Gilbert

What is this fish, It had no label at the fish store, I think it's an algae eater or a flying fox?

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sirdarksol

Algae eater, I think. Flying foxes have a solid dark bar down their side.

mathas

Agreed! It looks a lot like the Chinese algae eater pictures here and here. Like the flying fox, siamese algae eaters also have a more pronounced dark bar down the side, so my guess would be Chinese.

Gilbert, please be aware that as CAEs age, they eat less algae and become more aggressive.

sirdarksol

Yeah, these guys can be very unpleasant as they grow old. If you have broad-sided fish (like angels or gourami) in the tank with them, they can develop a taste for fish slime and can eventually kill your fish.

gremlin

Looks like a chinese algae eater. They need to be kept in a minimum of 20 gallons with at least 3 hidey holes. I currently have 2 of these in my 150 + gallon pond with a pleco, what I call a shark cat (because I can't remember what he is), 2 clown loaches, multiple comet goldfish, 1 shubunkin, and multiple mosquito fish. I have had no problems with any aggressiveness at all, and I also have zero algae in my pond. A couple of summers ago, before I got one of these little fishies, I was pulling a gallon milk jug full of moss out of my pond every other day all summer long. I was also having to scrub the moss off the rocks I have on the two shelves. Last summer I had a pleco and a couple of cae's and no moss. Over the winter, I gave all three to a friend of mine who teaches school for her classroom tanks. This spring, as soon as the water was warm enough, I went back to WalMart and PetsMart and got the cae's, loaches, pleco, and shark cat. No more moss!

Zukuda

Chinese algae eater. Careful with that little guy, while they're small they eat algae. As soon as they get bigger they eat the slime coat off of any fish they can get and thus killing that fish. When they're bigger they won't eat algae at all, if you can, keep him alone or see if you can't return them. These little buggers are dangerous to a tank.

Gilbert

Wow, these guys aren't welcome anywhere, but are there any positive aspects about this fish, ANYTHING

gremlin

If kept in a proper environment, they are excellent fish. They need a minimum of 20 gallons for the first cae with an additional 10 - 20 gallons for each additional. No more than 3 of these guys in a group (unless you have a 500 gallon or more tank). They need to have 3 hidey hole caves for the first cae with an additional 2-3 caves for each additional cae. I have 2 in my pond with goldfish and have never had any problems with them chasing after any of my other fish. They also still feed on the algae (and algae wafers, and romain lettuce, and zucchini). I have no algae growing in my pond so I supplement their diet. They are voracious eaters. If they are going after other fish in the tank, it is because one of their three main needs is not being met.
1. more space - they need lots of room to swim
2. more hidey holes - at least three for them to defend, and they WILL defend them
3. more food - my crew polishes off 20-30 algae wafers and 4 lettuce leaves as well as any algae in my pond in one night. That is 2 cae's, 2 plecos, 2 clown loaches, 1 shark cat.
They can be difficult to keep, but they are fun to watch. One of mine has turned completely yellow which makes it much easier to see in the bottom of the pond. That little guy is just one solid muscle! If there is something in his/her way, it gets moved...no matter how big it is. I go out in the morning and the lillies are all pushed to one side or the other. They like to 'rearrange their furniture'.