Stan Z Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 I have a Chinese algae eater not quite 2” long, recommended by the store staff for black algae. It’s starting to harass other fish now. I know it will eat the slime from fish. Can it injure them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 Slime coatings are one of the most vital parts of a fishes immune system, a bit like your skin; it fends of fungal infections and diseases. Try taking it back to the store and using an old credit card to clean it off the glass. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biotope Biologist Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 I had a chinese algae eater (6”) and he was rather peaceful. But each fish has a different personality. What I can tell you is my tank had alot of beard algae and the algae eater preferred the green stuff over the beard algae. As stated above a razor is your only chance at getting it off 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 I agree with @Biotope Biologist, one of my angelfish used to hate everything until he got a nice female tank mate and started breeding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flumpweesel Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 It depends on the fish but the CAE can cause issues by harassing fish after lights out when they aren't as active. If you have larger slower fish they are probably at risk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 I heard they only go for flat fish (discus, angels, etc ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Z Posted October 3, 2022 Author Share Posted October 3, 2022 I saw him actually chasing a gourami across the tank this morning. I decided to move the CAE to my new 10 gallon tank to get him out of the main, but I can’t catch him. Interesting. He’s fast and has a lot of places to hide. I might have to remove a lot of things from the tank if I want to get him out. I don’t want to wreck my plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Try catching him at night, usually works. I’ve also had problems catching cherry barbs in a 63 gal. God forbid I should ever catch hillstream loaches out of a 100 gal! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Siamese Algae Eaters may have been a better choice. They are smaller, social, and always hungry. Dosing the black algae (Black Beard Algae?) with hydrogen peroxide will help control it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Is Hydro. Peroxide dangerous to fish? @anewbie has recommended that I educate myself on fish chemistry. @Tanked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 On 10/3/2022 at 10:03 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Is Hydro. Peroxide dangerous to fish? @anewbie has recommended that I educate myself on fish chemistry. @Tanked If you put your fish in a bottle of hydrogen peroxide is suspect it would not live very long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannon Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 My grandpa has tried to keep this species many times and I've only seen these guys be really mean and hurt other fish and scarcely if ever seen them eat algae, especially at large sizes. They should be kept away from community tanks in general in my opinion. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Z Posted October 3, 2022 Author Share Posted October 3, 2022 @TankedI first got a tiny Cory and a little Oto. When I talked with the guy at the store about the algae, he gave me the CAE and said I could bring it back if I wanted to. He also advised me to simply turn the lights off for 3 days straight. That worked pretty well. Then two weeks later I was away for a weekend and the lights were off again for three days. The tank is nice and clean but I’m concerned about the algae eaters having enough to eat. Maybe that made the CAE more competitive. I use the pellets for bottom feeders but the gouramis are hogs and eat the pellets before the others can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Do you have another tank to put the CAE in? Maybe “sticking” the pellets onto the glass by pushing them could work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted October 4, 2022 Share Posted October 4, 2022 On 10/3/2022 at 11:46 AM, Stan Z said: @TankedI first got a tiny Cory and a little Oto. When I talked with the guy at the store about the algae, he gave me the CAE and said I could bring it back if I wanted to. He also advised me to simply turn the lights off for 3 days straight. That worked pretty well. Then two weeks later I was away for a weekend and the lights were off again for three days. The tank is nice and clean but I’m concerned about the algae eaters having enough to eat. Maybe that made the CAE more competitive. I use the pellets for bottom feeders but the gouramis are hogs and eat the pellets before the others can. If the store generously gave you the option to take the CAE back, I would take that. You could create a place in the aquarium that is difficult for the gourami to reach, inserting the sinking pellets by means of a feeding tube, while distracting the gourami on the opposite side of the tank. On 10/3/2022 at 11:03 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Is Hydro. Peroxide dangerous to fish? @anewbie has recommended that I educate myself on fish chemistry. @Tanked Spot treating BBA directly with a spray bottle, syringe or dropper is considered safe at about 1.5-3 ml. per gallon of water grocery store strength (3%) H202. Some folks including myself have used 5ml. with no ill effects. Better effect is with the pumps off just before lights out, as H2O2 is short lived in light, and quickly breaks down to water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Z Posted October 4, 2022 Author Share Posted October 4, 2022 @TankedI removed most of the big stuff from the tank. He cornered himself behind the heater and made it easy. I pt him in my new 10 gallon by himself for now. He’s a bit shook up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now