Gold Algae Eater

[randymyr]

I've been looking for an algae eater for my tank for a while, and the only ones around are gold algae eaters
now i've read these guys are a different kind of chinese algae eater, and with previous experience, these guys can be... viceous.
my tank is currently stocked with zebra danios, harlequin rasboras, pearl gouramis and a kuhlii loach
now the one i had before, as a kid, ate my zebra danios, bala shark... well, all my fish really
now that was an actual chinese algae eater, is there any difference at all between the fish other than size and colour? will my fish be safe if i get one?
if i do get one, roughly how long do i have until he gets viceous? (the algae eater i had before didn't start attackin until a year after we got thim)

 

[Inchworm]

Hi randymyr

Since you haven't gotten any responses in TD, I'll move your thread to Cyprinids, Characins and Atherinids. I hope you have better luck there.

 

[Lateral Line]

The "Gold Algae Eater" is simply a colour sport of the regular Chinese Algae Eater, (often abbreviated to CAE, you'll see that a lot). As such, it grows, eats and deports in the same way as a regular CAE, (there, told you you'd see that a lot). That said, some CAE don't become a problem for a long time if ever, I had one when I first started with trops, 40+ years ago, which never was any trouble, (tanked with barbs and rasboras). Generally slow moving large sided fish like cichlids are more likely to be bothered.

 

[loachman]

They're just a color morph of the CAE. Exactly the same.

You may want to look into ottos as well. They tend to be readily available and are very peaceful.

 

[nsomnia]

ive got some and they are work horses but the will try to suck onto anything slow moving, i hade to take my gouramis out of the tank becouse they were always getting sucked on