# Oto with red belly, is this infection ?



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Noticed one of the Otos out today, which is unusual. Also near the top of the tank, which is unusual also. He was on the glass, and had a very noticeable bright red belly. The colour is from the inside, under the skin, which is still the normal pale colour. Abdomen may be a bit swollen as well.

Is this likely to be an infection ? If so, what should I do about it ? I can set up a small hospital tank if I need to.

Tank parameters have been stable over the past month, temperature has been reasonably steady, holding between 80 & 82, since the first heat wave. There was a big spike then, to 90, before I got fans for cooling.

No other fish appear to be affected like this, but I had another Oto with a fair size patch of scales scraped off the back of it's head last week, but this red bellied one is not the same fish. I didn't know what to do about the scraped off scales either, and got no reply to a query here about it.

I'd hate to lose another Oto. I have lost a few since I got these guys, for no obvious reason. Also lost 3 Gold long fin danios a short time ago. They literally disappeared over the course of a couple of days. I assume they were eaten by the shrimp, I never even saw any bodies. All the other regular fin danios are fine, one looks to be full of eggs. Again, no idea if there is any relation between the danio losses and this Oto's problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated.


----------



## Fishyfishyfishy (Mar 3, 2008)

I kind of remember that my ottos had pink bellies. It might not be a problem. Puffy bellies means they are eating well, similar to plecos.

Any experts to confirm this?


----------



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Sadly, the Oto is dead today. But when I said red belly, be sure I was not mistaking it for the normal pinkish colour one sees in a well fed Oto. This was blazing red, like a badly inflamed wound is red. I think perhaps the heat is part of the problem, as I've learned they come from clear, shallow fast running streams that are cool, so the temperatures of late may have provoked a problem that already existed, that is to say, opportunistic bacteria, perhaps. I was able to retrieve the body this morning before it was all eaten, so hopefully whatever it was won't be passed along to the remaining Otos.


----------



## default (May 28, 2011)

i've heard of otos suffering from bloat, sometimes due to bacterial infections. could be yours got bloated and perhaps led to some internal bleeding - hence the red colouration.
another reason why otos tend to be difficult to keep alive, and when purchasing otos, pick the ones that look full but not bloated.


----------



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It could be, since I later had a Danio with a bad case of dropsy in the same tank. I've learned most Otos are wild caught using cyanide to stun them, so they tend to be in rough shape by the time they get to the LFS. They often have parasites, which they may or may not have been treated for, so even if they have been well fed, which is not always the case, they are sitting ducks for any opportunistic bug that's around once you get them home. Just a the straw that broke the camel's back sort of thing, I think. One site I read advised worming them the moment you get them home, simply because if they have any parasites, it makes it that much harder for them to recover their strength, even if fed properly. If I were to get them again I'd want tank raised fish, and be happy to pay more to get them. So far, I appear to have two Otos left, and while I'm sure they'd be happier with more of their own kind, they seem to be hanging in. Live and learn, I guess.


----------

