Anyone Here Prefere Chinese Algie Eaters To Common Plecs?

[Garbage]

Im really consitering getting rid of my plec, he is so messy, Ive got a Chinese algie eater who is MUCH more active anyway, wondering if maybe I should get a few more of those and ditch the plec?

 

[crazie.eddie]

When CAE's get to adult, they can get aggressive. They also tend to not care for algae and start favoring other foods, especially other fish.

 

[Garbage]

Well, its a cichlid tank so Im not really that concerned about their tempers. The one I have now behaves pretty well.

 

[Darkerwhite2]

Ya ive found them too agressive also. I really dont like the little buggers. Mabey get a smaller plec i think i red you have a common one? am i right?. My green spotted pleco hasnt given me much of a problem, he's about 5inch long right now. Not too much waste that ive noticed

 

[Garbage]

Ya ive found them too agressive also. I really dont like the little buggers. Mabey get a smaller plec i think i red you have a common one? am i right?. My green spotted pleco hasnt given me much of a problem, he's about 5inch long right now. Not too much waste that ive noticed

Yeah I have a common plec, he's getting to be a pretty large fish now and Im just tired of seeing 12 inches of fish waste streached across the bottom of the tank all the time. These plecs make goldfish look clean.

 

[Darkerwhite2]

Ya id try a smaller one then see if your lfs will take him back and get one of the dwarf kinds

 

[LisaLQ]

Nope. CAE are horrible vicious ugly things when they're bigger. What's a bit of plec poo - beats pulling dead fish out of your tank or repeatedly treating for wound infections. Been there, done that, sent them back lol.

And this is coming from the woman with two commons, one rusty, one 8" royal and two bristlenose plecs in her tank. Gravel vac-ing once in a while isn't much work.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Another no vote here, I'm afraid. Poor CAEs don't seem to have much of a fan club on this forum. I would say this is possible the one fish I regret having kept. Besides, they can get territorial with each other when they mature, so I wouldn't get more than one. And they don't seem to be as active or eat as much algae when mature. I would keep a nice bristlenose instead, small hardworking and on the whole pleasant-tempered. But since you already have this plec, and presumably have a large enough tank to keep it (?), I would also take into account the fact that he may face an uncertain future if you take him back. Not that many people wanting outsize plecs and an awful lot of people trying to get rid of them. If you have the facilities, isn't it worth a bit of cleaning to give him a happy old age?

 

[G.A]

Don't buy any more CAES. While they are nice fish (I think they look better when bigger ) even the more peaceful ones tend to get aggressive with each other.

 

[DiscusAngel]

sounds like these fish are to tackle algae? Well if so. geta Bristlenose they come in Albino or choclate. They get to 5" and clean algae very well. i have 2 and they are great!! do id return them both for a bristlenose.

 

[SuperColey1]

You could get 3 or 4 pitbull plecs.
They won't grow past 3" nose to tail.
They are quite active even during the day.
Once settled they are not shy (This happened within a few minutes with mine)
They don't produce too much poop
They scavange all sorts of food, including algae on the glass, and sift the sand for leftovers
They seem quite hardy (so far)
Theyre quite cheap (as plecs go)

Agreed as above, you may find it hard to rehome a large plec, maybe try to give him away in the Buy/Sell/Swap on here or on plecofanatics. Took me about 3 months to get mine rehomed, then only managed to by delivering them an hours drive away.

I have never kept CAE, but I don't think theyre a pretty fish and I am always hearing bad things bout them all over the web (nicknamed 'Chinese Slime Coat Remover' and 'Chinese Eye Ball Plucker' amonst other names)

 

[Spacecloud]

Also wouldn't recommend CAE, I've had a bad experiance with them. I do feel sorry for them though as they are hated fish. When small they look attractive and are very active but mine got agressive as it got older, and bigger!!
On the plus side though he is now in a 6ft Community tank where he seems really happy and isn't attacking anyone, so, in a large enough tank you might be successful keeping them.
Plecs are really messy aren't they! Although in my opinion they are worth the mess they make, they are great fish. I hope he goes to a good home

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Yeah i used to keep CAE's myself, had a beautiful golden one once but as it matured it turned very agressive towards all the other fish in the tank. Had to be moved to a tank on its own at 5inches long, but it ended up dying during a particularly long powercut.
They are very attractive fish, but there's not an aweful lot of fish you can put with them that are safe with them.
They can also easily grow to 10inchs long given a chance, so aren't a great deal smaller than common pleco's, so if you are looking for something smaller these are not the fish for you.

 

[fishnterrapins]

Sorry i'm in the plec camp as well. They're beautiful and much more interesting and having kept CAE's they turn nasty and develop a panchant for eating eyeballs etc.

 

[Garbage]

Yeah i used to keep CAE's myself, had a beautiful golden one once but as it matured it turned very agressive towards all the other fish in the tank. Had to be moved to a tank on its own at 5inches long, but it ended up dying during a particularly long powercut.
They are very attractive fish, but there's not an aweful lot of fish you can put with them that are safe with them.
They can also easily grow to 10inchs long given a chance, so aren't a great deal smaller than common pleco's, so if you are looking for something smaller these are not the fish for you.

Well Im not so much looking for something smaller, just ot so messy. I do have 1 CAE right now and he is always active I love him! He's probably also the least agressive species of fish in the tank so no attitude problems have surfaced. He just keeps to himself and cleans the tank Do you guys really think 2 of them would get territorial with one another?