Otocinclus Catfish bloated - Any ideas?

[presto]

Hi Everyone,
I have been having a recurring problem with my Ottocats.
I currently have 5 of them and one is extremely bloated. This is the second Ottocat that has had this kind of bloating, the first one has been dead for a few months now. The rest of them are very healthy.

At first I thought it was full of eggs or something but it has been 4 months like this and the other died looking identical to this one.

I've attached a picture of the underside of the bloated Ottocat, if anyone has seen this before, or even better, solved this problem I would really appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,
CP

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Julie]

Hello, otos need low nitrate water. 
Your bioload seems high imo.  Try to cut back feeding, and keep tank clean as possible.

[presto]

Hi Julie,
Thanks for your reply.
I am new to the forums and my aquarium lingo is limited.
Could you tell me what high imo means? and does bioload mean amount of fish I have?

I will cut back the feedings in half for now to see what happens.
I also tested my water and I have,
PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0 (looks clear in test)
Nitrite: 0.3

Thanks,
CP

[babblefish1960]

imo is often used for "in my opinion"

Bioload is a reference to the number and size of the fish relative to the size of aquarium, and should your list of fish be in a 20 gallon, then yes, your higher bioload would indicate a need for more frequent water changes to keep the nitrates at a reasonable level, as well as keeping ammonia and nitrites from becoming a problem as well.

[Julie]

Yes, hello - your tank seems a bit full.  Also it is going through a cycle at .3 nitrite - is it new?
Ph is high too, though the fish should acclimatize.

[presto]

Thanks for explaining Babblefish1960.

CP

[BigDaddy]

Two things can help if it is not a parasite or an infection... skinned peas will be feasted on by otos (assuming the bloated one eats) and will move through them pretty quickly.  As well, some Epsom Salts could also help.

[Julie]

The salt will increase PH and alk, if I remember correctly.

[renadia]

Two things can help if it is not a parasite or an infection... skinned peas will be feasted on by otos (assuming the bloated one eats) and will move through them pretty quickly.  As well, some Epsom Salts could also help.

Why Epsom Salts? I use this in my bathtub  to relax   Would this help the fish relax and enable it to have a good poop?    

[Julie]

Yes.  I think it is ingested or absorbed, so it is similar to fishie exlax.

[presto]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

Regards,
CP

[BigDaddy]

The salt will increase PH and alk, if I remember correctly.

Epsom salts do not increase pH as they are magnesium primarily, which increases gH, not kH.

[Julie]

http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/vir/fsh/quinsam_figures.pdf
http://ozreef.org/diy_plans/additives/magnesium.html

I've used epsom salt in my tank and the ph increased.

[BigDaddy]

I guess I am missing the info in those two links that support your argument.   

The dosages of Epsom Salt to treat bloat are usually around 1/8 tsp per 5 gallons of water.  At those levels, pH should not be affected.  1/8 tsp of epsom salt weighs less than a gram... so you are dosing 1g/20L that works out to .05mg/L or .05ppm.  .05ppm should not raise the pH value of just about any aquarium sized body of water.

[Julie]

Discus can get quite backed up and they are large fish so they require alot of epsom salt.

[dan2x38]

Magnesium Sulphate - MgSO4+7H2O - (Epsom salts) => increase GH

Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate - NaHCo3 - (Baking Soda) => increase KH

[fishycanuck]

Presto - you are getting some good advice. More water changes, less food (except the shelled pea) and epsom salts as Big Daddy suggests.
What area of town do you live in? It would help your tank to have some old filter media or rocks from an established tank, and I'd be pleased to help if you are nearby.

[presto]

Hi Fishycanuck,
Thanks for the offer, I appreciate your generosity.
My tank has been running with fish and live plants for about 7 months now.

I'm curious why everyone thinks my tank hasn't cycled or established?
I have gone through brown algae to black hair algae to dark green spots, and now I think I have it controlled where only a few leafs have the dark green stuff and my plant growth has exploded, each plant has doubled in size. I also use cycle regularly and my Rummynose Tetras are a very bright red which is a good sign.

I change anywhere from 60-90% of my water every week depending on how dirty the tank gets and I admit that I do feed my fish too much in an attempt to keep my tetras away from my Sterbai Cories food. Those Red-Eyes really bully there way around.

Am I missing something that is preventing my tank from becoming established?

Thanks,
Presto

[beowulf]

Hi Fishycanuck,
Thanks for the offer, I appreciate your generosity.
My tank has been running with fish and live plants for about 7 months now.

I'm curious why everyone thinks my tank hasn't cycled or established?
I have gone through brown algae to black hair algae to dark green spots, and now I think I have it controlled where only a few leafs have the dark green stuff and my plant growth has exploded, each plant has doubled in size. I also use cycle regularly and my Rummynose Tetras are a very bright red which is a good sign.

I change anywhere from 60-90% of my water every week depending on how dirty the tank gets and I admit that I do feed my fish too much in an attempt to keep my tetras away from my Sterbai Cories food. Those Red-Eyes really bully there way around.

Am I missing something that is preventing my tank from becoming established?

Thanks,
Presto

When you listed the nitrites as being present that is often a sign of a tank going threw a cycle.  Personally I would not change 90% of the water in the tank in one change.  25-50% a week max is all your tank should need if that.  Personally I do no more the 20% in a week often 10%.

[presto]

Thanks for the tip Beowulf.
I'll keep water changes to 25% a week.
CP