If you have any questions, comment down below, and if you are really interested in breeding otocinclus and would like to chat with me about it, DM me on Instagram @finsandwhiskers! Ahora tenemos subtítulos en español!
I used Hikari Algae waffers, Betta Bio-gold, and Sinking Waffers and crushed them up into powder. I had six out of twenty survive to adult. My tank was heavy with algae and bio-film. I never vac the substrait or disturb it. My light was on for 16 hours a day and water was around 72 degrees. I also removed the artificial plant they laid the eggs on to a small container for betta with a clean plastic bottom. I used an air stone in it and watched them hatch. After their yoke sac was gone, I transfered them. I think I was just lucky they survived.
Your work on figuring out oto spawning mechanics has been a real inspiration to me! You've inspired me to acquire a small colony with the intention of contributing to the home breeding effort! Thank you for the knowledge!
Thank you so much for this video! I’m really excited to try to breed Oto’s. Captive breeding of otocinclus really has to happen, especially as they continue to grow in popularity.
I found your post on the forum when I was searching for Otos breeding information. And here you are showing actual footage video. So happy to see it. Thank you so much for the valuable record of breeding them.
Your aquariums are just beautiful! My otocinclus started breeding naturally, without any of my intervention! It was a huge surprise to me. I didn't see the dancing, but I noticed fry about a month after adding some more wood and adding more plants, so I'm sure they like having lots of cover before they will breed.
3:13 Everything I can find says they’re strictly herbivores and don’t eat anything meat based. I’m still a ways out from setting up my tank, I’m just gathering information. Do they eat protein/meat based things after all?
They can and do eat live foods and proteins are fine. that misinformation has been going on for too long. Honestly there’s barely a true herbivore fish when it comes to bottom feeders
Thank you for sharing this video! There are some animals being actively wild-caught and the one person knows how to breed them in captivity, keeps it a secret
That is really disappointing and sad. I will always share information to help these pets, not profit off of them. And that is information we need to protect their habitat and stop catching them.
Very good video, well done. Love your idea of sharing and growing the body of knowledge. I'll set about trying to breed them and share what I learn as well.
Very inspiring! I want to do this! I only have two Ottos, and have been looking for more for months now! I'm setting up a shrimp aquarium. Do you think shrimp would leave otto eggs and fry alone? Cherry shrimp? I'm hoping I can breed both in the same aquarium. Thank you for posting this!
The shrimp will leave the fry alone, not sure about the eggs but I’m about to discover that sooner or later because I just got shrimp :) just have lots of plants and the eggs should survive
been trying to buy otos but most of the stores are out. is it easy to distinguish the female and the male like in guppies? would like to buy 3 pairs and see if they would breed. thanks, great video..
I have done it by accident too after a botched shrimp housing that required me to take out everything so I can set up the shrimp housing the way I wanted to set it up. Took two days of indecisive decision to finished the set up. The ottos were in a dark bucket with shrimp for 48+ hours and when they went back in the tank, everything was completely different as well. After a few days I saw what thought were eggs and turns out it was. Took out 6 eggs which I thought was all, but a few days there was baby ottos all over the glass. Sadly, I did not mean to breed them so only 11 out of 45 babies that I counted survive. Which is fine, since I wasn't expecting them to spawn. Every time I do water changes they all (11+ ottos) will do this run where they would just circle the tank for 30min-1hour, then go back into the shrimp housing and wait until lights-out to feed. I haven't been able to trigger a attempted spawn yet though, I don't know if the shrimp are picking them off before I get to the otto eggs, there is 200+ of cherry shrimp with them, so if the shrimp wanted to eat the eggs, there's enough shrimp that it wouldn't take long at all for them to eat all the eggs quickly.
My ottos just laid eggs! I actually only have 3 ottos in that 10 liter tank. They laid the eggs right after I moved my neon tetras out. So I guess maybe if there are other fish in the same tank, they may feel out competed and not reproduce?
It’s all worth considering! While some have reported to have seen them mating even with other tankmates around, they definitely can feel more confident without them!
Parabéns pelo vídeo, me chamo Tiago sou Brasileiro e achei muito interessante o vídeo, pela primeira vez vejo reprodução de otocinclus, muito interessante e instrutivo! Conheci seu canal através do RUclipsr brasileiro Leandro sousa.
Thank you for your video! I'm starting a few tanks soon and I'll be making a stand to hold two 29 gallon tanks. I think I'll make the second tank a breeding tank for otocinclus cause they're just so cool to me!
Your video inspired me to try and breed Otto cats. I had a betta in a 15 gallon fluval flex die last week (rip Paco) but that left me with a heavily planted tank with only shrimp and golden bunny snails in it. Sooo I went to my locally owned fish show and got 4 and added them with a few others I already have. Cross my fingers, I hope I get some frys soon! My 3 year old daughter for some reason really likes them ahahahah thanks for the video.
Hello! Thanks for posting this video. So much great information. Could you elaborate on what the eggs look like? I'm trying to breed mine but don't know what I'm looking for 😅 Thanks again!!!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I have four otos (2f 2m) in a 57l tank and I'm going to test this method in about a week, I'm really excited about it. They share the tank with neocaridina and snails, so for food sources there's always greens (iceberg lettuce/stinging nettle/dandelion/cucumber/spinach/peas and so on) available cause all inhabitants love it. For protein they have "Hikari Algea Wafers" as small pieces for the otos and as dust for the shrimps, along spirostomum cf. ambiguum. The shrimps are very fertile, but so far nothing with the otos... we'll see. I hope your second attempt goes well! One question... did you use tempered water or cold water for the exchange? (maybe you answered it in the vid... I'm going to rewatch) Usually I use cold tap water ( to avoid Cu) and heat it up to tank temperature ~22-23°C... add ferts and minerals before I exchange.
Al Bee great to hear! Keep me informed! I’ve been struggling with the snails eating the eggs though :( and not sure if neos will also munch on them. I add water straight from the tap (no chlorine or chloramines here) I run cold water, but for some reason it does heat up after it’s been running a while. Tank has never exceeded 71-78f though, and 75f (23c?) seems to be the steady temp. Sorry about the use of the imperial system, stuck in my american habit 💀
@@finsandwhiskers Uhhh, never thought about the snails going for the eggs... maybe I'll put up a trap and resettle a bunch into my pond. I'm not very worried about the shrimps, the population isn't that big yet, they have lot of options to eat and mostly hang out in the frogbit or between roots and stones but I'll observe. If I'm lucky... and if I spot them, I'm going to put a few of the eggs into a small nursery inside the tank. Many ifs... fingers crossed. Tomorrow I'm going to get a few more otos (4-6), because I hate to admit it... but four just isn't enough for them to have that proper schooling behaviour. They are calm and relaxed, they eat very well and I can spot them all the time although there are lots of hiding spaces. But I rarely see them swimming together. Sometimes they play a bit together, munch on a leave or relax together... but most of the time I find them grazing solo. Nothing that really worries me too much, but compared to bigger groups I've seen, they seem a bit off. They would be happier in a bigger group, that's for sure. So far I'm very pleased with my store. Bought four... all made it. I'm going to ask them if they are imports or from a local breeder. Best of luck Shine (If that's how you spell it) and thanks for the response!
Al Bee turns out the snails ate the eggs accidentally when I turned the lights off every night! I think leaving the light on during the time fixes this. :) also, I agree. A bigger shoal is always better!
@@finsandwhiskers Hmmm that sucks... but what about the circadian rhythm, don't they need it? Sadly my store ran out of otos... maybe they get new ones on thursday. Since I couldn't get more, I did a big waterchange yesterday and put in 6 corydoras pygmaeus beacause I read that they form sometimes shoals with otos. Makes sense... they live in the same region, look quite similar in terms of coloration and fins... have quite similar movement patterns... are peaceful... And indeed... they really enjoy each others company sooooo much! They often form shoals now and gilde in a group of 7-9 through the tank or search the ground for food. I'ts so satisfying to know they are much happier and more active now! But I wouldn't want to add more fish to the tank. It's a 57l (12.5 gallon) 60cm (2 feet) long tank with lots of structure and vegetation so there's a good amount of surface, but when I get another 6 otos it would be maxed out imho... so the corydoras will most likely move to another tank then. In the other tank I will also stock them up to 10, they are really just adorable and will get along well with the rasbora merah. In regards of the water change. It really did the trick! The females chased up and down like crazy several times today, but it didn't seem to trigger the males that much. On the other hand I didn't have very much time today to watch them, so who knows? I found a couple otos two times in some sort of "T-Position" but there was always food involved, so I don't think that was mating... he kind of wrapped himself around her head, but not enough like yours did. Anyway, if something changes or I spot something I'll keep you updated.
Al Bee my lights have a dimmer so at night I keep it on the lowest setting (1). It’s just for a week until they are able to free swim! Glad to hear your temporary solution is working! Cories and otos are like wholesome friends, but so glad to hear you still plan on getting that perfect oto shoal!
I’ve been taking a break. It’s been rewarding but also really stressful and took a huge toll on my mental health because since I only have my own experience and info to go off of, a lot of factors (like them randomly dying off) really depressed me. I want more people to try with me and I will make more videos to inspire it, but right now I’m drained. :(
They don't! It would be safe, but ideally you would want to keep the fry in their own tank so you can selectively feed necessary concentrations/make sure they are eating enough.
Not sure if it would work on otos but when I bred corys the fry would feed off the bacteria on the sponge filter. When you would move the filter they would be under it in a swarm. I didn't add any food and my survival rate was very high with the corys.
I just added two females to my tank and a few hours later one of them was breeding with the existing male. I changed my water 5 days ago. Hopefully I’ll be seeing some fry soon. Plus my Molly is currently pregnant. 😀
Hi! How do we know if it’s a male or a female? I only got 1 Oto in my tank and I plan to buy another one and let them breed. The one that I have in my tank has a thing in the middle-bottom abdomen, almost like the male “cucumber” (lol). Is it a male or a female ? Pls help, tysm in advance !
So cool i have these algae killers as well but my local shop only have 2, i will get a call when they get more, hope to see the dancing soon! Cool video and love the excitement haha.
I’m mourning the loss of my recently acquired Otos. I bought 4 and 3 died, my tank is fully cycled and not sure why they would just died. I love oto cats. Any suggestions? Did I hear that your tank was new? How did you managed to control the levels?
I am sorry to hear about the loss of your otos. It is more than likely because their gut bacteria died in the previous owner's care, and so there was not anything you could do by the time it was in your care. People often underfeed Otocinclus to the point where the good bacteria in them dies, and that can only lead to their fatal death. I will be making a complete care guide on otocinclus, but most likely you will need to get otos from someone who feeds them well, have round tummies, and look vibrant. Ask the person what they feed them before deciding to purchase! And to answer your other q, I did a fish in cycle with otos using two sponge filters from their previous tank. I also transferred the plants and substrate from that tank to this one. Afterwards, I just dosed Prime once a week to keep any chance of a spike in check, until I was completely sure it was cycled, which did not take long.
Fins & Whiskers thank you. Funny thing, the lfs where I got them still have Otos. They told me my water quality was bad and needed to get my nitrate levels down. My surviving oto is active and his belly looks round and keeps on munching away. I just hope he won’t die from being solo. Not sure how to get my nitrates lower with only changing 10% PWC each week as recommended by them.
Fins & Whiskers tank is a month and a half old. Used media and gunk from my already established tank and cycled it in 3 weeks. I currently have 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and 40 nitrates I use prime and stability to help.
I've had my male oto for 8 or so months, recently added two friends since they are schooling fish- one female died the first night unfortunately. But the other one was eggy SO quickly after they done the mating thing like in your video! I actually have a video of mine as well! Noticed my female getting huge, she acted weird all day yesterday after a water change the day before.. woke up today an found one egg on the substrate but her belly has went down ALOT! Any tips? Also what is your go to food for these guys besides algea of Course lol
But the egg looks more yellow/clear in my tank, what did you feed the fry? My otos are in a community/sorority tank with female bettas, guppies,ramshorns,danios, an Cory's!
If you go to my playlists I have a series called Breeding Otocinclus, you’ll find many helpful videos there including feeding the fry, and even just keep adults alive! Good luck and congratulations!! Keep me updated ♥️
They eat more than just algae, in fact you’ll likely be feeding more protein and greens than algae! Pellets and algae wafers as well. They’re not true herbivores so they can what other fish eat, and even more than other fish (since they need to eat all the time)
@@finsandwhiskers I ordered some algae wafers and because I don’t have a lot of food for them im blanching zucchini every night and might give them some sweet potato later. That’s reassuring though that I can feed other things thank you.
My first go with Otos was not good, but I waited another 6 months to try again and they have been thriving now. What seemed to do the trick is 1- having ample amount of leaf litter in the tank (they feed on the microorganisms that populate the rotting leaves) and 2-every other evening I put repashy soilent green in the tank. They love that stuff. I place it in the same location and within 15 mins I always catch them eating in that corner. Essentially they’re now trained that food will appear in the same spot and look for it
Thanks for shareing. Im trying to breed some otocinclus bc there are a few local shops near me and if im able to provide them otocinclus ill prevent them from buying wild cought ones :3
They are my favorite fish. My son and I just discovered them and are in love! I want to breed my pair. I kinda over fed my fish and now everyone is doing the wild thing in my community tank. 😅
otocinclus LOVE lettuce. my corydoras , otocinclus and pleco get fresh zuccini every other day. they devour it. I aslo use veggie rounds and algea rounds. good luck with your otos!! I enjoy watching all of my fish. currently my otos, corys and pleco share a 29 gallon tank with my glofish danios and 2 angel fish. My angel fish have not shown any agression towards any of thier tank mates. Soon my 55 gallon will be up and going and my angelfish and glofish danios will be put in there
Well done for trying, and so kindly with their best interests at heart ❤️ Lovely to see the behaviour Wonder if you’ve seen Marks Aquatics? He has wonderful breeding videos for Pygmy corydoras, perhaps he may have some insight into success with ottos. Best wishes x
thank you sm for this video, I just got otos a few days ago and they were doing the mating call all day today! really worried me. can confirm the giant water change tho: rescaped the tank and drained it about 50-60%
I had fry before a water change. 24°C. I feed a mix of myself made of spirulina, egg yolk, egg shell, spinache, kale, unflavor gelatine. Low nutrients on water, ph get a little bit higher to 7,6 before was 7, more calcium on tap water 40ppm vs 60ppm. Lets see if I can keep them alive.
I think if you separate out the fry to a smaller container, and feed them live baby brine or powdered spirulina they might do better, 25g is a big world for a tiny fry to find a meal.
Thanks for sharing this! Not many people have succesfully bred otos! Have you watched the videos of Dendrochirus zebra here on RUclips? He's made a whole series on breeding them as well!
I have! We still lacked a lot of information so I thought I’d bring my own series. I also have a video on what to feed the fry and later we will see them grow to adult ☺️
@@finsandwhiskersAh nice! The more information on breeding this species te better! How much colder was the water you did the water change with by the way? ;)
Thanks for posting! I have 15 otos spread throughout 5 tanks and some are definitely looking like they're carrying eggs! I don't have anywhere to move my other fish to so I'll have to let nature take its course but I'd love for them to spawn!
Saw your video really informative, mine have started to mate and not sure how to take care of the fry plus it doesn’t help I got them with my Betta fish but he doesn’t bother with them.
I will be making a video on taking care of the fry! I would recommend separating the fry if you see them because a betta’s natural instinct will be to go after something so small.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
If you have any questions, comment down below, and if you are really interested in breeding otocinclus and would like to chat with me about it, DM me on Instagram @finsandwhiskers! Ahora tenemos subtítulos en español!
Hello, are you 100% certain that this is Affinis and not Vittatus? They look at bit too small to be fully grown Affinis...
Please how you know different between female and male
Are you gonna answer??
ive been told diatoms // brown algae can be eaten by otto fry
I used Hikari Algae waffers, Betta Bio-gold, and Sinking Waffers and crushed them up into powder. I had six out of twenty survive to adult. My tank was heavy with algae and bio-film. I never vac the substrait or disturb it. My light was on for 16 hours a day and water was around 72 degrees. I also removed the artificial plant they laid the eggs on to a small container for betta with a clean plastic bottom. I used an air stone in it and watched them hatch. After their yoke sac was gone, I transfered them. I think I was just lucky they survived.
Your work on figuring out oto spawning mechanics has been a real inspiration to me! You've inspired me to acquire a small colony with the intention of contributing to the home breeding effort! Thank you for the knowledge!
Best of luck!! Let me know if you have any questions
Thank you so much for this video! I’m really excited to try to breed Oto’s. Captive breeding of otocinclus really has to happen, especially as they continue to grow in popularity.
Yes!!
You should be proud you were able to breed a type of fish that a lot of people struggle to even keep alive.
I am very proud
I found your post on the forum when I was searching for Otos breeding information. And here you are showing actual footage video. So happy to see it. Thank you so much for the valuable record of breeding them.
Thank you for following my journey!
Your aquariums are just beautiful! My otocinclus started breeding naturally, without any of my intervention! It was a huge surprise to me. I didn't see the dancing, but I noticed fry about a month after adding some more wood and adding more plants, so I'm sure they like having lots of cover before they will breed.
Do u know what ur parameters were?
Oto's are my favorite fish!
I started a 20 long for them, waiting on more algae and biofilm growth to introduce around 20
They are my favorite fish in the whole world too, I couldn’t live without them
What a great video, thank you for your contribution.
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
Appreciate you sharing this even though the fry didn’t make it! Hopefully we figure out how to more easily feed and sustain the fry in the future.
Such a great video! Thanks for documenting your experience.
Thank you!
I really like your attitude towards the whole thing! I hope it works out eventually! I love my otos; they are so peaceful and just do their own thing
Thank you! It did work out! I have a follow up video on what to feed the fry :)
I wasn't even attempting to have my ottos breed but lo and behold, now I randomly have 3 baby fry. :D
Congrats!! Let me know how it goes!
Do u know what ur water parameters are? Is ur water soft or hard?
3:13 Everything I can find says they’re strictly herbivores and don’t eat anything meat based. I’m still a ways out from setting up my tank, I’m just gathering information. Do they eat protein/meat based things after all?
They can and do eat live foods and proteins are fine. that misinformation has been going on for too long. Honestly there’s barely a true herbivore fish when it comes to bottom feeders
@@finsandwhiskers okay, thank you!
Great commentary. Straight to the point. Good bullet points.
What size Otocinclus can breeding? Thx
Thank you for sharing this video! There are some animals being actively wild-caught and the one person knows how to breed them in captivity, keeps it a secret
That is really disappointing and sad. I will always share information to help these pets, not profit off of them. And that is information we need to protect their habitat and stop catching them.
Very good video, well done. Love your idea of sharing and growing the body of knowledge. I'll set about trying to breed them and share what I learn as well.
Good luck! Every experience is worth sharing.
I am going to try to breed some of these out. Repashy soilent green and bacter ae may be worth a try for the fry.
Did this work?
this is such a rare feet. congrats!
They’re one of the absolute easist fish to breed
Feat
@@nikolaj1316 😂ok
Very inspiring! I want to do this! I only have two Ottos, and have been looking for more for months now! I'm setting up a shrimp aquarium. Do you think shrimp would leave otto eggs and fry alone? Cherry shrimp? I'm hoping I can breed both in the same aquarium. Thank you for posting this!
The shrimp will leave the fry alone, not sure about the eggs but I’m about to discover that sooner or later because I just got shrimp :) just have lots of plants and the eggs should survive
Thank you for sharing such a great video. I am always interested in breeding otocinclus myself one day. This video is very helpful.
Thank you and good luck!
Moved my Oto's into a new tank and they were bangin' by the next day. Sigh.
But that’s a good thing!!
@@finsandwhiskersnot if you don’t want them. I only have them as tank cleaners. My bettas are what matter. If I find the eggs, I will remove them
@@NEnigma777 such a shame.
Hi. I would just like to know. What’s the easiest and most precise way to differentiate a male and female oto? Do u have a video on that ?
been trying to buy otos but most of the stores are out. is it easy to distinguish the female and the male like in guppies? would like to buy 3 pairs and see if they would breed. thanks, great video..
Not exactly! My frequently asked questions about otos video explains how to tell!
I have done it by accident too after a botched shrimp housing that required me to take out everything so I can set up the shrimp housing the way I wanted to set it up. Took two days of indecisive decision to finished the set up. The ottos were in a dark bucket with shrimp for 48+ hours and when they went back in the tank, everything was completely different as well. After a few days I saw what thought were eggs and turns out it was. Took out 6 eggs which I thought was all, but a few days there was baby ottos all over the glass. Sadly, I did not mean to breed them so only 11 out of 45 babies that I counted survive. Which is fine, since I wasn't expecting them to spawn. Every time I do water changes they all (11+ ottos) will do this run where they would just circle the tank for 30min-1hour, then go back into the shrimp housing and wait until lights-out to feed. I haven't been able to trigger a attempted spawn yet though, I don't know if the shrimp are picking them off before I get to the otto eggs, there is 200+ of cherry shrimp with them, so if the shrimp wanted to eat the eggs, there's enough shrimp that it wouldn't take long at all for them to eat all the eggs quickly.
How many ottos are in there ?.
What plant were they breeding on? I have that exact plant but don’t know the name of it lol. Great video
Wow thanks for your info, it is very helpful. Just got myself 30 otos hehe
Awesome!!
Truly awesome video! I can't wait for part 2!
do otos eats their eggs?
I have a 200 gallon tank and i would try to keep brreding them for profit, can u tell me your water parameters (ph, water temp, etc)? Btw nice work🔥🔥
The parameters are in the video!
Great work, keep it up and keep trying I admire your time and patience also great video👍🏼
Very good. I noticed the water change connection with other species. I think it mimics the wet season in the wild.
Exactly!
Nice video with astonishing voice.
My ottos just laid eggs! I actually only have 3 ottos in that 10 liter tank. They laid the eggs right after I moved my neon tetras out. So I guess maybe if there are other fish in the same tank, they may feel out competed and not reproduce?
It’s all worth considering! While some have reported to have seen them mating even with other tankmates around, they definitely can feel more confident without them!
Parabéns pelo vídeo, me chamo Tiago sou Brasileiro e achei muito interessante o vídeo, pela primeira vez vejo reprodução de otocinclus, muito interessante e instrutivo!
Conheci seu canal através do RUclipsr brasileiro Leandro sousa.
Hallo Shine,How many hours is the light in your tank on during breeding?
Greetings from Germany
6-7 hours because of co2 recently
Thank you for your video! I'm starting a few tanks soon and I'll be making a stand to hold two 29 gallon tanks. I think I'll make the second tank a breeding tank for otocinclus cause they're just so cool to me!
Awesome! You might wanna check out my other videos in the series as well, it’s in my breeding otocinclus playlist :)
Your video inspired me to try and breed Otto cats. I had a betta in a 15 gallon fluval flex die last week (rip Paco) but that left me with a heavily planted tank with only shrimp and golden bunny snails in it. Sooo I went to my locally owned fish show and got 4 and added them with a few others I already have. Cross my fingers, I hope I get some frys soon! My 3 year old daughter for some reason really likes them ahahahah thanks for the video.
I’m so glad I could inspire you! And your daughter has good taste 🥰
Hello! Thanks for posting this video. So much great information. Could you elaborate on what the eggs look like? I'm trying to breed mine but don't know what I'm looking for 😅 Thanks again!!!
At 4:29 you can see what the eggs look like in a macro shot :) they are quite clear
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I have four otos (2f 2m) in a 57l tank and I'm going to test this method in about a week, I'm really excited about it.
They share the tank with neocaridina and snails, so for food sources there's always greens (iceberg lettuce/stinging nettle/dandelion/cucumber/spinach/peas and so on) available cause all inhabitants love it. For protein they have "Hikari Algea Wafers" as small pieces for the otos and as dust for the shrimps, along spirostomum cf. ambiguum. The shrimps are very fertile, but so far nothing with the otos... we'll see.
I hope your second attempt goes well!
One question... did you use tempered water or cold water for the exchange? (maybe you answered it in the vid... I'm going to rewatch) Usually I use cold tap water ( to avoid Cu) and heat it up to tank temperature ~22-23°C... add ferts and minerals before I exchange.
Al Bee great to hear! Keep me informed! I’ve been struggling with the snails eating the eggs though :( and not sure if neos will also munch on them. I add water straight from the tap (no chlorine or chloramines here) I run cold water, but for some reason it does heat up after it’s been running a while. Tank has never exceeded 71-78f though, and 75f (23c?) seems to be the steady temp. Sorry about the use of the imperial system, stuck in my american habit 💀
@@finsandwhiskers Uhhh, never thought about the snails going for the eggs... maybe I'll put up a trap and resettle a bunch into my pond.
I'm not very worried about the shrimps, the population isn't that big yet, they have lot of options to eat and mostly hang out in the frogbit or between roots and stones but I'll observe. If I'm lucky... and if I spot them, I'm going to put a few of the eggs into a small nursery inside the tank. Many ifs... fingers crossed.
Tomorrow I'm going to get a few more otos (4-6), because I hate to admit it... but four just isn't enough for them to have that proper schooling behaviour.
They are calm and relaxed, they eat very well and I can spot them all the time although there are lots of hiding spaces. But I rarely see them swimming together. Sometimes they play a bit together, munch on a leave or relax together... but most of the time I find them grazing solo. Nothing that really worries me too much, but compared to bigger groups I've seen, they seem a bit off. They would be happier in a bigger group, that's for sure.
So far I'm very pleased with my store. Bought four... all made it. I'm going to ask them if they are imports or from a local breeder.
Best of luck Shine (If that's how you spell it) and thanks for the response!
Al Bee turns out the snails ate the eggs accidentally when I turned the lights off every night! I think leaving the light on during the time fixes this. :) also, I agree. A bigger shoal is always better!
@@finsandwhiskers Hmmm that sucks... but what about the circadian rhythm, don't they need it?
Sadly my store ran out of otos... maybe they get new ones on thursday. Since I couldn't get more, I did a big waterchange yesterday and put in 6 corydoras pygmaeus beacause I read that they form sometimes shoals with otos. Makes sense... they live in the same region, look quite similar in terms of coloration and fins... have quite similar movement patterns... are peaceful...
And indeed... they really enjoy each others company sooooo much! They often form shoals now and gilde in a group of 7-9 through the tank or search the ground for food. I'ts so satisfying to know they are much happier and more active now! But I wouldn't want to add more fish to the tank. It's a 57l (12.5 gallon) 60cm (2 feet) long tank with lots of structure and vegetation so there's a good amount of surface, but when I get another 6 otos it would be maxed out imho... so the corydoras will most likely move to another tank then. In the other tank I will also stock them up to 10, they are really just adorable and will get along well with the rasbora merah.
In regards of the water change. It really did the trick! The females chased up and down like crazy several times today, but it didn't seem to trigger the males that much. On the other hand I didn't have very much time today to watch them, so who knows? I found a couple otos two times in some sort of "T-Position" but there was always food involved, so I don't think that was mating... he kind of wrapped himself around her head, but not enough like yours did. Anyway, if something changes or I spot something I'll keep you updated.
Al Bee my lights have a dimmer so at night I keep it on the lowest setting (1). It’s just for a week until they are able to free swim! Glad to hear your temporary solution is working! Cories and otos are like wholesome friends, but so glad to hear you still plan on getting that perfect oto shoal!
How old are your otos?
i didnt know otos were treated like that, i though they would all be bred in captivity
the fry grow into adults?
Yes! Take a look at my “fry to adult” video in the breeding Otocinclus playlist!
Pessoal alguém tem alguma dica de como reproduzir eles? São tipo cascudo pra reproduzir?
Hello, i have a question. How do you know which is male and female, as far as i know its hard to sexing otocinclus. Thanks before
Males are much smaller, usually short in size. Females are longer and their stomachs are larger as well.
Great job! And thanks so much for sharing! Very helpful.
Great to hear!
Hey, how is the breeding of your fish? Any new progress? You haven't made films about them for a long time. I'm very curious. Thanks for answer :)
I’ve been taking a break. It’s been rewarding but also really stressful and took a huge toll on my mental health because since I only have my own experience and info to go off of, a lot of factors (like them randomly dying off) really depressed me. I want more people to try with me and I will make more videos to inspire it, but right now I’m drained. :(
Do the parent eat the children ? If i just put 1 female and 1 male is it safe without removing the parent after child is born ?
They don't! It would be safe, but ideally you would want to keep the fry in their own tank so you can selectively feed necessary concentrations/make sure they are eating enough.
@@finsandwhiskers thank you very much
Thank you ma'am
Nice information
I will try to breed in India ❤️
Not sure if it would work on otos but when I bred corys the fry would feed off the bacteria on the sponge filter. When you would move the filter they would be under it in a swarm. I didn't add any food and my survival rate was very high with the corys.
Do I need to add the cold water while they are going up and down on the glass?
Usually it’s a water change before they start doing the mating call
@@finsandwhiskers Well they are doing the mating call rn so I'm hoping for the best🤭. Thanks for the quick answer!
No problem and good luck!!
I just added two females to my tank and a few hours later one of them was breeding with the existing male. I changed my water 5 days ago. Hopefully I’ll be seeing some fry soon. Plus my Molly is currently pregnant. 😀
Be careful with the mollies! They might eat the fry
it has been 2 months. a update please
Do u know what ur water parameters were?
Hi! How do we know if it’s a male or a female? I only got 1 Oto in my tank and I plan to buy another one and let them breed. The one that I have in my tank has a thing in the middle-bottom abdomen, almost like the male “cucumber” (lol). Is it a male or a female ? Pls help, tysm in advance !
Females have more rounder and prominent stomachs! They also tend to be longer than males. Males are short and don’t have as prominent stomachs
@@finsandwhiskers Oki thank you so much !
So cool i have these algae killers as well but my local shop only have 2, i will get a call when they get more, hope to see the dancing soon! Cool video and love the excitement haha.
Good luck!!
I really respect your conservation efforts👍
I’m mourning the loss of my recently acquired Otos. I bought 4 and 3 died, my tank is fully cycled and not sure why they would just died. I love oto cats. Any suggestions?
Did I hear that your tank was new? How did you managed to control the levels?
I am sorry to hear about the loss of your otos. It is more than likely because their gut bacteria died in the previous owner's care, and so there was not anything you could do by the time it was in your care. People often underfeed Otocinclus to the point where the good bacteria in them dies, and that can only lead to their fatal death. I will be making a complete care guide on otocinclus, but most likely you will need to get otos from someone who feeds them well, have round tummies, and look vibrant. Ask the person what they feed them before deciding to purchase! And to answer your other q, I did a fish in cycle with otos using two sponge filters from their previous tank. I also transferred the plants and substrate from that tank to this one. Afterwards, I just dosed Prime once a week to keep any chance of a spike in check, until I was completely sure it was cycled, which did not take long.
Fins & Whiskers thank you. Funny thing, the lfs where I got them still have Otos. They told me my water quality was bad and needed to get my nitrate levels down. My surviving oto is active and his belly looks round and keeps on munching away. I just hope he won’t die from being solo. Not sure how to get my nitrates lower with only changing 10% PWC each week as recommended by them.
Julio how old is your tank? How often are your water changes? What’s your readings?
Fins & Whiskers tank is a month and a half old. Used media and gunk from my already established tank and cycled it in 3 weeks. I currently have 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and 40 nitrates
I use prime and stability to help.
Boiled egg yolk ???
Great work so far
Maybe try powder spirulina
I've had my male oto for 8 or so months, recently added two friends since they are schooling fish- one female died the first night unfortunately. But the other one was eggy SO quickly after they done the mating thing like in your video! I actually have a video of mine as well! Noticed my female getting huge, she acted weird all day yesterday after a water change the day before.. woke up today an found one egg on the substrate but her belly has went down ALOT! Any tips? Also what is your go to food for these guys besides algea of Course lol
But the egg looks more yellow/clear in my tank, what did you feed the fry? My otos are in a community/sorority tank with female bettas, guppies,ramshorns,danios, an Cory's!
If you go to my playlists I have a series called Breeding Otocinclus, you’ll find many helpful videos there including feeding the fry, and even just keep adults alive! Good luck and congratulations!! Keep me updated ♥️
I will say the eggs probably won’t survive with your stock :(
I want to breed mine once they settle in. How do you keep enough algae in their tank for them to eat I keep running out haha
They eat more than just algae, in fact you’ll likely be feeding more protein and greens than algae! Pellets and algae wafers as well. They’re not true herbivores so they can what other fish eat, and even more than other fish (since they need to eat all the time)
@@finsandwhiskers I ordered some algae wafers and because I don’t have a lot of food for them im blanching zucchini every night and might give them some sweet potato later. That’s reassuring though that I can feed other things thank you.
My first go with Otos was not good, but I waited another 6 months to try again and they have been thriving now. What seemed to do the trick is 1- having ample amount of leaf litter in the tank (they feed on the microorganisms that populate the rotting leaves) and 2-every other evening I put repashy soilent green in the tank. They love that stuff. I place it in the same location and within 15 mins I always catch them eating in that corner. Essentially they’re now trained that food will appear in the same spot and look for it
Thanks for shareing. Im trying to breed some otocinclus bc there are a few local shops near me and if im able to provide them otocinclus ill prevent them from buying wild cought ones :3
hey i just got otos and they are chasing each other
They are likely checking out the environment and a little stressed!
@@finsandwhiskers ok thx
They are my favorite fish. My son and I just discovered them and are in love! I want to breed my pair. I kinda over fed my fish and now everyone is doing the wild thing in my community tank. 😅
So cool! I'm hoping my otocinclus will spawn eventually, one of my favorite fish to keep.
I hope they do for you! They’re absolutely my favorite fish
can you point out how to differentiate their genders please? Thank you
Ripashi Soylent green
Even my Ricefish and rainbowfish gobble the stuff, otos and neocardinias are crazy about it
awww rip oto fry babies. your voice so cute I mean howwww :-D thanks for sharing!
creepy
Wow!! Respects👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I loved your voice. Nice job
Thank you!
otocinclus LOVE lettuce. my corydoras , otocinclus and pleco get fresh zuccini every other day. they devour it. I aslo use veggie rounds and algea rounds. good luck with your otos!! I enjoy watching all of my fish. currently my otos, corys and pleco share a 29 gallon tank with my glofish danios and 2 angel fish. My angel fish have not shown any agression towards any of thier tank mates. Soon my 55 gallon will be up and going and my angelfish and glofish danios will be put in there
Well done for trying, and so kindly with their best interests at heart ❤️ Lovely to see the behaviour
Wonder if you’ve seen Marks Aquatics? He has wonderful breeding videos for Pygmy corydoras, perhaps he may have some insight into success with ottos. Best wishes x
Check out my other videos! We got success!
Beautiful.
Just bought 8 bumblebee otocinclus to start breeding them into the hobby! Been doing a lot of research and really hoping I can replicate this!
Best of luck! For any questions feel free to ask here :)
How I know male and female
Wont the adults eat their fry??
Nope!
thank you sm for this video, I just got otos a few days ago and they were doing the mating call all day today! really worried me. can confirm the giant water change tho: rescaped the tank and drained it about 50-60%
Tabby Fen yes I definitely believe it’s a big factor! Imitates rainfall in the wild
I had fry before a water change. 24°C. I feed a mix of myself made of spirulina, egg yolk, egg shell, spinache, kale, unflavor gelatine. Low nutrients on water, ph get a little bit higher to 7,6 before was 7, more calcium on tap water 40ppm vs 60ppm. Lets see if I can keep them alive.
Good luck man!! I just started a separate fry tank. We’ve raised one to adult if you’ve seen the playlist. Ready to breed again 💪🏼
My hero, subscribed
Thank you! it’s thanks to the otos mostly ♥️
I just did a 60% water change after a maintenance session and this behaviour started
What about some hard boiled egg yolks ? That was a good one for me and my Cory's 😊
I think if you separate out the fry to a smaller container, and feed them live baby brine or powdered spirulina they might do better, 25g is a big world for a tiny fry to find a meal.
Thanks for sharing this! Not many people have succesfully bred otos! Have you watched the videos of Dendrochirus zebra here on RUclips? He's made a whole series on breeding them as well!
I have! We still lacked a lot of information so I thought I’d bring my own series. I also have a video on what to feed the fry and later we will see them grow to adult ☺️
@@finsandwhiskersAh nice! The more information on breeding this species te better! How much colder was the water you did the water change with by the way? ;)
@@OutdoorPeter Sorry just saw your question. It never reaches below 71f even with water changes!
Well done. Cheers.
Thanks for posting! I have 15 otos spread throughout 5 tanks and some are definitely looking like they're carrying eggs! I don't have anywhere to move my other fish to so I'll have to let nature take its course but I'd love for them to spawn!
Good luck!!
La vocecica te hace vibrar el tímpano al límite de la rotura.
Omg im jealous. I really hope to get mine to breed too
No pierdas el animo es la primera puesta vas a tener mas y lo haras mejor cada ves
Sí, es cierto. Muchas Gracias!
Great job!!
Good job
Saw your video really informative, mine have started to mate and not sure how to take care of the fry plus it doesn’t help I got them with my Betta fish but he doesn’t bother with them.
I will be making a video on taking care of the fry! I would recommend separating the fry if you see them because a betta’s natural instinct will be to go after something so small.
Very good and interesting video:-)
Thanks!
Your fish are so cute!
Thank you!
@@finsandwhiskers That's ok! my grandma's fish had babies and they're finally changing colour (they're koi)!
They aren’t Affinis, but Vittatus/Macro tho.
Cucumber is maybe better !?
Great video! congratulations! I also have 4 otocinclus and hope one day they will breed :)
I would suggest getting at least two more! Otocinclus should be in a shoaling group of at least 6 :)
@@finsandwhiskers Thanks for your suggestion, I may get 4 more soon, total 8
Has anyone tried bacter ae food ?
Yes! It works
Beautiful tank. Look at all that algae (food) on that branch. Yummy -if i was an Otocinclus- should of gotten the food thief (the slugs)