CHINESE ALGEA EATERS!!!

[Neon-blu]

*celebrate I got one yesterday, he's soooo cute I named him..... Okay I don't know what to name him so I need help. -huggles- I put two new plants in and he holds on to them for his life. then he follows my finger around. SOOOOO cute!!!!!!!!!!: *laughingc

 

[infant340]

hpw do you know its a he?

 

[infant340]

heres a link if you dont know if its boy or girl

http://www.aquariumfish.net/pages/names_for_fish_no_gender.htm#top2

 

[Hockeygrrl]

I find that my algae eater has quite the personality I like to see him go up and down the tank looking for food. Does anyone know how big they get? Mine has gotten pretty big since I bought him/her.

 

[MrMup04]

name it "chiny" since its an chinese alage eater

 

[Angelfish]

Congratulations. However I do think that a CAE isnt quite the appropriate algae eater for a 5 gal, they do get large and agressive, so keep an eye on him and how he treats your other fish.

 

[theeyrietrainer]

i agree with angelfish, CAE's get too large for a 5 gallon, they will get quite aggressive and sometimes too jumpy. mine had once jumped outta my tank TWICE because it was too small!

 

[Hockeygrrl]

How big do CAE's get?

 

[kool_sk8a]

the biggest one i have is 4 1/2 inches at the moment. i think about 5-6 inches is their max

 

[Angelfish]

I have a 6" CAE, he is the largest I have seen. But from what I read they can get to be all the way to 12".

 

[Zoidfarb]

Yeah, I've also read they reach 12 inches, though I think 5-6 is more usual in captivity.
CAE do indeed become aggressive as they get older, and adults seem to prefer the slime coats and soft tissues of other fish to algae.
If you like "sucker" type fish, Otocinclos sp. cats stay small and are very peaceful.

 

[bobrob]

Zoidfarb is right, when they get older they dont eat algae at all and just suck the slime coats of other fishies.

 

[Angelfish]

Originally posted by bobrob
Zoidfarb is right, when they get older they dont eat algae at all and just suck the slime coats of other fishies.

I will third that. I need to get rid of my CAE as he is always sucking on my pictus cat, and some times on the sides of gouramis and occasionally my angelfish. Be warned: once in the tank they become very difficult to catch to remove.

 

[kool_sk8a]

Originally posted by Angelfish
Be warned: once in the tank they become very difficult to catch to remove.

yeah, i once spend 20 minutes to catch one of these. they are very fast, and can get very agressive and stress out other fish.

i would consider swapping him for an otto.

 

[Angelfish]

Originally posted by kool_sk8a
yeah, i once spend 20 minutes to catch one of these.

Kool I envy your CAE catching skills, Ive spent over an hour trying to catch mine and are still unsucessful

 

[dana307]

what would a CAE do in a turtle tank? Anyone? Have some otos in there but as they are a bit slow to jump away I fear the turtles can snack on them sometimes. A CAE sounds fast enough for the turtles. Any opinions yall?

 

[Igor The Cat]

The biggest CAE that i ever say was a full 16"!!!

-Java

 

[KeepingTheBeat]

What gets me more than how long they get is how thick they can get. I was in a LFS that had a CAE in their planted tank that was as thick as my thumb and every bit of 6". It looked like a giant underwater slug. Disgusting. But, I will admit I am more than a little prejudiced againt CAEs because I was sold 4 under false pretenses (thought I was getting otos) and then one had the audacity to murder the other 3 plus 3 frogs and a gourami (I firmly believe since their mysterious deaths coincided with the CAEs arrival and after its consequent removal to a small breeding trap, my personal version of an underwater KY State Penitentiary, the deaths stopped.) Okay, end rant.

In all fairness it did a good job of clearing up an algae problem I was having, but soon it turned its sights toward its tankmates. I used a variation of a trick to catch it that Somonas I think posted in this forum. I put an algae wafer in my net and held it close to the bottom. When my CAE was in there far enough I got him out.