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I have a chinese algae eater...I bought it not knowing how big or aggressive it gets and couldn't take it back. He is about 3" long now. Today I came home and looked at my fish and noticed one of my zebra danios had some scales missing. Could this be from the algae eater? I've heard that they suck on fish sometimes but I've never seen him do it. Will this hurt my danio?..I've had her for almost a year and I'm kinda attached.

*Kristin*

i stay away from CAE b/c they do get quite large, and have been known to be aggressive. usually not when small, but when they get larger. i have heard they latch on to other fishes, and leave open wounds.

Thanks. When I saw my danio I immediately thought the wound was from the CAE. If I had read about them before...I wouldn't have bought it. It was labelled Algae Eater where I got it. It was doing a good job eating algae but now my tank is overrun with green algae. The only person I could give it to is my boyfriend who has a 5" mystery catfish (he caught it in his creek) and it will probably eat the CAE. I don't want it to keep hurting my fish. Thanks for your reply!

*Kristin*

really a lfs should take a fish back, if you don't have a warenty, they should still take itin, if at a different fish store. that's why it is a good idea to be friends to one lfs, you help them, they help you. good luck in your decision, but you can also try selling it on aquabid, but that may not be so good. look for adoption boards at lfs. good luck

The CAE might have attacked your Danio for the slime. When they get bigger, they get more aggressive & i would take him back to the LFS.


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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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Ah, the dreaded Chinese Algae Eater, which is only an 'algae eater' in its juvenile stages. A staple of many fish dealers, but for the wrong reasons.

The problems with CAEs are twofold: [1] size (they can exceed 10 inches in length, and in a large aquarium will do), and [2] change of dietary habits as they mature (they start becoming more carnivorous with age). They make surprisingly efficient predators as adults, which is why large ones tend to be kept with tough fishes that can look after themselves such as medium-large Cichlids (Dempseys, Convicts and the like) or fast-moving larger Barbs that don't stay still long enough for the CAE to stand a chance of grabbing them. Which of course means a large aquarium.

Personally, I much prefer Otocinclus as algae eating fishes - one, they remain diligent algae eaters for life, and two, they stay small (2 inches maximum, and quite a few species only reach 1½ inches). Other smaller Loricariids that are suitable for, say, a 29 would be the Hypotopoma species and the vastly underrated Parotocinclus maculicauda, which is beautifully marked as well as being a decent algae eater.

Next step up from those is the infamous collection of Bristlenoses that are so unfeasibly popular among many Board members here. Admittedly, they are superb algae eaters, but their size (4 inches) makes them a bad choice for a small aquarium (around 35 gallons would be best if you want one or two of them to reach full adult size). After that, you're into the infamous Plecs, some of which are juggernauts and very definitely to be avoided unless you have [1] house space for a big aquarium, [2] a big aquarium filling said house space, and [3] a decent disposable income to keep said big aquarium running. Please, take my advice and DO NOT buy "Common Plecs", because they are capable of becoming huge (over 12 inches with ease), while some of the biggest Plecs (the dreaded Adonis Plecs being the juggernauts) can reach three feet. Not a proposition for the novice or the aquarist stuck for space by any stretch of the imagination!

There are other algae eaters (e.g., true Siamese Algae Eaters or SAEs) that are superb for specific tasks (e.g., nuking thread algae) but these tend to be fairly robust fishes as well (5 inches or more), and so again are a less than delightful choice for long-term occupancy of a modest sized aquarium.

Hope this helps ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

CAE do quite a good job when young but neglect their "duties when they groe" mine is about 13cm (excluding tail)...i believe it grew to such a size as it used to eat som of the beef heart i gave the juvenile angels it was with.......it latched on to a fish only twice....ironically today both these fish r showstopper males (half black of which i have a breeding line and gold)

ps i am also a member of the malta aquarist society

Thanks for the replies. I didn't want to think it was the algae eater because I've never had problems out of it before...but I believe it was him. Today I came home and my poor danio was dead. It was swimming fine this morning. I only have a 10g..really too small for danios I know, but I bought them when I cycled the tank almost a year ago. I didn't think the CAE could catch the danios but I guess he did. The only stores around me are like Petsmart and Pet Supplies Plus...no real fish stores close by. I think I will just give the CAE to my boyfriend and see what happens. He might just be big enough not to be eaten by the catfish. I don't see Ottos that often or I would try those. I know they are very sensitive to water changes so I am hesitant to get any. I've never seen a Bristlenose (too big for my aquarium I know) but I wish there was a store that had them so when I upgrade, I could get one. Thanks everyone for the information and help. I know now not to buy a fish labelled algae eater unless I know exactly what it is.

*Kristin*

sometimes flying foxes might be labled under algae eaters. mollies, and guppies have been known to eat alage, and well guppies stay kinda small.

PLEASE get rid of the CAE!!!! they are a disgusting fish! they killed my gf's younger bro's fish by sucking on it all the time and eventually sucking it's eyes out!! they are soooo active that they disturb all the other fish whislt sleeping! thy also take advantage of sleeping fishy's!!! , u want a great cleaner! get a bn pleco

I want to get rid of it...but the only place for it is my b/f's tank with his 4-5" catfish who eats anything you put in there. I would love a bn but I can't find one anywhere. Also my tank may be a bit small (only 10g) for a bn. My danio only had a small place on it. Then it died. So it didn't suck on it all the time. It was just enough to kill it.

*Kristin*

I bought three CAE on special at the LFS and put them in with my southies on advice that it was OK to do so. The next morning they were all gone. I suspect Furious D ate the lot.

When I went back to that LFS, they did give me a credit and i bout two common plecos which are doing fine.

IMO CAE are not "disgusting fish" they just do what they do. you can't blame them, it's not the CAE's fault, it's very easy to blame the CAE.You should have done research before getting a CAE, many people don't and End up Killing them for no good reason. Sure they're pests and suck on other fishes slime coating, but you can't blame them for doing that, they just do what they do.