Joined
·
130 Posts
Too bad about the deaths. Occasionally, I get fish like the CPD, usually because I didn't inspect them carefully before purchase and they often don't last long. They look better for a while, then die. I can't really tie it to any particular kind of fish (I have over 200 in 16 tanks), but recently went through a similar scenario with some tanaka guppies. Perfect tanks, good food, right amounts, but still very high fallouts, even after 2-3 attempts. CPD's should be tougher than those guys, but they're still sensitive.
I can make lots of guesses on the causes of the deaths: parasites, genetics, prior ammonia exposure, too much time in high/low pH or hardness store water, etc, but don't really know. I QT all my fish then run med courses and almost never have problems. Once in a while, one slips by. I bought a cory a few weeks ago in a rush and didn't notice both its pectoral fins were mostly gone, it started rolling in a few hours and lasted a day pre-meds in QT.
Oto's are great fish, they're so industrious and have excellent personalities. As far as I know, they're all still wild caught and have a rough ride before finally landing in a home somewhere. The last dozen I got were perfect, they're almost two years old and very healthy, all still going strong. Full grown oto's look quite a bit different, their features become very clear and coloration lightens some. Oto's I tried 2-3 years ago were neck and neck for last place with neons in the survival race; 50% was really good. When buying oto's I never get one that doesn't have a full caudal or almost all of it, nor ones that aren't bouncing off the walls of the store tanks.
Some observations that may or may not help prevent losses.
I'm curious why drip acclimation is being used? It's almost never needed and if done incorrectly, can subject fish to high ammonia, especially ones that were shipped. Just changing 25% of the water every 15-30 minutes and gradually working up to 100% for the last change works fine. If drip were necessary, routine tank pwc's would kill fish, but that never happens. It is good for very sensitive fish that will be taken way out of their ideal parameters, though.
Until the tank is stable with new introductions, feeding just prepared food, and lightly, seems to be a good idea. Small daily pwc's are too, for a week or so. I feed blood worms occasionally as a treat, fish love them, but they're not very nutritious and cloud water quicker than granules or flakes. In general, I've had much healthier fish and tanks with slight underfeeding. Occasionally, I take some time to look at each one individually ( a head spinning experience with endlers!) to be sure they're not fat, since overfeeding is super easy to do, and it feeds the tank as well as the fish.
Good luck with future introductions.
I can make lots of guesses on the causes of the deaths: parasites, genetics, prior ammonia exposure, too much time in high/low pH or hardness store water, etc, but don't really know. I QT all my fish then run med courses and almost never have problems. Once in a while, one slips by. I bought a cory a few weeks ago in a rush and didn't notice both its pectoral fins were mostly gone, it started rolling in a few hours and lasted a day pre-meds in QT.
Oto's are great fish, they're so industrious and have excellent personalities. As far as I know, they're all still wild caught and have a rough ride before finally landing in a home somewhere. The last dozen I got were perfect, they're almost two years old and very healthy, all still going strong. Full grown oto's look quite a bit different, their features become very clear and coloration lightens some. Oto's I tried 2-3 years ago were neck and neck for last place with neons in the survival race; 50% was really good. When buying oto's I never get one that doesn't have a full caudal or almost all of it, nor ones that aren't bouncing off the walls of the store tanks.
Some observations that may or may not help prevent losses.
I'm curious why drip acclimation is being used? It's almost never needed and if done incorrectly, can subject fish to high ammonia, especially ones that were shipped. Just changing 25% of the water every 15-30 minutes and gradually working up to 100% for the last change works fine. If drip were necessary, routine tank pwc's would kill fish, but that never happens. It is good for very sensitive fish that will be taken way out of their ideal parameters, though.
Until the tank is stable with new introductions, feeding just prepared food, and lightly, seems to be a good idea. Small daily pwc's are too, for a week or so. I feed blood worms occasionally as a treat, fish love them, but they're not very nutritious and cloud water quicker than granules or flakes. In general, I've had much healthier fish and tanks with slight underfeeding. Occasionally, I take some time to look at each one individually ( a head spinning experience with endlers!) to be sure they're not fat, since overfeeding is super easy to do, and it feeds the tank as well as the fish.
Good luck with future introductions.
