new little oto

My aquarium is not exactly as I had dreamed, but at least it is beginning to take shape. I lost another Otocinclus- the one called Leo- he quit eating, kept getting skinnier- didn't touch the zucchini, or cling to the glass, finally lay collapsed on the bottom. Died last night. Left me with just Tilda (for dwarf catfish). I think Tilda is a survivor, now- this fish always looks well-rounded and alert. But I don't want it to be lonely.

I had already planned to get a few more Cherry Barb today to fill out the group.  I was going to get four barbs, but then saw a lone otocinclus. It looked healthy and perky, so I got this one and just three barbs. Figured one more fish wouldn't overload the bio-filter, just replace the lost one. The new little Oto is more golden in color, and its stripe solid all the way through the tail. Maybe a different subspecies? After much reading I have taken a new track on introducing fish, although it's not highly recommended. I'm putting them straight in the home tank, with slow acclimation, hoping the reduced stress will prevent disease outbreak. Dosing with melafix again too, for a few days. Dropped a bit of zucchini into the bag while new Oto was floating- read a suggestion somewhere that this will calm them, having something to nibble on. Not sure if it helped. But soon after release the new fish was hanging out in heater corner with Tilda- it's a smaller fish by half, but already scraping algae off the wall.

Hope this one makes it. I don't want to buy any more of these fish, they are difficult to pull through the first weeks and it's getting discouraging loosing one after another.