# otocinclus in hiding?



## jhoops (Aug 17, 2009)

Hey guys I was just wondering if anyone had advice/input on my situation:
I have a low-tech 10g tank planted with java ferns, an amazon sword, and lots of water wisteria. Living in the tank is a dwarf gourami, four neons, and three otocinclus. Up until about five days ago, the otos were very active and visible in the tank. However, recently, they have been all hiding under two large pieces of driftwood and I never see them anymore. 
I do regular maintenance on the tank and nothing apparent has changed. I thought that maybe they were hungry so I gave them an algae wafer which disappeared overnight without any glimpse of the otos. Any suggestions as to how to help them feel more comfortable? Thanks in advance!


----------



## Raiden (Jun 5, 2009)

My otos are extremely shy fish. I also have 3 in my 10 gallon with some gold pristella tetras and rcs. I hardly ever see the otos anymore when the lights are on. When the lights are off (or when I'm 10 feet away from the tank) I would see 1 or 2 on the front glass or gravel munching on algae/wafers.

I think that's just the way they are. I want to try getting a couple more. Maybe the increase in numbers will help their shyness.


----------



## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

i'll go weeks without seeing my otos. they just hide in the bushes and come out at night.


----------



## brion0 (Sep 28, 2008)

I have 4 or 5, a couple weeks ago one started coming out in the day. I thought it was odd to see one, ad decided the others must have died, so I looked closer an the rest were still hiding in the back.


----------



## JNish (Sep 23, 2009)

I have 7 otos in my 55gal and they used to be the life of my tank. They would school together from one part of the tank to another sticking to the side of the glass. Very fun to see them on the hunt for algae. But when I upgraded my lights from 40W to 110W they went into hiding. I guess they didn't like the bright lights. Also, concurrently I got an outbreak of ick so started medicating which I've read otos are sensitive to. But my hunch is that they don't like the bright light so now I only see them hiding in my vals. They are very social, so maybe having more will get them more courageous. Plus they'll stay fairly small so don't have to worry about overcrowding. Speaking of, I have only been able to count 6 at a time... either one died or one always manages to be in hiding. Fairly tough to count when they keep moving all over the place!


----------



## BottomFeeder (Jul 26, 2008)

The otos in my 55g are always out and about, even with Tiger Barbs in the tank which can be kind of pesky. I think part of it is the size of the group. They definitely like bigger groups (6+) to feel secure.


----------



## jhoops (Aug 17, 2009)

Okay thank you all for the insight/advice. I'm probably going to try adding a few more oto's to see if a larger group size helps.


----------

