Identify this fish

I purchased this algae eater just two days ago. I went online to research what to supplement his diet with, since its taken him only that long to eat the little bit of algae in my tank. While researching I realized I may have made a dangerous mistake...

Is this fish a Chinese algae eater, or an otto cat (otocinclus catfish)? The article said they are commonly confused and that the chinese algae eater would be particularly detrimental to my tank. (I keep angels) If it is a chinese algae eater, and I think it is, then I'll be returning him tomorrow.

Lemme know what you think.

(He's about an inch long)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...aeeater001.jpg

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

I purchased this algae eater just two days ago. I went online to research what to supplement his diet with, since its taken him only that long to eat the little bit of algae in my tank. While researching I realized I may have made a dangerous mistake...

Is this fish a Chinese algae eater, or an otto cat (otocinclus catfish)? The article said they are commonly confused and that the chinese algae eater would be particularly detrimental to my tank. (I keep angels) If it is a chinese algae eater, and I think it is, then I'll be returning him tomorrow.

Lemme know what you think.

(He's about an inch long)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...aeeater001.jpg

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It has been a little while since i had a fish tank but that still looks like the chinese algae eater ;)

Yeah; ottos look different. I have noticed that these chinese algae eaters will suck on my goldfish if the tank light is out. I only have one now in the oscar tank and he is so paranoid that he hardly ever comes out.. but I am not 100% sure how they are with angels.

They're supposed to act the same towards angels- they suck on 'em. Right now it's tiny so it's not a problem, but when they start to mature they become territorial and suck the scales off of flat fish. So tomorrow he's going back. And I'm getting the RIGHT one this time. :rolleyes:

You should post some of your Angels too along with your new Al-eater!

Sounds cool! I know that angels are pretty delicate.. my friend keeps them, and they are a big investment. So you're doing the right thing in my book.

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

They're supposed to act the same towards angels- they suck on 'em. Right now it's tiny so it's not a problem, but when they start to mature they become territorial and suck the scales off of flat fish. So tomorrow he's going back. And I'm getting the RIGHT one this time. :rolleyes:

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If you want a fish to clean up the excess food then get a plecostumus or for the algae a couple gold snails.

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Originally Posted by Laooda

You should post some of your Angels too along with your new Al-eater!

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I agree WE WANT PICS :P

I used to have a pleco. They like to jump out of my tanks and in my book they're comparable to lizards. I can't deal with that, as ridiculous as that is to admit on a reptile forum. :oops: I also don't want snails because I've had bad experiences with them performing a coup d'etat of the tank. (Although I believe gold snails are reasonable creatures as compared to the black ones) Have you seen the blue snails? I'm in love with those. Maybe I'll look into that...

As for my angels, they used to be a breeding pair, but my male recently passed away of an unknown disease. I believe it was some form of bloat and I just couldn't cure him of it. I tried everything - I must have spent close to $100 on that one little fish. Now I just have the female. She's about 4 or 5, and I've been battling with the idea of a tank mate for her. She just hovers around the heater. Unfortunately, any time I try to introduce a new fish (they've mostly been bottom dwellers) she bullies them. So I don't know what to do. I've been told that single angels are fine, but she was with her mate for so long and her personality is just gone now... :(

Anyway, here is an old picture of her with her mate (the male is the black angel behind the marble)
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...s101707003.jpg

And here's an updated picture.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...h/Angel004.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...h/Angel001.jpg
She's about 2.5 inches tall. The tank is only a ten gallon. I've always wanted a 30gal bow front but never got it, and when the male died, I was like "Forget it. I don't want anymore fish. She can live out her life happily and then I'm done." The whole tank used to be live. Live plants, even live soil. I've got a great fluorescent light, I just don't ever turn it on anymore.


The whole thing is rather pitiful. -lol-

Nice angels :gj:

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Nice angels :gj:

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X2 ! :D They are defentlly gorgeous fishies!

That is def not an otto. The chinese algae eater will get pretty big..like 5" or so... I think you angel will be fine with it, angels are rather agressive to begin with (they are actually a cichlid). You can supplement them with the algae wafers...feed them at night when the lights go off, so they will have the wafers to work on and not the slime coat of your angels....

Ok, well I returned the chinese algae eater today. I discussed tank mates with several people and decided to give barbs a try. They're peaceable if left alone but not afraid to stand up for themselves, which is about perfect. I also got a blue apple snail, and turned the light on for the first time in ages. Some new gravel and a new plant spruced things up a bit. ;) The angel is moving around again, but not acting aggressive at all - exactly what I'd hoped for.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank004.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank008.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank012.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...lesnail002.jpg

I'm fascinated by the snail. My boyfriend can't understand why - he thinks it's the most boring thing he's ever seen. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

Ok, well I returned the chinese algae eater today. I discussed tank mates with several people and decided to give barbs a try. They're peaceable if left alone but not afraid to stand up for themselves, which is about perfect. I also got a blue apple snail, and turned the light on for the first time in ages. Some new gravel and a new plant spruced things up a bit. ;) The angel is moving around again, but not acting aggressive at all - exactly what I'd hoped for.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank004.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank008.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Newtank012.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...lesnail002.jpg

I'm fascinated by the snail. My boyfriend can't understand why - he thinks it's the most boring thing he's ever seen. :rolleyes:

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Aww cmon he is a little guy give him a chance :gj:.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

If you want a fish to clean up the excess food then get a plecostumus or for the algae a couple gold snails.

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the fish you are suggesting are the same ones that killed our goldfish. It would actually feed on them while they tried to get away.

To get less agression, you rearrange the tank, and by doing so, it sometimes can reset terroritories, which by buying new stuff you essentially did. Angels are unpredictable IMO (seen real agressive and/or territorial ones and real timid ones), as well as fish raised solo for a bit, so hopefully it with the rosy barbs will work allright. Also as far as introducing other fish for future reference you should do it after a feeding in the dark as so they slip in unnoticed and have a chance to slightly settle (as well as quarentine them beforehand for preventive maintence, as to not spread possible diseases they may have). As far if I were you I would upgrade to something higher when it gets larger like a 20 high or 29, as they really benefit from the added height, since they are more of that then length.
Sorry for the overkill, and although I don't raise angels, I keep quite a bit of fish myself (over 500 gallons and counting) so I figured I would try and help with some problems I see that might arise.
Good luck and if you ever have any other fish related questions, let me know.

Also as far as algae, they have a product called a mag-float (it's just a magnetic scrubber) that you can use to get rid of it instead.

Looks good :) I love plecos and have a few, but I never recommend them unless people have a large-enough tank for them, as they get huge. They can be a bit pushy too, especially if there is not alot of algae or algae wafers in the tank; one that I had used to go after my fancy goldfish. But really, plecos don't make good additions to GF tanks to begin with, as GFs are coldwater fish and plecos are tropical.
I agree with WB; the mag-float algae removers are great. Just don't use them on an acrylic tank; they can scratch! I have one and it is much easier for me to use it on a regular basis, than have to deal with adding algae eaters. But, with your snail, you'd want to leave some algae on the back and maybe the sides of the tank for it. I would make sure too that now, if yonr tank is new, the snake has some food; they will eat off of sinking algae wafers.

Thanks for all the comments and concerns. I don't have the accommodations to quarantine fish for long periods of time. I just buy only very healthy looking fish and hope for the best. I have never had a problem before. (I know some people might disagree with this, but it's how I've always done it).

I introduced the new fish after syphoning the gravel with the lights out, so everything was moved at the time and the angel was more concerned with the syphon. I guess that's essentially the same as introducing them after a feed so they can "sneak in undetected".

Ginevive - I agree with you about the plecos. That's another reason I don't like them: they get huge. I feel guilty keeping them in such a small tank. I also love how you said "snake" when you meant to say "snail". Shows what you usually deal with. -lol-

As for the apple snail, I've done a lot of research and think I'll be alright with him. I stumbled across this website if anyone is interested. LOTS of info. http://applesnail.net/

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Originally Posted by Blu Mongoose

the fish you are suggesting are the same ones that killed our goldfish. It would actually feed on them while they tried to get away.

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Hmm the only time i ever had goldfish were to feed my pirhana :P

In my past experiences, the Chinese Algae Eaters were rather agressive... I had to put him by himself cause he kept eating my Guppies.

I like the Plecos and the smaller Catfishie thingies whose name escapes me at this time... (White.. little chubby things...)

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Originally Posted by LadyOhh

In my past experiences, the Chinese Algae Eaters were rather agressive... I had to put him by himself cause he kept eating my Guppies.

I like the Plecos and the smaller Catfishie thingies whose name escapes me at this time... (White.. little chubby things...)

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Corydora cats? They are relatively harmless, cute little fish :)

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

Ginevive - I agree with you about the plecos. That's another reason I don't like them: they get huge. I feel guilty keeping them in such a small tank. I also love how you said "snake" when you meant to say "snail". Shows what you usually deal with. -lol-

As for the apple snail, I've done a lot of research and think I'll be alright with him. I stumbled across this website if anyone is interested. LOTS of info. http://applesnail.net/

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Haha! Oops. I like the apple snails as well; I never had the blue ones, but did have the golden-yellow colored ones.

The other drawback to the Plecos is that they produce a LOT of waste. Mine hides in a ceramic log most of the day and when I do my weekly water change, I have to make sure I lift that log and suck up all his mess. I love the Angels, they have become one of my favorite fish. I have two along with two gouramis in my 55 gallon and they all seem to get along fairly well.

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Originally Posted by BD1

The other drawback to the Plecos is that they produce a LOT of waste. Mine hides in a ceramic log most of the day and when I do my weekly water change, I have to make sure I lift that log and suck up all his mess. I love the Angels, they have become one of my favorite fish. I have two along with two gouramis in my 55 gallon and they all seem to get along fairly well.

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You are so right :) I always snicker when people see our plecos and think that they help clean up the tank. I think that they make it worse! But I love them anyway. Even though they produce footlong strands of thick gray poop.. minor detail :)

Thats why bristle plecos seem to be better to run, they seem to do a better job and stay MUCH smaller, and the assumption of most plecos cleaning algae isn't all true, many switch diets from algae to little/no algae when they get older (although you need suppliments at all stages, as algae alone isnt enough anyhow), and the fact that commons can hit over 20 inches make them very unpractical for smaller tanks. Also, they like to suck slimecoats off certain fish but thats another topic in itself.

i like my clown plecos they only get about 6 inches and work great in a small tank and i just move the one pleco from tank to tank whenever it needs the glass clean. i have been moving him around for 3 years now and have had no probloms. i will never go back to the common pleco they outgrow the tank fast even my 75 gal tank he was huge and needed to be feed all the time to leave my fish alone now he is in my friends 110 gal tank with 3 oscars no more picking on fish for him.