Re: Mysterious algae eaters
#4
Besmirching the good name of the SAE I see.
The
Siamese algae eater is this fish.
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/395.htmA nice fish, with a social personality, and its not harm to much, bit big, flighty and quick, but they dont molest others.
The one pictured above by the OP is a
chinese algae eater, this fish.
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/638.htm...and yes, its a royal pain in the backside in community, and possibly the most annoying fish sold by petshops as suitable for community aquaria. They chew goldfish, gouramis, angels , discus, they fight with sharks and loaches, they often terrorize small fish generally, and fight amongst themselves. A more available and more annoying fish there is not. Basically a choice for big tanks where the other fish are real buttkickers like big asian carp, cichlids, big dollars, kissing gourami etc. Hell in a moderate community tank.
Beyond being recommended to an uninitiate in a shop by some numpty sales assistant, I don't honestly know why anyone buys them,or ends up owning one, there are prettier fish with much better mood, and and much better algae consumers out there. The SAE in fact, is one of them. Amano shrimp, bristlenose plecs, ottocinclus, all far superior to this aggravating little beast. I suppose they are seen as do-abble with goldfish because they are temperature tolerant, but a slow witted goldfish with the usual motility issues and fat tempting backside is the last thing i'd put this sandpaper-mouthed little swine in with. Be like ringing the dinner bell for it.
I once saw one giving a green terror a hard time, and it kept biting, then darting back behind bogwood, you could see the very large GT going mental, if he could have caught it, he would have mashed it to a pulp. Seldom have I seen a cichlid so intent on wanting anything other than a rival male of the same species dead. Thats how annoying they are to other fish.