# Otocinclus laying eggs



## timewalker03

Does anyone knw the gestation period of Oto eggs and what to feed them after they hatch? Got about 30 eggs so far in my tank.


----------



## Muirner

furballi said:


> Otos should hatch in 3 to 4 days at 75F. The eggs can vary from transparent, to cream, to yellow-green in color. The average spawning will have 20 to 40 eggs. The baby fish will live on micro-organisms in the tank for the first week, then graduate to algae.


 That's about all i know.


----------



## deepdiver

timewalker03 said:


> Does anyone knw the gestation period of Oto eggs and what to feed them after they hatch? Got about 30 eggs so far in my tank.


Congratulations!!!

Just curious, about how large are the eggs?


----------



## timewalker03

the eggs are yellow to cream colored and about as big as a pencil lead. 

Its actually funny to watch because the female has five males chaing her trying to curl up with her while she lays the eggs. The 11 non oto fish are all hiding in the plants while this is going on.I have eggs on leaves and on the glass of the tank. I can see about 60 eggs right now but there could be many more that I don't know about. 

Tank conditions are as follows 79 degrees F PH 7.0 8gh.


----------



## timewalker03

also there are a lot of eggs floating on the top of the water.


----------



## boink

looks like someone got lazy


----------



## Haeun

WOW congrats!  Mind telling us the water parameters? I'd love to see my otos spawn for me.


----------



## milalic

Haeun said:


> WOW congrats!  Mind telling us the water parameters? I'd love to see my otos spawn for me.


a couple of posts above I found this:



timewalker03 said:


> Tank conditions are as follows 79 degrees F PH 7.0 8gh.


----------



## timewalker03

I just got home from work and the tank lights are off, but I can see some eggs stuck to leave of my ludwiga. Not sure how many though. I will have to wait til the day cycle starts again. Also the males are still chasing her around so i think she may still be putting eggs out. I will keep the site posted on any updates to report. Just neat to see something like this when this is a tough fish to breed. I will say I had no intentions for this to happen, but it is neat all the same. Hopefully some survive if its possible. If I see any eggs tommorrow then i will try to take pics of them if I can.


----------



## furballi

Provide plenty of covers for the new otos. Also put pantyhose over the filter's inlet. The young otos will hide in plants. No need to provide extra meals. You may get a few grown otos by Xmas time. 

Gather a few floating eggs and put them inside a large net floating in the tank. If the eggs are fertilized, then you should see a few babies in 3 days.


----------



## timewalker03

Just an update. I have found 1 live baby so far stuck to the back glass of the tank. Will look for more when I get home from work.


----------



## furballi

I would keep the lighting down to the minimum just to keep the plants healthy. Those babies are semi-sensitive to excessive light. The light also make them easier targets for larger fish. I'd add some infusoria water if possible to help them during the first two weeks. Don't forget to screen the intake tube.

Many species of otos are most active at night or when the light is OFF. I prefer to put a divider in the community tank for one month to keep out the larger fish.

Congrat on these new additions to your tank. I'm also in the process of conditioning a pair of cards for breeding.


----------



## eklikewhoa

Anyone have pictures of what the eggs look like?

I am constantly finding batches of eggs attatched to plants but don't know what they are coming from.


----------



## timewalker03

Heres a pic of one of the babies. Its not the clearest. It was taken while the baby was still attatched on the back glass.


----------



## furballi

The big round object is the egg sack. It will shrink in a few days and the fry will start hunting for food.


----------



## Muirner

that is soooo cool! do you know how to tell males from females or was it just one of those things?


----------



## furballi

Females have a big round belly as viewed from the top. The roots of a large java fern make excellent hiding/feeding ground for the baby otos.


----------

