u/smashels43

Last week I noticed one of my Otos looked pale and had a blotchy stripe. I checked all my water parameters and confirmed they were good. Then I promptly ended up really sick myself for several days. Now that I'm back with the living, he still seems unwell and I need help figuring out what to do for him. I'm setting up my little hospital tank tonight and I have some meds (sulfaplex and kanaplex), but I have no idea what I'm attempting to treat. He's active and eating/grazing happily otherwise. The 5 other Otos in the tank seem fine.

The first 4 pics are from today and the last 3 from last week.

Tank: 10 gallon, planted tank that has been cycled about 5 months.

Stock: 6 Otos, 2 Amanos and a handful of Neocaridina.

Water: Heated to 72°F with a HOB filter

Tested with API Liquid Test Kits: 0 ammonia/ 0 nitrite/ <5 ppm nitrate (it is indeed cycled. I think my pothos helps keep the nitrate low)

pH 8.0, GH 8, KH 5

Food: I feed every other day and alternate between Shrimp Envy Pellets and soilent green with occasional blanched zucchini

I noticed a spot on this dude the other day but these are the first decent pictures of it. He still seems active and eating but the wrinkly belly means he's also underweight, right? I can tell now that its fuzzy which seems to be bad but im reading a lot of conflicting, non-specific treaent plans.

I have a 5 gal planted tank thats been cycled for nearly 2 months that I could move him to, or a 3 gallon that I can set up as a hospital tank (and established media I can use) depending on what's needed.

Thoughts about what this might be and how to treat it?

Tank info:

Tank: 10 gallon, moderately planted, tower tank that has been cycled about 3 months (side note: I know now these guys were added prematurely but I didnt know that when they were recommended to me)

Stock: 5 Otos, 3 Galaxy Otos, 2 Amanos and a handful (8 or so) of Neocaridina.

Water: Heated to 78°F with a sponge filter

Tested with API Liquid Test Kits: 0 amonia/ 0 nitrite/ <5 ppm nitrate

pH 7.6, GH 12, KH 6

Food: I alternate through each of the following 2x/wk (1 per day with fasting on the 7th day) - Slice of blanched zucchini, ⅓" of Shrimp Envy Pellets, 1.5 pea sized chunks of soilent green.