# Are Chinese Alage eaters bad in a cichlid tank?



## BenjaminK (Jan 11, 2009)

The other day I was at my LFS, because I was looking for a good clean-up/algae eating fish. I was think of something like a BN pleco. The guy at the store said how great CAE's were, and said 3 was a good number to get. So...I got three of them. Now, I'm doing some reading, and I'm reading all of this stuff about how agressive they can get, and how much damage they can do to fish.

Should I keep them and see what happens, or should I return them?


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

I'd return them. When they are young they are great algae eaters but as they get older, they stop eating algae. They also grow large and are known to try and suck on slower moving fish. Get that BN pleco. It will be your best bet in the long term.


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## BenjaminK (Jan 11, 2009)

lotsofish said:


> I'd return them. When they are young they are great algae eaters but as they get older, they stop eating algae. They also grow large and are known to try and suck on slower moving fish. Get that BN pleco. It will be your best bet in the long term.


Yeah, after all of this stuff I'm reading I was pretty much set on returning them. Why would stores even sell these parasites?

EDIT: They're okay for now, right? It won't hurt to have them in there for a couple more days? They're still pretty small.


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

Actually, I've heard of folks buying them and disposing of them when they get larger. They will clean your tank up in short oder and while small do not pose much threat.

I made the mistake of putting one in a planted tank. It cleaned up the algae very quickly but when I went to remove it, I found out just how fast they swim. I pretty much tore up the tank before I finally netted it. Fortunately, I found it a home where it is the only fish in the tank.

As for fish stores stocking them, I just don't understand it either. I also see fish like the pacu and the common pleco that quickly become tankbusters. I've heard they don't stock bristlenose because they are slower growers and cost more to raise.


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## BenjaminK (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm already planning to take everthing out of my tank to catch them...ugh...


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

It took me a while to figure out how to catch some of the quicker fish. I happened to have a piece of black acrylic that I cut to the size of the across section of the tank. Then I would lower the level of the tank (usually a planned water change) and section off a portion of the tank with the acrylic to confine the fish to a small area. Much easier to net when they don't have the whole tank to escape and not enough water to jump over the net.

I suggest visiting the hardware store for a piece of black acrylic because it will come in handy any time you want to net a fish.


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## football mom (Feb 19, 2006)

I also have learned the hard way it's easier to catch a fish if you section off your tank. If you have the "pineapple shaped breeding cones, and your target fish goes in to hide, you can just lift him out. That's been working for me catching holding females.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Not really sure I see how they could be considered "bad" for a CA tank. There only downfall is that they do not pocess suffecient girth to prevent being eaten by most larger CA, at least eventually. I've had quite a few in the past that ended up being eaten by JD and also once, by RD.

They are better algae eaters when they are young ----- no different then any plec. But algae is not harmfull to a tank ---- in fact most kinds are very beneficial, in many ways. A CAE will at least control the growth of algae by harvesting some of it. The main purpose of a bottom feeder is to eat uneaten crumbs of food ----- which are very harmfull to the health of an aquarium. And cichlids are messy eaters ----- there is often a need and benefit for a bottom feeder.

CAE are aggressive. So are CA cichlids. Very, very seldom are they boss over cichlids or push them around or suck on them. Plecs are much more likely to do that IMO and IME.

I've owned a few BN plecs. They are no better of a bottom feeder then a CAE. In fact a CAE is more active and more effective bottom feeder in my opion.

I own 2 young CAE at the moment. They are growing very fast and are very active and effective bottom feeders. The one is in my 100 gal with young BB's, 1 young sal, 1 young bala shark and 1 young dovii X RT hybrid. It minds it's own business because it really can't push anybody around. My other is a little larger and in the 75 gal with a young male sal, young male auratus, 3 young kenyi, 1 plec and one young female blue gourami (3 spot). The 3 spot and the CAE had a scrap today --- can't say who is boss between the 2 as both ran off ---- they usually do not interact as they occcupy different areas of the tank. A CAE a problem in most cichlid tanks IMO is :lol: Mine can't even push around a 3 spot gourami, though the gourami has a weight advantage.

Not much unagressive or delicate will last with CA . But a CAE, on the other hand, often will last if it's kept with CA that are not too large to swallow it. And they are great bottom feeders.


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

I've got CAEs in my community and African tanks. I think they have attacked/sucked on one of the adult Labs, but he's recovered/ing.


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Oy!

We've got a 29g "penal colony" in the bedroom for the fish that don't play well with others. That tank homes our shoal of Tiger Barbs and our CAE. My wife had several CAE's before I met her. The one remaining, killed all of the others a couple years ago, and now is just huge. He still "cleans" well. He wound up in the 29g after I caught him ambushing one of my favorite severums.

CAE's do fine with small quick fish. They're just not good with larger fish that have more inertia.

-Ryan


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## phishes (May 17, 2005)

Riceburner said:


> I've got CAEs in my community and African tanks. I think they have attacked/sucked on one of the adult Labs, but he's recovered/ing.


I had one that did that to a firemouth. I fed it to my oscar after that. They get nasty when they get bigger. I'd onlt keep them w/ very aggressive large cichlids.


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## BenjaminK (Jan 11, 2009)

Right now they are in a tank with two jack dempseys, a gold severum, a convict, and a firemouth. So far, I've seen all of my fish chase the CAE's, except the convict (I wouldn't be suprised if she has already, I just never saw it). It seems like my gold severum and firemouth team up to pick on fish...

I called my LFS, and the owner of the store (who seems like he knows his stuff) said how he has many customers who buy these to put in their cichlid tanks, and he doesn't get anyone coming back returning them or anything. So, maybe I'll give it a chance. He said that they grab onto slow moving fish, or fish that just sit around. All of my fish are very active, and they chase after the CAE's a lot of the time if they're too close.

One other thing I just noticed was one CAE chasing one of the other CAE's. So, I don't know what's up with that. I'm not sure if it's a territory thing or if they were just playing. They're all about 3 inches right now.

They've also really cleaned up the tank. There is almost no algae at all on the glass, and rocks that had a lot of algae barely have any algae at all anymore.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

BenjaminK said:


> Right now they are in a tank with two jack dempseys, a gold severum, a convict, and a firemouth. So far, I've seen all of my fish chase the CAE's, except the convict (I wouldn't be suprised if she has already, I just never saw it). It seems like my gold severum and firemouth team up to pick on fish...
> 
> I called my LFS, and the owner of the store (who seems like he knows his stuff) said how he has many customers who buy these to put in their cichlid tanks, and he doesn't get anyone coming back returning them or anything. So, maybe I'll give it a chance. He said that they grab onto slow moving fish, or fish that just sit around. All of my fish are very active, and they chase after the CAE's a lot of the time if they're too close.
> 
> ...


Good decision for now. No reason to over react, over nothing. If by chance, Your CAE becomes a problem in the future ( unlikely IMO), then remove it. Simple as that. ANY CA fish could end up being a problem fish towards another CA ----- actually quite likely, though nobody labeles CA tankmates as "bad" for a CA tank.

IF all your CA/SA can stand up to it now, likely they always will be able to. All your CA/SA grow faster then a CAE and get MUCH heavier.

Now stocking more then one CAE in a tank might end up becoming a paroblem. Like CA, they are competitive with their own kind. Quite possible one of your CAE will end up severely harrassing or even killing the other 2. You may want to consider removing 2 of them, at least eventually, though it may work well for a long time. the other risk is the JD eventually swallowing your CAE. Even when CAE get 6"+ they are still small fish. Small girth and JD have big mouths. When my JD and RD swallowed my CAE in the past, they had tail and back part of the fish sticking out of their mouths for 2 days :lol: Of course just because a fish can swallow another doesn't mean they will do it ----- but with CA I wouldn't bet against it.


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## yeroc1982 (Feb 3, 2009)

I have mine with green terrors and yellow labs and they are fine


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

CAE's eat Algae up to a certain age but then eventually take a liking to the natural slime coat of other fish. That is the danger in keeping them. It almost always happens.

SAE (Siamese Algae Eaters) are safer bets. But do your research as they are often mislabeled in LFS's and are actually Flying Fox fish. True SAE's are amazing algae eaters and do not go after other fish's slime coats. They are popular fish amongst planted tank keepers.

Personally I would never keep a CAE in any of my tanks


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## Catfish_Fan (Feb 27, 2009)

I had one that was about 1 1/2" several years ago when I first started keeping cichlids...my 2 1/2" jack dempsey decided he looked tasty and ate him.


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## homerl (Jan 6, 2009)

I have a 6" with my piranhas for over 6mths,no problems[very aggressive],and a 4" one with my flowerhorn and red devil,both tanks with exodons,but they can really take care of themselves


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## fongyfong (Aug 5, 2007)

The best way to catch fish is to turn off the fish tank light, i find they cant see the fish net when its dark or cant tell its a fish net and it just swims into it and i catch it in like one second and scoop it up real quick


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