who knows what is in LFS filter media
You can also grow your own bacteria. Put in a filter cartridge in dechlorinated water and feed it every day with fish food

True. I have stopped using those bottled BB ever since I learnt about Pondgurus bacteria balls that he sells. If I were to go to my LFS I would get media from there display tanks cause they are clean.

 

I used the API test strips for the PH, I just did it again and it gave me around 6.5, the color is in between 6 and 6.5. As for the rest I am not sure, I let the water sit out for 3 days filtering and with the bio enhancer, I read that that is more than enough for any harmful chemicals to be released. I did not cycle the tank, however I did the same procedure with another tank and everything worked out smoothly. The betta and tetras in the other 10 gallon tank get along well and are in great shape, that tank is a little under one year old now ... it does not seem to be over crowed to me but what do I know. They are neon tetras. I thought about moving the ottos over to the tank at work but I'm not sure if all the moving around is good for them. Thanks for your replies, I think I'll just feed them and see how it works out, if they do survive (crossing my fingers they do) I will most deff get a bigger tank and cycle it the right way this time.

Thanks again!

*the temp is 78 degrees Fahrenheit btw

You need to get a liquid test kit, test strips aren't accurate.

Neon tetras aren't suitable

I agree. They may be more active when young, but when full grown will need at least a 20 gallon (or a 15 that's long)....

 

Another hardy fish that should last a cycle that are highly recommended, zebra danios!

 

Another hardy fish that should last a cycle that are highly recommended, zebra danios!

Not in a 10 gallon. They are way too active

 

Not in a 10 gallon. They are way too active

Yeah, at least we can agree on that

 

And, they get 2 inches. Which crosses them off even if they weren't active.