Aquariums: Are Chinese algea eaters really that bad ?
Is the slime coat eating is common as people say or can It be manageable with protein foods?
Posted by afreinoglum31
16 Comments
corydongus on
They get big and aggressive that’s the main problem.
Duality_P on
You can minimise the risk by keeping them well-fed and not keeping them with slow-moving fish.
But all those stories that you’ve heard are very much real occurrences.
njsullyalex on
They haven’t been that mean in my dad’s tank and mostly leave the couple of Corys in there alone, they mostly sit around. My dad keeps them well fed tho.
ExpressAffect3262 on
I had them for some time and I think they seem to be exaggerated too much. Puns aside, a bit like chinese whispers.
They are territorial but they don’t just swim around killing all your fish.
benbarian on
In the early days of my tank I bought one in total ignorance (like most things i did then). It lived in my mostly nano fish 30g tank for many years and jsut got bigger and bigger and meaner and meaner. He was known as Larry the Asshole and he lived up to his name daily, chasing other fish, and being very territorial. I’m pretty sure all my Cory’s died from stress because he would constantly chase them for minutes at a time. It wasn’t his fault, he was just being himself, but I regretted getting him for years until a friend took him for a much larger tank.
Ashamed-Virus3968 on
As long as the fish with them get just as big and can hold their own when it comes to aggression shouldnt be a problem I’ve got 2 cae with 3 green sunfish in a 450 gallon they’ll scrap but it’s usually over and settled quick. They’ll always be territorial fish though they need a lot of room.
AirGoat23 on
The slime coat eating part is real. Early in my fishkeeping adventure I had them regularly. But when I started having them with goldfish and other slow moving fish, as other call them, it started chasing them around. And I fed them regularly with those so called algae tabs.
greenbish420 on
I had one we tried to manage with high protein foods but eventually he started going for his tankmates taking off scales and leaving wounds in their sides, eventually had to re-home him after he killed one of my favourite fish.
Draconicplays on
They are bad, but not monsters haha. You can try to mitigate the harassing and slime coat eating by feeding them high protein foods when adults and having fast fish on the tank.
The main problem is that normally people get them as “algae control” and aren’t prepared for the fish to grow a lot and become a menace. Probably having a strong flow in the tank can help with aggression, too, but that’s just a guess.
They aren’t murderous, just hungry and territorial
dabbers26 on
It’s all fun and games til you see your cute little noodle sucking the face of one of his bodies or worse slurping up their lifeless body because you’re late to his realizing his vampiric transformation that has no warning.
Shiny_Greenfish on
Not for community tanks. Can have them in some setups, such as a large tank with cichlids. Even then, there are better more attractive choices.
Xdenzocraft on
Well i have one like this but he is pretty calm eats alot did not bother the other fish he only once attacked a small oscar i put in there to grow but he learned his place quickly lol whenever he get too big i have a 200 gallon where he will be welcome and if he attacks anyone i think they will take care of hime before he can eat any slimecoat
ARSONL on
Yeah. One killed my son.
Rosamg06 on
I have one, with 8 neon tetras and 25-30 guppies, and I’ve never had any problems! I’d say the important thing is that it has enough space to swim and hide. If it doesn’t get overwhelmed, they’re great.
CN8YLW on
If you feed them enough to make them less interested in eating slime coating off other fish you’re overfeeding your tank. And that has its own host of problems.
Objective-Tour-3881 on
Supper aggressive, they will eat all your small fish ,
16 Comments
They get big and aggressive that’s the main problem.
You can minimise the risk by keeping them well-fed and not keeping them with slow-moving fish.
But all those stories that you’ve heard are very much real occurrences.
They haven’t been that mean in my dad’s tank and mostly leave the couple of Corys in there alone, they mostly sit around. My dad keeps them well fed tho.
I had them for some time and I think they seem to be exaggerated too much. Puns aside, a bit like chinese whispers.
They are territorial but they don’t just swim around killing all your fish.
In the early days of my tank I bought one in total ignorance (like most things i did then). It lived in my mostly nano fish 30g tank for many years and jsut got bigger and bigger and meaner and meaner. He was known as Larry the Asshole and he lived up to his name daily, chasing other fish, and being very territorial. I’m pretty sure all my Cory’s died from stress because he would constantly chase them for minutes at a time. It wasn’t his fault, he was just being himself, but I regretted getting him for years until a friend took him for a much larger tank.
As long as the fish with them get just as big and can hold their own when it comes to aggression shouldnt be a problem I’ve got 2 cae with 3 green sunfish in a 450 gallon they’ll scrap but it’s usually over and settled quick. They’ll always be territorial fish though they need a lot of room.
The slime coat eating part is real. Early in my fishkeeping adventure I had them regularly. But when I started having them with goldfish and other slow moving fish, as other call them, it started chasing them around. And I fed them regularly with those so called algae tabs.
I had one we tried to manage with high protein foods but eventually he started going for his tankmates taking off scales and leaving wounds in their sides, eventually had to re-home him after he killed one of my favourite fish.
They are bad, but not monsters haha. You can try to mitigate the harassing and slime coat eating by feeding them high protein foods when adults and having fast fish on the tank.
The main problem is that normally people get them as “algae control” and aren’t prepared for the fish to grow a lot and become a menace. Probably having a strong flow in the tank can help with aggression, too, but that’s just a guess.
They aren’t murderous, just hungry and territorial
It’s all fun and games til you see your cute little noodle sucking the face of one of his bodies or worse slurping up their lifeless body because you’re late to his realizing his vampiric transformation that has no warning.
Not for community tanks. Can have them in some setups, such as a large tank with cichlids. Even then, there are better more attractive choices.
Well i have one like this but he is pretty calm eats alot did not bother the other fish he only once attacked a small oscar i put in there to grow but he learned his place quickly lol whenever he get too big i have a 200 gallon where he will be welcome and if he attacks anyone i think they will take care of hime before he can eat any slimecoat
Yeah. One killed my son.
I have one, with 8 neon tetras and 25-30 guppies, and I’ve never had any problems! I’d say the important thing is that it has enough space to swim and hide. If it doesn’t get overwhelmed, they’re great.
If you feed them enough to make them less interested in eating slime coating off other fish you’re overfeeding your tank. And that has its own host of problems.
Supper aggressive, they will eat all your small fish ,