Nitrate is produced by nitrobacter, not "older water". There's next to no bacterial content in tank water itself; if there was, then the 90%+ water changes that goldfish and discus owners do would wreck the cycle state of a tank.

Next, "regular basis" means something to you having had experience ...

Nitrate will easily kill otos, so saying you don't need a nitrate test kit isn't good advice, sorry.

Completely colloquial, but I know that almost every time I forgot to plug the heater back in after a water change I'd lose a sterbai soon thereafter. Normal tank temp was 78F, would drop down to maybe 70 overnight.

Flat out- you're being very cruel with all these in a 5 gallon. Get a SINGLE betta, and keep that. Your fish don't care that you can't get anything bigger, so stop overstocking the tank. Unless you're prepared to change 90% of the water every day (even that will push it when the mollies grow up ...

Thanks folks!

Hi folks,

While pruning back an overgrown tank I'm keeping fish in while prepping a 90g (this is a 20), I noticed a couple of otos with what I think might be Ich. Can someone confirm? Treatment for catfish? (Otos and farlowellas). Bit worried about 86F, but more so about chems.

Tank:
Ph:6.9
TDS ...

Same here, or at best they say "otocinclus affinis" (and are most often not) or "otocinlus vittaus" (which is at least slightly possible).

Mine are a mix of huaorani, vittatus, and mariae. What I used to think of as an actual affinis I'm not sure of anymore, think he was just a stressed out ...

With the slightly separated tail dots on the third, I'd be more inclined towards huaorani. The first two are possibly the same (just a really nice solid healthy colour against a dark substrate) where the third is more washed out and maybe more of a stress colouration, or it might be vittatus with ...

I'm actually pretty sure on the species.

These are o.huaoroni, from the separated tail dot, few different ages obviously:
http://www.easphotography.com/Aquariums/Otocinclus/IMG_1317.JPG
http://www.easphotography.com/Aquariums/Otocinclus/IMG_7655.JPG
http://www.easphotography.com/Aquariums ...

Good thought, though I can never find out. I always ask, but nobody at the store know more than "from our supplier". Not super helpful lol

These are also super helpful for fellow otophiles:
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/oto-pilot-buying-keeping-breeding-otocinclus-catfish.htm
http://forums.tfhmagazine.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=13374

The article was available online at one point, now it seems to need a subscription or ...

Thanks Eric, will do.

I've seen that report, along with the epic thread here by James0816. That one was what inspired me to take this up.

I don't have much issue with keeping otos anymore, and don't have anything like the losses that most people seem to accept go along with keeping them. So yay ...

Sorry, will fix the links tommorow. Can't find the embed YouTube links from the iPad app.

Hi folks,

Building on some of the efforts I've seen here and elsewhere, for the last six months or so I've been working towards getting Otocinclus to spawn in my aquariums.

I have two 20Ls set up at the moment, with only otos in both. Both dirt substrate, heavily planted, ph~6.5-7 and very soft ...