does hydra mean eggs?

I have a planted 10 gallon w/ three cherry barbs and two oto cats. I
recenty bought one of the otos. The day after I introduced her, she
became lethargic and swollen, barely eating. I thought she was on her
way out, since I read otos can be tough to acclimate to new tanks. that
was about three weeks ago. She is still around and seems healthy, but
still swollen. Now I am noticing hydra reproducing in the tank, I had
never seen them before. I do not feed any live foods, only flake for
the cherry barbs. Does this mean the oto is scattering eggs. It seems
logical, any suggestions?

Thusly "scuteshoot" Spake Unto All:

I have a planted 10 gallon w/ three cherry barbs and two oto cats. I
recenty bought one of the otos. The day after I introduced her, she
became lethargic and swollen, barely eating. I thought she was on her
way out, since I read otos can be tough to acclimate to new tanks. that
was about three weeks ago. She is still around and seems healthy, but
still swollen. Now I am noticing hydra reproducing in the tank, I had
never seen them before. I do not feed any live foods, only flake for
the cherry barbs. Does this mean the oto is scattering eggs. It seems
logical, any suggestions?

1) Lethargic = sick. A happy oto, no matter how gravid, is not
lethargic.

2) It's hard to say if your oto is swoollen because it's got dropsy
and has just managed to hang on, or if it's a female. Females are
quite plump.

3) It is very unlikely your otos spawn. They're very hard fish to get
to breed.

4) Hydras will eat very small animals which you no doubt have in your
tank (rotifers & copepods which come in with the plants), and they are
photosynthetic. It's a safe bet they've got nothing to do with the
otos. Actually I doubt they eat fish larvae at all, although they do
compete with them for food.

So the oto is now active some of the time, and just sits on her belly
the rest of the time. As far as hydra go, are they ok for the health
of fish in general, it's not an outbreak or anything. If I stare at the
tank for awhile I can find a few.