Oto Acting oddly
 

Hi All

I have a 29 gallon tank with good readings

1 German Ram
5 black phatom tetra
4 panda cories
6 zebra danios
and ghost shrimp - multiple

The fish I am having issues with is my Oto, I originally had 3 but two of them died randomly, think I just got some bad fish from the store. They died about 3 weeks after I had brought them home and I am only left with one Oto.

He has been acting very oddly lately. He has plenty of algae to take care of in my tank, because I want to leave it there for himt o eat, but he doesn't eat it. I've put fresh blanched veggies into the tank also, he barely touches them, if not at all ( I think my cories eat it mostly and shrimp).

Today he is staying up by the filter just swimming in the stream coming out of it, kind of hovering like my danios do.

Any suggestions on what I can do for him?

I can't really get more fish for my tank unless some of them died randomly.

Thanks!

I dunno if this will help, but I've kept ottos for about 2 years consistantly, and I can say that when I originally only kept one, he NEVER cleaned, he barely did anything, but as soon as I bought another one they BOTH cleaned all the time. I'm pretty sure it's just attributed to pure competition. So I've always kept 2 or more since then and never had the problem again.

Hope it helps,

i have to
 

and i'm getting the same behavior, sort of always sort of drifting mid tank and then jetting up to the top and back down to the bottom.

why is he going to the top so much?????
i'm just going to buy more, i hear they are better in groups

They're definitely best kept in groups, as a schooling fish he/she is probably stressed out being suddenly alone.

I have also heard that live plants like anacharis really help with keeping them alive.

All of the questions in this thread are covered in the data in the profile of the Oto Catfish. Click on the shaded name, or use the second tab from the left in the blue bar at the top.

i read its profile, thanks for the sugguestion. i think the guys were just stressed out! i have them i in a pair,, bought three, lost one. tested the water, everything , got tons of plants in the aquarium. feeding them algae discs, cucumbers, carrot peices, all kinds of stuff. they have got their color back nad see to be doing well, i have a lepard leaf fish in the tank i think is on the attack though!