# Otos caught spawning! Will the eggs hatch?



## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I've had them for about 8 or 9 months and they've been busy chasing each other pretty much since day one.

But yesterday, I was able to catch my otos spawning! I quickly grabbed the digital camera and took some shots, but they are quick. I then figured out how to do movies with the camera and caught them a few times.

I don't know how likely the eggs will hatch, but I sure hope so. I've taken 3 leaves that have eggs on them and moved them to a hospital tank with an airstone for movement. The tank has java moss and some algae. I'll leave the light on to encourage algae growth.

There are still other leaves with eggs on them in the main tank. I'm going to see what happens with those. The female is staying right next to some of them on a piece of driftwood and moves toward them when other fish swim by. Might she be guarding them?

If anyone has any experience with otos breeding, I'd love to learn more!


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Ohhh this is really good news! I'd love my ottos to spawn for me, but they have never obliged. I have heard of 2-3 other people over the years that successfully got ottos spawning, I think one guy actually got his otto babies to grow to adulthood! The main problem is the babies being eaten by other fish in the tank and then secondarily not having enough food.

If you want to raise them I suggest you remove the other fish in the tank. 

What are your current water conditions by the way? What are they eating?


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I don't think I could remove the other fish without destroying the plants the eggs were laid on sadly. There are 12 or so Celestial Pearl Danio in there and my male Badis badis. I have a lot of the eggs in the hospital tank, which is empty except for java moss and a hunk of driftwood.

Here is a video of the spawning. They are still at it too!


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

Zapins said:


> What are your current water conditions by the way? What are they eating?


Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate between 10 and 15
GH 12
KH 6
PH 7.8

It had been a 'medium tech' tank of sorts before, I guess. 29gallon, 55watts CFL (have 110 but only use one bulb) 12hours on/off photoperiod, DIY CO2 and EI dosing.

The tank is now an 'El Natural' tank that was set up on November 1st. Soil substrate with a gravel cap, same photo period but added about 2 hours of natural sunlight (gasp!), no CO2 or ferts. Slower growth but I like it and evidently, so do the otos!

The otos have eaten whatever they find algae-wise in the tank. I add 2 algae wafers on Wednesdays and either cucumber, zuchini, or squash (from my own garden this past summer, frozen now) on Sundays. They largely ignore the added foods but I catch them every so often eating them. The other fish in the tank enjoy eating the added foods.


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## DarrylR (Dec 5, 2007)

Pretty cool otos spawns are rare.


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## Andy Ritter (Nov 26, 2008)

Congratulations OrangeCones! :cheer2: :bounce: :clap2: :whoo: :high5: :supz: \\/

That's really cool. I hope that they hatch and you're able to raise the fry to adulthood.

Thanks for sharing.

Andy


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I think the CPDs will be fine with the babies, but the badis should be removed since they are quite predatory fish if you can catch them. This is truly a rare thing to see in the aquarium. Hopefully you can raise these little guys and hopefully the fact that your ottos spawned in your tank means that your pair is genetically different then most ottos. Perhaps if your fry live then they too will be more likely to breed in captivity, maybe you could start a line of domesticated ottos!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

:whoo:That's got to be one of the coolest fish things I've seen. :cheer2: I've watched many fish spawn in my tanks but they have been scatter spawners. You can actually see her attaching the eggs in your video. I'm so glad you caught in on camera! I hope they hatch and survive for you Please keep us posted!!


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

My husband says its 'dirty fish movies' now! 

Some of the eggs have stayed almost clear, while others have turned more a tan/brown color. I can't see any movement yet so I'm not sure if the eggs are viable or not. Would a change in color to the tan/brown indicate a developing fry? I've raised many egg scatterers so this is new to me. But exciting too!


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I have fry. Singular fry, but fry none the less!



















Lots of eggs still, so keeping fingers crossed that the first one will have siblings soon. The green sponge is a 2" cube and is 3" away from the glass that the fry is clinging to, to give you an idea of scale.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Hurray! If you have one that means conditions are good. Maybe you'll have more soon! He's so cute!


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Wow congrats! That's just great!


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## Dantra (May 15, 2007)

That video was awesome. Congrats on the hatchlings! I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. op2:


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## StevenLeeds (Jul 21, 2007)

I noticed in your profile you listed in the Pacific Time Zone. Are you in fact on the West Coast?

The reason I ask is my otos just spawned again. The last time this happened we had just come through an extended period in a low pressure weather system. I'm in Las Vegas.


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I'm in Central time actually. I guess I didn't do the profile thing correctly!

Mine started spawning during the blizzard we just had, so I think it did have something to do with the pressure. My rasbora and danios also laid eggs (they do it often though). I just think it was the storm that triggered everyone at once.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Great video, and good luck with the young ones! I hope they make it.


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

Bert H said:


> Great video, and good luck with the young ones! I hope they make it.


Thanks!

Most of the eggs I took out and put in the hospital tank are now gone. Nothing in that tank except 3 different mosses, a piece of driftwood and a crypt and java fern, and now greenwater. No other fauna. I can only assume they were either non-fertile eggs or that they've hatched and I can't see the fry. I'm hoping for the latter of course.

I've not had any experience 'watching' an egg hatch. My other fish scatter eggs so I seldom see them until the fry are free-swimming. Anyone know if its 'normal' for the eggs to turn from being round and clear to oval-shaped and brown over 2 or 3 days? I tried to detect movement (using a magnifiying glass while turning off the airstone for a few minutes) but never could. The color the eggs had turned looked like the little fry's color the first time I saw him (her?).

Those eggs I left in the main tank are also now gone, but there are other fish in with them. But in watching the tank, I've found several more batches of new eggs. They are not spawning as actively (not that I have observed), but obviously the female is still laying eggs. Several little patches on the same annubias that were NOT there last night are here this morning. I double-checked as I had taken a photo of the plant yesterday since it was sprouting its first new leaf.


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## StevenLeeds (Jul 21, 2007)

My experience with the fry is there are always a few who just seem to be comfortable out in the open. The rest hide all the the time when the lights are on until they get a bit bigger. Try using a small flashlight indirectly at night.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

If eggs turn white it is a bad sign. Brown sounds good in this case. I think the fact that you have green water is excellent. In the wild, ottos breed in green water, perhaps their fry eat the green water? If I were you, I'd leave the green water alone, its probably feeding the babies.


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

StevenLeeds said:


> My experience with the fry is there are always a few who just seem to be comfortable out in the open. The rest hide all the the time when the lights are on until they get a bit bigger. Try using a small flashlight indirectly at night.


Excellent idea. Thanks!


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

Zapins said:


> If eggs turn white it is a bad sign. Brown sounds good in this case. I think the fact that you have green water is excellent. In the wild, ottos breed in green water, perhaps their fry eat the green water? If I were you, I'd leave the green water alone, its probably feeding the babies.


Yea, I deliberately grew the green water (I also breed microrasbora so have it on-hand for them anyway). Thanks.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Hmmm..... nice planning! I might try this for my next batch of cichlid fry... perhaps they will benefit from the algae...?

Did you use ammonia to grow the green water? I used ammonia over the summer to grow green water to breed mosquito for my fish, it seemed like it took about a week and a half or maybe two weeks for the green water to really get going, even in direct sun. How long did yours take?


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

I use 'used' water from other aquariums for topping off the tank (when I'm doing water changes). Otherwise, I just add a few pellets or flakes, whatever I'm feeding that day. I just feed once per week. The tank gets direct sunlight and if it looks like its getting thin, I turn the light on 24/7 for a few days.

I think green water helps any fry, really. If they don't eat it, the infusoria will, so its a win-win!


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

OrangeCones said:


> I think green water helps any fry, really. If they don't eat it, the infusoria will, so its a win-win!


That's an excellent point! I think I will be supplementing the fry with GW for sure.. 

I just bought an RO unit so hopefully my next cichlid batch will hatch this time (instead of my hard well water).


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## max23 (Mar 13, 2008)

wow, cool video.


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## OrangeCones (Aug 15, 2009)

Dirty fish movie!


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