My Sae Is A Cae !

[Dechi]

This pet store is so bad... I should know by now, they have never known the species of the fish they sell. The owner is too lazy to write down the latin names of the fish he buys each week, so he goes by what he thinks... He’s sold me a serpae tetra as a rosy and now this.

A few months ago, I quickly looked in a tank and saw what I thought was a SAE. The guy said that’s what they were. I even insisted and he said yes, that’s what they are. Well, I should have looked closer. This week I had the chance to see it very close and it really is a chinese algae eater, no mistake about it. Sigh.

When I bought it it was pretty big, maybe 3-4 inches. I’ve read they can go to maybe 4-5 inches in captivity and can get territorial and aggressive. They can even eat small fish. What is considered small ? The smallest fish I have are neon tetras and cardinal tetras. I don’t suppose the CAE can est them ?

 

[Crispii]

It will if it can catch them.

 

[Dechi]

It will if it can catch them.

Seriously ? You’ve seen it happen ? So I should bring this fish back ?

My problem is to catch a fish in my well planted tank, I will basically have to destroy everything...

 

[Crispii]

I never kept them, but the general rule is that if something can fit in a fish's mouth, they will eat it.

 

[goldface]

Goes both ways. You should know the look of the fish you're buying. A SAE and CAE look quite a bit different.

 

[jinjerJOSH22]

Catch him when he "sleeps" if you have a way of separating him over night, then take him back to the lfs.

 

[Dechi]

Goes both ways. You should know the look of the fish you're buying. A SAE and CAE look quite a bit different.

yes, it does. But they’re not so easy to see in a store, with poor lighting and fish all around.

I do acknowledge it’s my own fault for trusting them.

 

[kallililly1973]

When in doubt take a picture of the fish , find out what species it is and if your able to keep it in one of your tanks.

 

[Dechi]

When in doubt take a picture of the fish , find out what species it is and if your able to keep it in one of your tanks.

I never buy a fish if I’m not sure. In this particular case, I wasn’t in doubt because I had specifically asked if they were « real » SAE and was told they were. Twice. I should be able to trust my LFS.

Anyways, lesson learned.