# They ate my algae eater!!



## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

My boyfriend bought a chinese algae eater and all the fish started beating it up. Then out of the blue one of the males started defending it! Well last night i saw the poor little guy at the bottom of the tank half eaten ... Does anyone know what kind of algae eater to get that they wont kill, and why they kill him??


----------



## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

Some type of pleco.


----------



## S&amp;T (Jul 27, 2009)

Chinese Algae eaters are not really algae eaters at all. Sure they eat a bit of algae in the beginning of their lives but as they grow up they give up on it. They are also very aggressive and territorial as they mature.


----------



## Kimmy (Sep 25, 2009)

I like the bristle nose pleco. I am new to this as well, but so far I have found that they keep my tank clean, stay small and don't produce that much waste. I haven't found any problems with my small Africans. I am not sure how they would be with full grown ones though...maybe someone else knows?? :?


----------



## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

My guess is your fish are well settled and will reject and kill any algae eater you introduce. BNs etc may well have worked if introduced when your fish were young. Maybe try an algae eating snail or just elbow grease to remove your algae.
If you give your tank size and current fish then we may be able to give a better explanation and advice. :thumb:


----------



## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

24Tropheus said:


> My guess is your fish are well settled and will reject and kill any algae eater you introduce. BNs etc may well have worked if introduced when your fish were young. Maybe try an algae eating snail or just elbow grease to remove your algae.
> If you give your tank size and current fish then we may be able to give a better explanation and advice. :thumb:


its a ten gallon tank and they are the african cichilids. i dont know why the male stopped defending him...

do you think when it comes time to change the water if i add an algae eater in the tank before i put the fish in they will be ok with it?


----------



## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

newbie_chichi said:


> one of the males started defending it!


This sounds alarming. You have _more_ than one African male in a 10 gallon tank? Could you tell us what kind of cichlids you have and how many of each species?

Unless you have Tanganyikan shell dwellers, you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands that will kill far more than your Chinese Algae Eater.

kevin


----------



## Aura (Oct 29, 2005)

newbie_chichi said:


> do you think when it comes time to change the water if i add an algae eater in the tank before i put the fish in they will be ok with it?


Are you removing your fish from the tank to do water changes? How much water are you changing each time?


----------



## ladybugzcrunch (Jul 26, 2009)

10 gallons is too small for most African cichlids so unless they are shellies, instead of adding an algae eater think about getting a way bigger tank!


----------



## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

> This sounds alarming. You have _more_ than one African male in a 10 gallon tank? Could you tell us what kind of cichlids you have and how many of each species?
> 
> Unless you have Tanganyikan shell dwellers, you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands that will kill far more than your Chinese Algae Eater.
> 
> kevin


yes we had 2 males in the tank, when we first bought the fish we thought we bought one male and as the other one grew it started getting the little spots on the bottom fin. we already took out the bigger male and put it in its own tank.

unfortunatly i dont know the exact species. i will try and look into it online and see if i can find out


----------



## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

ridley25 said:


> This sounds alarming. You have _more_ than one African male in a 10 gallon tank? Could you tell us what kind of cichlids you have and how many of each species?
> 
> Unless you have Tanganyikan shell dwellers, you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands that will kill far more than your Chinese Algae Eater.
> 
> kevin


ok i found it on this website

i have one cynotilapia hara
one metriaclima estherae
and the male is Pseudotropheus acei

(i got these names from http://www.africancichlids.net/gallery/ ... s-only.php )


----------



## newbie_chichi (Oct 1, 2009)

ridley25 said:


> This sounds alarming. You have _more_ than one African male in a 10 gallon tank? Could you tell us what kind of cichlids you have and how many of each species?
> 
> Unless you have Tanganyikan shell dwellers, you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands that will kill far more than your Chinese Algae Eater.
> 
> kevin


ok i found it on this website

i have one cynotilapia hara
one metriaclima estherae
and the male is Pseudotropheus acei

(i got these names from http://www.africancichlids.net/gallery/ ... s-only.php )


----------



## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

S&T said:


> Chinese Algae eaters are not really algae eaters at all. Sure they eat a bit of algae in the beginning of their lives but as they grow up they give up on it. They are also very aggressive and territorial as they mature.


Mine (I have at least one in each tank) have been taking care of the algae for over 3 years now. I have a small pair of bristlenose plecs, but they don't do anywhere near as good a job as the CAE.

They are much more aggressive than the regular plecos and I think it really helps them hold their own against the mbuna.


----------



## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

> ok i found it on this website
> 
> i have one cynotilapia hara
> one metriaclima estherae
> and the male is Pseudotropheus acei


Oh my!  You don't have an algae problem -- you have a stocking problem. None of these fish can live by themselves in a 10 gallon tank, never mind with others. All of these need to be rehomed or you need to get a bigger tank -- a much bigger tank 55 gallons+ .

If you want to keep your 10 gallon, you should look at South American dwarf cichlids as possibilities or the above mentioned shellies. Under no circumstances add any fish to this set-up. A bristlenose could be added when you upgrade to a larger tank . . .


----------

