u/Jaspeox

Amaze amaze amaze 👎

One month ago, we caught a glimpse of a tiny baby oto inside our aquarium for about 5 seconds, and then it vanished.

We were sure it was an otocinclus, but after that, we never saw it again.

We started worrying the tetras might have eaten it.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

No sign of the baby oto anywhere.

But today, one week after discovering our otocinclus offspring, we found them again.

They are 3x bigger than the rest, so we know we had more offspring before, but only one survived the last batch.

So we can now confirm our ecosystem is working well, and otocinclus are having babies, even if that's a community tank.

Having achieved that less than 6 months into the hobby, we don't know if that's beginner's luck or something else, but we are proud to share their growth and make improvements as needed.

I'm trying to document that journey with pictures and videos.

We recently sought guidance regarding appropriate feeding strategies to try and raise them properly as new fish keepers.

After your advice, we initiated a culture in a dedicated container to foster the growth of biofilm and infusoria.

We observed two distinct sizes among the offspring, suggesting a potential synchronous spawning event by our otocinclus. We have no clue about the age, but it's surely less than a month, maybe if anyone got experience to age them.

Subsequent additions since our last post include crushed catappa leaves, a small quantity of JBL Spirulina Grano S, and some shrimp jelly artemia. We primarily observe the fry consuming material from the leaves and the container walls. Some microfauna might circulate, but we can't know how much.

Of the 26 babies we found, 2 were gone.

We don't know how the mortality rate is progressing because this is our first batch of baby fish and we don't have a clue. Will 1, 3, or more survive?

We saw posts from people having success, but we have them in a community tank. What age is appropriate for cohabitation?

(Oto, Tetra royal, 1 ancistrus LDA016, neocaridina shrimps, pygmaeus corydoras)

1st baby's oto.

To maximize our chances, what do you give them to eat?

We know it's hard to figure out. If anyone has any tips?

Have a great day.