Yellow sucker fish (CAE) chasing other fish

I have a new tank, one month old. I have a yellow algae eater that is chasing all the other fish (guppies,mollies,angel,tetras & gourami) and I notice that my male guppy's tail keeps getting shorter and shorter and it tries to latch onto my gourami's all the time. It's a very hyper sucker, like the Chinese algae eater, but all yellow, and I don't want to lose it because it cleans everything so well. Is there a way to stop this behavior or should I trade it for a less aggressive one?

 

I have a Chinese algae eater. Though the name is "Chinese" they're not really Chinese. They can be problematic algae eaters. They become aggressive when kept in tanks that are too small for them. If a tank is too small, they will bother other fish in search of food and often they will even suck up the slime off the fish's body. Therefore it must be provided with a lot of space to eliminate aggression, and you must feed it reasonably. Algae alone are not enough.

When I had my algae eater in a 10 gallon tank he was exactly as I just described. Now it is in a 30 gallon tank, and it never bothers my fish anymore. I consider it a very good algae eater if it has enough space. Otherwise it will be aggressive. It can also grow quite large, too large for a 10 gallon tank. It does a great job with algae in my 30 gallon tank. In fact I had algae grow in my 10 gallon tank and I put him in there for one night - guess what? All algae were gone overnight.

So, what size is your tank? If it's small, this algae eater isn't good for you. But if you would be willing to get at least a 30 gallon, speaking from my experience, he would be OK in it. If you can't get a bigger tank, a bristlenose algae eater is good for smaller tanks, or a group of small otos. So far, I only have experience with the Chinese loach, but Butterfly tells me otos and bristlenoses are great.

Is this the one you have? This is my golden loach, and it's about 4-5" long. They grow pretty slowly. Mine got to this size over a year, from about 1.5 - 2 inches to 4-5 inches.

 

I have a 5 gallon tank and my ottos are great and so cute. They cleaned up an algae problem I had in a VERY short time and have kept everything clean and proper since then. I lost two of them, but am replacing one in a day or two. They only grow to about one inch long and they are very peaceable. In fact they do not seem to even notice the other fish. I would herartily recommend them. They are darlings.

Rose

 

My tank is 37 gallons. It's the newer kind with the bio filter in the back on top. I have 2 gourami's, 4 neon's, 5 headlight fish (?), one upside down catfish, one silver catfish with black spots and long, long whiskers and 2 guppies. I also have 5 different plants and 2 yellow snails. The photo is exact;y what I have. I feed twice a day and it always eats the flakes plus I have one of the "3 day feeders" in all the time. I had algae bloom and kept light and food away and it cleared up in about a week. This loach just likes to bully the other fishes. He eats tails and makes spots on my gouramis. I am expecting baby guppies soon and I want the water in good condition, she's in a net. Are plecostomus' less aggressive? Does cloudy, white water mean the water is in poor condition. Should I do a 50% water change? Thanks for your help. Dawna

 

37 gallons seem enough for this algae eater. I don't know why it keeps bothering your fish. But just so you know, these loaches are known to do that. I suppose that's their nature. I must be lucky that mine doesn't do this. Or maybe it does at night when I can't see? But none of my fish have any missing tails or marks on their bodies.

How large is this your algae eater? If it isn't too large maybe you could exchange it for another algae eater at your fish store. Bristlenoses are good and don't grow as huge as many plecos do.

As for the cloudy water, how long have you had your tank set up? Water often gets cloudy when a tank is cycling. Once it's cycled, it's always good to do 25% water changes every week (some people do 25% water changes every two weeks or 10% water changes every week). But when there are signs of trouble, larger water changes are always a good first step., and 50% would be great (but always check the pH though and dechlorinate).

 

Thank you so much everybody! I learned a lot and even though my loach is between 1 1/2 and 2 inches long I am afraid I will have to trade him for some bristlenose and ghost shrimp. As far as water change goes, should I stir up the sand before I remove water so I get some of the stuff living at the bottom of the sand?

 

What is living in the sand? Do you have any malaysian trumpet snails (MTS) in your tank? A sand bottom in a freshwater tank should be stirred every once in awhile to keep from getting a buildup of nasties. The snails will do that for you.

 

I have never heard of a MTS. I do have 2 yellow snails but they don't go under the sand. I will ask at my fish store if they have any of these MTS's. How many should I have for 37 gallons? Can I still have ghost shrimp? If I can't find any MTS's can I just mix up the water once a week and replant all my plants? Will the dirty water be bad for the fish if I stir up the sand? Too many questions, sorry ;D

 

I have never heard of a MTS. I do have 2 yellow snails but they don't go under the sand. I will ask at my fish store if they have any of these MTS's. How many should I have for 37 gallons? Can I still have ghost shrimp? If I can't find any MTS's can I just mix up the water once a week and replant all my plants? Will the dirty water be bad for the fish if I stir up the sand? Too many questions, sorry ;D

Sometimes the fish store will have them in their tanks by accident. Many consider them pests, and will gladly give them to you. If you can't find any locally, many folks will send you some for simply the cost of shipping. If you want to just continue to stir up your sand, you don't have to disturb your plants. Just stir around them, or poke your sand with a knitting needle or handle end of a wooden spoon all over the tank.

 

If no one mentioned it, your fish is a golden form of the Chinese Algae Eater. CAE's have been reported to be aggressive towards other fish, and even latch on to them and suck off their slime, a behavior which worsens as they grow. If you want a peaceful and very efficient algae eater, I recommend the Otocinclus Catfish.

 

Is this the one you have? This is my golden loach, and it's about 4-5" long. They grow pretty slowly. Mine got to this size over a year, from about 1.5 - 2 inches to 4-5 inches.

That's actually very average growth for some species of fish. Especially when you take into consideration that yours doubled in size over a one year period.......In a controlled environment.

 

Well, now I know what this algae eater I have is...a Golden Chinese Algea Eater. He is my favorite fish since he is ever so entertaining, and full of personality. Mine grew like a weed....he was so timy when we bought his but now is about 3", and I've only had him for a couple of months. So far he is pretty calm, so long as the other fish stay away from his algae wafers...I just give the mollies a separate one in another part of the tank, since they seem to like them as well.

I have a 50G tank, so I guess his size won't be a problem, so long as he doesn't get too aggressive. He won't eat my guppies, will he?

Izabela

 

I just purchased one of these (the Golden Chinese Algae Eater) at a local pet shop. The reason I gave the guy who recommended it to me was that I didn't want something that would get large like my pleco did (he's 7" now) for my 10 gallon tank. The guy takes me right to these fish, tells me they stay small and take care of algae quickly and efficiently. Then I do a little research and learn of his larger size and tank requirements. Why do these pet store people lie? I just want something simple (and a little cute) that will take care of the algae in my planted 10 gallon tank. If I decide to take him back, what do you think I should get instead?