Otto's breeding? curious

Tyranasaurus69 · 01-20-2013, 12:16 AM

well i was looking into my planted tank as i do many times a day when walking past it, and right as i was leaving i noticed something odd that caught my eye. there are only three otto's in this 20g tank, and all three were sitting end to end on one leaf of my val, for the last few days i had noticed that two had fattened up quite a bit, and had thought maybe they were preggers, this just makes me even more curious. opinions?

Click image for larger version

Name: IMG_1444.jpg
Views: 87
Size: 62.0 KB
ID: 69993

GeToChKn · 01-20-2013, 01:04 AM

Oto females lay eggs, usually on the glass or something flat and the males comes up behind them and fertilize the eggs, so I'm not sure if they get bigger or not before this happens.

Aquarium breeding is rare, something we don't seem to know what causes them to spawn, so times a big water change with the exact param's kicks it in, but they're not like guppies or something.

mach_six · 01-20-2013, 01:18 AM

My 55G has strong lighting and a thick layer of bright green algae growing on the glass walls near the surface, the otos I got fatten quite a bit since I got them and they don't seem to be putting a dent in it. I also feed the tank twice a day with a auto feeder but unlikely since prior the lighting wasn't upgraded with barely algae growth and those otos already perished.

james0816 · 01-20-2013, 12:05 PM

You do have (2) females and (1) male. The ladies will be nice and plump when they are egg laden. Doesn't neccessarily mean they are ready to breed.

What will happen is when they are ready, they will start trying to "coax" the male in joining them in ritual. She will start nudging him and he will then return the favor. Once this progresses, they will start swimming around together. Mum will find a spot and start cleaning it good. The male follows suit. When the time is right, they spawn. Depending on the leaf, she will usually lay up to (4) eggs in one spot. Most of the time tough it will be (2).

Here's a link that may be helpful:
The Oto Journal

01-20-2013, 12:16 AM	#1
Tyranasaurus69 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: California Posts: 10	Otto's breeding? curious well i was looking into my planted tank as i do many times a day when walking past it, and right as i was leaving i noticed something odd that caught my eye. there are only three otto's in this 20g tank, and all three were sitting end to end on one leaf of my val, for the last few days i had noticed that two had fattened up quite a bit, and had thought maybe they were preggers, this just makes me even more curious. opinions? __________________ Swag pays bills

01-20-2013, 01:04 AM	#2
GeToChKn Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,112	Oto females lay eggs, usually on the glass or something flat and the males comes up behind them and fertilize the eggs, so I'm not sure if they get bigger or not before this happens. Aquarium breeding is rare, something we don't seem to know what causes them to spawn, so times a big water change with the exact param's kicks it in, but they're not like guppies or something. __________________ 20g platy, , 2 x 10g shrimp, 3 x 20g shrimp, 7.5g shrimp and 1 great dane/mastiff puppy. Sump Pimp #2 My Tanks and my shrimps

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-20-2013, 01:18 AM	#3
mach_six Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: North NJ Posts: 591	My 55G has strong lighting and a thick layer of bright green algae growing on the glass walls near the surface, the otos I got fatten quite a bit since I got them and they don't seem to be putting a dent in it. I also feed the tank twice a day with a auto feeder but unlikely since prior the lighting wasn't upgraded with barely algae growth and those otos already perished.

01-20-2013, 12:05 PM	#4
james0816 Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (60/100%) Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: VA Posts: 2,017	You do have (2) females and (1) male. The ladies will be nice and plump when they are egg laden. Doesn't neccessarily mean they are ready to breed. What will happen is when they are ready, they will start trying to "coax" the male in joining them in ritual. She will start nudging him and he will then return the favor. Once this progresses, they will start swimming around together. Mum will find a spot and start cleaning it good. The male follows suit. When the time is right, they spawn. Depending on the leaf, she will usually lay up to (4) eggs in one spot. Most of the time tough it will be (2). Here's a link that may be helpful: The Oto Journal