Id Needed... Wanted.... What Is It?

[Rex740]

Also, CAEs do very bad jobs at eating algae. They might try to eat algae when young but they just forget it after a little bit and dont do any difference. Maybe get a snail or otos?

 

[lildavpot]

if you want to get rid of algae, dont leave your tank lights on as much and don't over feed.

the tank is right in front of full patio doors, that get full sunlight during the day, ok as much sunlight as you get in sunny manchester! though i do tend to switch the light on from when i get up to when i go to bed about 5 days a week so i guess i could cut back

 

[afishdude]

that is why you have algae, you NEVER let your tank get any direct sunlight.

 

[lildavpot]

that is why you have algae, you NEVER let your tank get any direct sunlight.

blame it on the mum, she said itd look pretty there though there isnt anywhere else in the room it would fit, bit of afunny shaped room, dont suppose the 19 yr old cat that sits on top dribbling helps matters either.

 

[poopsydrew]

that is why you have algae, you NEVER let your tank get any direct sunlight.

blame it on the mum, she said itd look pretty there though there isnt anywhere else in the room it would fit, bit of afunny shaped room, dont suppose the 19 yr old cat that sits on top dribbling helps matters either.

I do agree that is why you have so much algae. It is ill advised not because of the algae but it can cause the tank to get VERY hot in direct sun.
You have been given correct information, I work at a lfs and if you go back and read it will say "semi-aggressive" on the chinese algae eater description (assuming your lfs has descriptions). They eat algae when young but when older they start to feed on the mucus that exists on other fishes slime coats.
I agree, snails are great at getting rid of algae, but with your tank being in the sun, you will probably always have some algae.

I didnt see what size tank you have, but if snails arent your thing, BN plecos and Otos are both extremely effecient algae eaters and both are great community fish provided you have the space and depending on your current stocking.

Drew

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Not sure if this was said, but CAE's are really bad algae eaters. They eat algae when they are young, but they start to ween off it as they get older, and really don't eat it as they hit maturity. They then need more fish in their diet.

 

[The-Wolf]

I'm getting sick and tired of this satanic propaganda about CAEs'
yes they can become aggressive as they age but, IME (kept 6 of them),
most do not if kept in the correct conditions.

a tank too small or a tank with deep bodied fish, like discus or dollars etc, will bring out the
dominant side of this fishes personality, however keep them in a reasonable sized tank with fish that are
either slim and small (danios, rasboras etc) or with fish that are larger than them (bichirs, snakeheads, eels etc)
then they are a great fish to keep.

I currently have an 8" CAE with 2 species of small danios & botia histronica in a 22G
he is perfect for this tank and does a very good job of keeping the green at bay

 

[karl2784]

Gosh I've got 2 of these!! Didn't know they would be so agressive when they get older. They're fine now. But reading this post, i have pregnant guppies in my tank too, will they eat the fry??

 

[DevUK]

I'm getting sick and tired of this satanic propaganda about CAEs'
yes they can become aggressive as they age but, IME (kept 6 of them),
most do not if kept in the correct conditions.

a tank too small or a tank with deep bodied fish, like discus or dollars etc, will bring out the
dominant side of this fishes personality, however keep them in a reasonable sized tank with fish that are
either slim and small (danios, rasboras etc) or with fish that are larger than them (bichirs, snakeheads, eels etc)
then they are a great fish to keep.

I currently have an 8" CAE with 2 species of small danios & botia histronica in a 22G
he is perfect for this tank and does a very good job of keeping the green at bay

Well said Wolf!

I have a 5" CAE in my 47 gal tank along with harlequin rasbora, leopard danios and pentazona barbs. He's a little yampy at times but never goes after the others. Ideally these need a bit of a current as well, seeing as they come from rivers with flowing water. I did have problems with him in the past though but this was because I kept him with a fancy gold fish. He'd harrass the poor thing and suck onto his sides. This was my fault, not the CAE's. As long as they have some good hiding spots and as wolf says, no flat/deep bodied slow moving fish you should be fine.

Oh, and when they mature, they are generally poor at keeping algae under control and prefer fresh veggies and algae wafers.

 

[lildavpot]

ok i was considering getting algea wafers, to be honest my tank will be too small for him once he hits about 4 inches anyway but by that time i might have convinced my mum to let me have a bigger tank, hes kept with molly platy and tetras got a fairly big peice of bogwood which he likes and it should be well planted however my platty have taken to grazing on everything i put in. hes done a good job of cleaning up the tank so far, as well as most the paint off one decoration, which i didnt think was possible.

tank is only 70 litres btw hence it beong too small when hes bigger.

 

[poopsydrew]

I'm getting sick and tired of this satanic propaganda about CAEs'
yes they can become aggressive as they age but, IME (kept 6 of them),
most do not if kept in the correct conditions.

a tank too small or a tank with deep bodied fish, like discus or dollars etc, will bring out the
dominant side of this fishes personality, however keep them in a reasonable sized tank with fish that are
either slim and small (danios, rasboras etc) or with fish that are larger than them (bichirs, snakeheads, eels etc)
then they are a great fish to keep.

I currently have an 8" CAE with 2 species of small danios & botia histronica in a 22G
he is perfect for this tank and does a very good job of keeping the green at bay

Chill wolf, I would agree. Problem is most people dont keep them with the right fish, You know what its like working at the fish store, I get those brought back more often than not, with the customer stating it "attacked my other fishies"
I dont have anything against the fish certainly, I just think people often are unaware of their potential aggressivness as they age and its better to err on the safe side would'nt you agree?
I should have said that with faster moving fish and a decent size tank is the correct way to keep them, so I apologize.
Just seems like I offended you or should I say the fish a bit? None intended

Drew