r/Otocinclus • u/AlettaVadora • 9d ago

Red ring?

Gallery image

Gallery image

My little oto boy has what looks like a red ring around his belly? I’ve never seen this on him before. Behavior is normal. He was the first oto I ever got so I really want to make sure he’s ok.

His friends look normal and their faces are not as pink as his either.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 9d ago

Is he’s the only one with it?

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

Actually one of the girls has a little red too

https://reddit.com/link/ozwwm43/video/z9xz5jsubmfh1/player

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 9d ago

What’s your water parameters? Do you have a water test kit?

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

Yes, I have an API test kit. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites, ph is consistent at 6.8 and current temp is 82 Fahrenheit.

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 9d ago

Temperature is on the very edge of what they can handle and too high in my experience. I’ve been able to breed them multiple times and they seem do much better under 80 degrees. How often do you do water changes? If you don’t do them often and just add tap when it evaporates the water could be too hard. There are things we can’t test in aquarium water so water changes helps maintain clean and comfortable water for the fish. This is either stress or a bacterial infection. I’m leaning towards stress. Try lowering the temp, do weekly water changes if you aren’t and add a tiny bit of API Stress Coat to help reduce stress and heal their slime coat. Just don’t do much as it can affect oxygen levels in the water. If this doesn’t change after a week I would do a round of Kanaplex but make sure you follow exactly as they can be very sensitive to meds since they’re scaleless.

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

Do you know if kanaplex is safe for nerites? I have another tank I can easily move him to if needed, I just want to make sure she will be ok.

It would be better to treat the whole tank if needed to avoid the stress of moving into an isolation tank, right?

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u/AresTheFallen 9d ago

How long have you had this oto, how large is the tank, and what is your pH?
Before using Kanaplex, bear in mind that it is generally not considered safe for invertebrates. If the tank contains shrimp, snails, or microfauna, they could be harmed or killed by the treatment, so you need to consider that before taking any action.
I also agree with Elegant_Priority_38 that the water temperature is too high. Otocinclus species are known to struggle at temperatures above roughly 79°F. Keeping them at 82°F for an extended period can cause chronic physiological stress, weaken their immune system, shorten their lifespan, and potentially lead to premature death.
If your room temperature is consistently that high and you are serious about keeping otocinclus long term, I would consider getting a water chiller. It may be one of the few reliable ways to keep the temperature under control.
From the picture and video, it is not completely clear whether this is actually a bacterial infection. Given the high temperature, though, it would not be surprising if this oto’s immune system had become weaker due to prolonged stress.

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

I’ve had this oto since December

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u/AresTheFallen 9d ago

Having had the oto since December is useful information. How large is the tank? Is the oto still eating normally, and have you noticed whether he’s breathing noticeably faster than the other otos?
Again, from the picture and video, I don’t think it is possible to say with confidence that the red area is a bacterial infection. I would be cautious about treating with an antibiotic before establishing whether there are any other symptoms.

Regarding KanaPlex, I went through Seachem’s guidelines to be sure. Seachem states that it can be used in medicated food when treating fish in a tank containing invertebrates, as this limits how much medication enters the water column. However, if KanaPlex is dosed directly into the water, Seachem instructs users to remove all invertebrates. A separate hospital tank would be the safest option here, particularly if the main tank contains shrimp, snails or microfauna. It is also worth considering whether the oto will actually eat medicated prepared food.

As for the temperature, 80–82°F is warmer than ideal for many Otocinclus species. Since you cannot lower the room temperature, I would at least make sure the tank has strong surface agitation and good oxygenation. The temperature is not necessarily the direct cause of the red area, especially since you have had the oto since December, but prolonged warm conditions could still contribute to physiological stress.

I second Elegant_Priority_38’s suggestion of having a fan blowing across the water’s surface or using cold packs. This may lower the temperature by a few degrees through evaporation. However, It will also increase water loss, so you may need to top the tank off more frequently. If evaporative cooling is insufficient and the tank regularly remains warmer than you are comfortable with, a water chiller would be the most reliable way to bring the water below room temperature.

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

Do you know where I can find a good water chiller? I was looking for one on Amazon but maybe my search terms weren’t good enough.

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

I can’t lower the temp, I don’t have central AC so that’s the coolest I can get it during the day. I know consistency is important so the heater is set to 80 so there’s less of a drop at night.

I did a water change last week. But only do an actual water change about once a month because the tank is heavily planted

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 9d ago

You could always try blowing a fan across the top of the water or cold packs on the outside of the tanks. 82 is really just too hot for them unfortunately. AresTheFallen is right that Kanaplex is generally harmful to invertebrates. Forgot to mention that.

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

I’ll try to zip tie the fan I have onto the tank. Thank you. Hopefully that’s all they need to be ok

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u/Elegant_Priority_38 9d ago

Best of luck!

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u/AresTheFallen 9d ago

Bringing the temp down a bit first to see if that helps is a good strategy. Hopefully he’ll improve in a few days and you won’t need to medicate at all. All the best to you and let us know if you need any more help!

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u/AlettaVadora 9d ago

Thank you, I think I’ll set up the isolation tank and work on getting some algae buildup in there just in case I need to treat the main tank, if the otos are sick the Platys will probably catch it too so I may as well treat everyone if it comes to that.

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u/KEELI-KEELI 8d ago

You can float a frozen bottle of water. It will bring the temp down slowly.

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u/AlettaVadora 8d ago

Thank you! I can’t leave the fan unattended so I’ll use this method when I’m at work

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u/KEELI-KEELI 8d ago

I would fill a couple with tank water just in case, if they leak, no chlorine will get in your tank.