Re: Pregnant Oto?

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Pregnant Oto?
From: Liisa Sarakontu <lsarakon at hila_hut.fi>
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 1996 21:40:36 +0300 (EET DST)
In-Reply-To: <199606220739.DAA28193 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: "Williams, Rochelle - DCSPIM" <williaro at ftmcphsn-emh1_army.mil>
> Subject: Pregnant Oto?
> 
> I have an otocinclus that I think is pregnant, but according to info here 
> and in mags, these fish don't breed in captivity.  None of my fish books has 

Otos can be bred in captivity, although it is not very common.  Only
advice my books give is "they can be bred like Corydoras".

> a picture of this type of oto, it isn't a flexilis nor a vestitus.  The 
> other oto in the same tank is a vestitus, however.  The one in question has 
> a 2 brownish-gray stripes, one that covers its back and one horizontally 
(rest of the description deleted)

Well, there are about 20 Otocinclus species according to my books, and
Otocinclus affinis and O. arnoldi go best with that description.  
Actually there is a possibility that it is a vestitus anyway and the
other oto is one of the other striped Otocinclus species.

> The swelling is between the pectoral fins, down the stomach, to the anal 
> area.  The swelling has SLOWLY grown over 6 months, this fish was thicker 
> thru the middle than the vestitus oto even though the vestitus was longer. 

Sounds like it is filled with eggs, but as you don't have a male for it,
you probably will not have any oto babies.  I don't know if they can
crossbreed (I guess that they can), but if they do, don't sell the "mutts"
but keep them.  You could also try to find a school of identical otos
(at least 4 more), condition them with good feeding and then try to
breed your fish.

Liisa Sarakontu                     INTERNET:    lsarakon at hila_hut.fi
Helsinki University of Technology   WWW homepage http://www.hut.fi/~lsarakon/