Dealing with a dead otocinclus

[dawnsea]

Found my otocinclus dead this morning. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate. Tank is a 20 gallon with sand substrate, lots of plants, and a sponge filter. Temp is steady at 76. Any ideas what could've happened?

[florapix]

Otos can be tricky, especially if they're wild caught. Did you notice any weird behavior before it died? Like lethargy or not eating? Sometimes they just don't adapt well, even if the water's perfect. What's your feeding routine like?

[Vidal]

Yeah, otos are sketchy. Mine died after a week, no clue why. Tank was pristine. Maybe they're just fragile? Or maybe it's the food. What were you feeding yours?

[dawnsea]

Otos can be tricky, especially if they're wild caught. Did you notice any weird behavior before it died? Like lethargy or not eating? Sometimes they just don't adapt well, even if the water's perfect. What's your feeding routine like?

It was eating algae wafers and biofilm off the plants. Didn't seem lethargic, but now that you mention it, it wasn't as active the last couple days.

[florapix]

Could've been stress or internal parasites. Wild caught otos often have that issue. You might wanna quarantine new ones next time and treat with something like Paraguard. Also, try blanched zucchini, they love that.

[Vidal]

Could've been stress or internal parasites. Wild caught otos often have that issue. You might wanna quarantine new ones next time and treat with something like Paraguard. Also, try blanched zucchini, they love that.

Yep, zucchini's a game changer. Mine went nuts for it. But yeah, quarantine's a good call. Learned that the hard way.

[florapix]

Another thing, how long had you had it? If it was recent, it might've been doomed from the start. Some LFS don't keep them long enough to see if they're healthy. Always ask how long they've been in stock.

[dawnsea]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll try quarantining and zucchini next time. Had it for about three weeks, so maybe it was just bad luck.