Chinese Algae Eaters

[Alien Anna]

I know I've developed quite a passionate hatred for CAEs (aka "sucking loaches", "golden loaches", "algae-eating loach" etc) but now so many other people hate them, I wondered if I wasn't just being prejudiced? After all, oscars eat other fish and people don't hate them.

Maybe it's just the way CAEs are misrepresented (and mis-named)? Maybe it's because most of us bought them to eat algae, and then found out we were victims of the CAE PR machine, and that in fact they prefered like fish-slime and eyeballs?

Does anybody out there actually like (or even love) their CAE?

 

[-=DG=-]

I love my sae. He's got character and can hold his own. And he's massive

 

[-=DG=-]

There he is in my sig

 

[Alien Anna]

Well there's my answer, DG, right there in your sig. Keep CAEs with large cichlids, in a large tank where they can carve out a territory without having to eat other fish's eyeballs.

Incidently, you said "SAE" in your post. That was a misprint, wasn't it? Because I know Siamese Algae Eaters are quite different.

Would you say CAE's are good with Lake Tanganyika cichlids? I still haven't given up my idea of keeping cichlids and was thinking about tank-mates for a N. tretocephalus (the fish that looks like a zebra crossing) in maybe a 2' tank, but I hear tretocephalus are anti-social b*ggers. All the other bottom feeders I can think of couldn't cope with the hard, alkaline water.

 

[cory]

Count me among the haters. But my larger redhook loved my CAE, thought the little pest WAS absolutely delicious.

 

[-=DG=-]

Sorry yeah CAE )

Yeah these guys can handle any water types. I should imagine the an CAE would be fine.

I've had him for about 7 years now. He has calmed down a lot. He usually just sits around waiting for food. Not aggressive at all (exept he does chase of my male aratus, but they've never liked each other from the beginning). But he doesnt bother anyone and is deffinately one of my favorite bottom feeders out of all 6 of them (7 including my snail).

 

[AquaNut]

At the moment, I love my CAE, but that was not always the case, and I expect it could change again in the future.

When I bought him, I knew there were two very similar fish - one good (SAE) and one bad (CAE), but I really couldn't tell the two apart in a fish store, and was told the one I was buying was "the good one". (Blame the minimum wage lfs employee or myself for not being better educated about a livestock purchase, even if he was only a couple of dollars?)

Anyway, I was looking for an algae eater/ bottom feeder for a 10 gallon tank, and was told he'd be great for the job. He was great at first... cleaned up my very minor algae problem in no time flat and seemed very appreciative of the little cave I'd made him. But, in time, he got bigger, and as he got bigger, he got meaner. This is when I educated myself a little better about the difference between a SAE and CAE, and realised I had, in fact, purchased 'the bad one'. Eventually, he was swimming up to slowly moving fishes and sucking onto their sides. Anybody who looked weak was eaten. I didn't know what to do with him.

I decided to give him one more chance in my new 45 gallon tank. I was prepared to remove him and take him to the lfs if things didn't work out, but thought it was worth a try. I have silver dollars in there... the perfect fish to suck onto (just ask my yo yo loaches). The CAE has been perfectly behaved, going on two months now. He's always very busy cleaning and exploring, and even seems to be behaving quite socially, often seen shoaling or resting with my cories. I have seen veil tailed fish swim right up to him and my opaline gourami chased him away from a fern he wanted to nibble at... no reaction from the CAE. He's roughly 5" right now (doesn't stay still long enough to get a better guess or real measurement). I know he may double that size, and if he does, I expect that he'll outgrow his current environment and probably start acting very nasty again. Hopefully, I'll have a bigger tank he can move into by then; if not, lfs for him, I guess.

So, to answer Anna's question, I do think they have an unfair bad rap. It would be like putting an Oscar in a tank of guppies and then complaining about his behaviour. Or, less radically, it's not unlike putting five male guppies with one female. Chances are, they'll pester and mate her to death. That doesn't mean guppies are mean or bad fish, just means you didn't provide them with an appropriate environment. I hope I can continue to successfully house my CAE; he's an attractive, active fish with a lot of personality.

 

[teknikz]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha@cory

thats was well funny

 

[smb]

Maybe it's just the way CAEs are misrepresented (and mis-named)? Maybe it's because most of us bought them to eat algae, and then found out we were victims of the CAE PR machine, and that in fact they prefered like fish-slime and eyeballs

I think that's exactly right Alien Anna.

The lfs's are actually giving them a bad name, imo, because they are sold as algae eaters, which they do as juvies but then they mature and all heck breaks loose sometimes so they get unfairly stigmatized.

I loved the CAE's when I had them because I knew what I was getting into and bought them because of the way they were. But I only like aggro fish anyways tho, so maybe I'm not a good representatation.

A person looking for a common plecostomus that's sweet and minds it's own business might not like the change that I liked.

 

[-=DG=-]

At the moment, my gibbiceps and blue panaque are easily the most aggressive botto feeders in my tank! Especially my gibbiceps!

 

[Alex]

I love my CAE, my son named him Edward, and he's one of fish I have had the longest. Though he can be a little territorial, on the whole he's a lovely fish. Though I must admit doesn't help very much in my battle against algae.

When a couple of my friends got CAE's they both said to me "I have got an Edward" I'm not sure they even knew it's real name.

 

[revengeishere]

Look at this website:

http/members.shaw.ca/kveetka/cae.html

It's about CAEs

 

[FishBazzar]

I have to Chinese Algae eaters in my tank and I have to say that I love em! They are great at Algae cleaning. My tank is in a place where it gets alot of natural light (most of the time not direct) so I had a huge algae problem. Algae everywhere growing like somekind of alien weed. The stuff was covering everything. Then I indtroduced my Algae eating Crew! Wow Baby! CAE > Algae

My CAE do tend to get aggresive sometimes, but since I keeep them with small fast moving fish the CAE are to slow to cause trouble or be parasitic. In fact, I recently introduced a lyre tail molly. She's pretty big. So one day she decides to do some bottom cleaing in on of my CAE's home range. Of course he gets pissed but my lyre tail won't be discouraged. LOL He'll chase and she'll come back.

My Chinese algae eaters sometimes try to suck on my 24k mollies (speed demons).

Quote from 24k molly: " Can't touch this " B)