Lord of Tetras

hey guys, i'm new to fishlore I've had a 10 gallon tank for about 4 years and i recently upgraded to a 30gallon. I have a Golden Chinese algae eater who is about 5.5 inches and 4 neons, 3 cherrybarbs 4 hatchet fish and an Otocinclus. I recently bought some new fish (barbs and otocinclus) my CAE is 5.5 inch and is starting to be aggressive do you think it would hurt my cute little Otocinclus? they seem to be doing fine at the moment but I've read about CAE's being agressive to other CAEs. i had a CAE befor that was some what wild but not as agressive so i'm just wondering if my CAE will beat/kill/murder/eat my Otocinclus? the Otocinclus is only about an inch long not full grown.

I have some different places for them to hide so would turf wars be a problem?

(still kind of a newbie with fish)

Nutter

I think you would be better off just getting rid of the CAE. When they get bigger like yours they are nasty to anything & everything. They also arn't very good algae eaters to start with & they get even worse at the job as they get older. I refuse to own them at all. Otos are far more suitable & like to be kept in groups of at least 3. You will find that just a single Oto won't do a whole lot in a tank but when they are kept in groups they will be quite active & eat more algae than any CAE ever will. Get rid of the CAE & get yourself another 3-4 Otos instead.

Shock

I second getting rid of the CAE. I doubt they'll be friendly to the Otos due to their aggressive demeanor. I could be biased, however, since Otos are some of my favorite FW fish

Also, do not keep oto's singly.

dancerhas

Our CAE's (around 1.5 years old) have never picked on any fish smaller than themselves. The one harassed our parrot cichlids during the short time they were housed together, presumably because he felt threatened by them. Other than that one instance they have never shown any aggressive behavior nor have they caused any fish any harm. They do an excellent job of keeping the tank clean (aside from the plastic plants.)

If the CAE hasn't bothered the Oto by now there's little chance that it's going to, although it COULD possibly run into the little guy while tearing around the tank as CAE's are known to do.

There's also the fact that the Oto will be able to hide in places where the CAE could never go.

I don't mean to start an argument, but I've always been bothered by the bad rap that CAE's have, which is 97% contradictory to my experience with them. I've found Pleco's to be much more trouble. I tend to give advice based on my experience, and I've found our CAE's to be hardy, helpful, and generally peaceful fish.

On a side note it sounds like your tank is pretty heavily stocked, and a CAE is best kept in a 55 gallon or larger tank. You will have to be very diligent at keeping your nitrates low, I've read that Otos are particularly sensitive to nitrate toxicity.

Shock

I guess the addages YMMV is important in everything. Not all fish are representitive of their species. Some may be more aggressive, less aggressive etc.

He did say his CAE is getting aggressive though, which has me a little worried it will harrass the Oto to death. They're notoriously weak when first added to a system.

Nutter

Dancerhas - You definitley have an exception to the rule. It can happen with all fish. I've got 2 SAE that are about 6 inches long now & are so aggressive that I'm seriously considering moving them. They will attack anything that goes anywhere near thier algae supply. SAE's arn't supposed to get that big & they are usually one of the most peacefull fish you can get. I've never had any issues with any plecs, even when they get picked on by other fish they don't fight back.

I'd definitley get rid of the CAE & get more Otos. The Oto is only new in the tank so the CAE hasn't had a chance to start bothering it too much yet. The Oto will just hide away being on it's own & will feel rather intimidated by the much larger CAE getting around in the tank.

acestriker

I agree with most others in saying that you should do away with the CAE and stick with otos just go with a group because they are great algae eaters and their small size and great temperament make for perfect additions to a tank made up of smaller fish! Personally I have never seen a better algae eater ever when they are kept in a group! They are very fast and can usually get away from threats but in the long run it would be best to have them with their own kind. I have two in a ten gal and they keep it spotless, so much so that I actually need to add an additional food source like an algae wafer to insure they are not starving. Something you may want to keep on mind

they


good luck



Ace

Lord of Tetras

otoclinus died of natural causes first death in new tank. I don't think I'll be getting another otoclinus for while, I read that they have a high death rate when first introduced. Maybe a pelco?

Shock

Maybe a clown pleco, but you still have the CAE to contend with. Does anyone else think the CAE might bully the little pleco?

Yes, lots of Oto's die at first, but if you're careful you can minimize a lot of it. I lost one of four I took home

Lord of Tetras

what about loaches? though I've heard they can get aggressive when bigger

dancerhas

I think all of our fish do exactly the opposite of what people say they're going to. Our CAE's are peaceful, our danio kills fish 3 time his size, our Pleco was a bully, and our Platys are the least hardy out of every fish we've ever had. Who knows...

Otos are notorious. Our first two were very hardy and healthy. We tried to complete the school and couldn't get any new ones to eat or anything. I do think the two batches were a different species of Oto, so that might have had something to do with it.

A good peaceful bottom feeder is the Cory Catfish. He only gets 3 inches long and goes good with pretty much everything. Although I'm not if they're too big on algae, I'm really not an expert on them. The Cory is often what people SHOULD buy instead of CAE's.

Lord of Tetras

this is my last CAE i'm going to own. My First Fish was a Cae that i had bought about 4 years ago. My LFS didn't warn me that a CAE was aggressive. That CAE wasn't that aggressive, never saw him attack fish; But then he died about 3 years. So i Had a pelco. My pleco died shortly after purchase I've had this CAE for a year and now he starting to become aggressive which he hasn't attacked any of my cherrys or neons or hatchets yet. (I think its because they are too fast.) I sorta want a clown loach my LFS said it could get 11 inches in my tank and that they are aggressive. are dojo's like that also?


other ideas to go with CAE

1. Flying fox/Siamese algae eater
2. Pleco
3.Cory

whats the best one?

Nutter

I would pick the Plec out of that lot. They are literally armour plated. Try a Bristlenose as they are very hardy & adaptable. DO NOT get the Clown Loach. They should be kept in groups of 3 or more & need a minimum tank size of 75gal. Loaches don't eat algae anyway. Corys are a super cool peacefull & active fish but don't eat a whole lot of algae if that's what you want them to do. Which seems silly when you consider how much they love alge tablets. Flying Foxes are NOT SAE's. Flying Foxes are not very good algae eaters at all & can start to get a little aggressive when they get older. Nowhere near as aggressive as the CAE though. The SAE would be an excellent choice but may be a target for your CAE. I would go the Bristlenose all the way.

Lord of Tetras

excellent post, i have been told befor loachs ate some algae so i was sorta wondering.. Pleco's are kinda cool, should i buy a small pleco or a larger pleco? And how many should i have? I've heard they do better in groups?

Nutter

Definitley a smaller plec. Maximum 6". Some plecs get up to 2ft long so be sure of what you buy. I would get a common Bristlenose as they are hardy & you said you have had trouble with plecs before. Keep Plecs as a solo fish. They are generally quite aggressive with thier own kind & can inflict some very nasty injuries on each other.