Is this algae eater suitable for a 10g?

cbatusf · Sep 19, 2007

I have a ten gallon freshwater aquarium with 3 zebra danios. I went to Petco looking for an algae eater (my first mistake) to help my growing algae problem, and the aquarium guy recommended two kinds of algae eaters. I honestly can't remember the names of them, but the info cards on them said that the minimum tank size for them is 5 gallon. I picked the pretty gold-colored algae eater, came home, and did some research. I think that I have a Chinese Algae Eater which I read can get up to a foot in length and is aggressive. I'm not great when it comes to identifying fish, so I just wanted to run it by you guys to see that this fish is a Chinese Algae Eater.

The other algae eater looked similar to the Chinese Algae Eater, and I think it was an Otocinclus catfish. Would that be ok to put in my ten gallon with 3 Danios? They aren't aggressive, are they? If the fish in my aquarium is, in fact, a Chinese Algae Eater, it'll be returned to "good-ol" Petco. :wall:

Thanks for you help!
~Courtney

penpitt · Sep 19, 2007

That is a chinese algae eater and I think 1 or 2 otos would be fine but you would probably need to supplement their diet with algae tabs

ThePBM · Sep 19, 2007

i think you'll be better off with otos or corys unless you get a bigger tank. i myself have a golden algae eater and it's beautiful, but it's in a 20g. lotta personality, quite amusing to watch.

Star_Rider · Sep 19, 2007

no chinese algae eater..especially in a 10.

they get big and aggressive.
oto's are fine but..they can be sensitive and difficlut to acclimate. they can also be hard to keep in a 10 as the tank does need to be established with a good growth of algae..which they will consume very quickly.

if you go with oto's you will need to try and train them to consume algae tabs or other vegetation.

williedee · Sep 19, 2007

i have an oto in a ten gallon tank, and it sure does a nice job of eating all of the brown algae growing. Thats what i would do

elementkid65 · Sep 19, 2007

that is not an chinese algae eater i have had one and it looked completely different unless its a different colour morph of the species
then go with a oto or maybe a bristlenose

fishlover88 · Sep 20, 2007

that is definately a chinese algae eater, they are selling different colored ones now, to try and sell them better, ive seen the gold, regular, and even a mottled type coloration.

syddakyd · Sep 20, 2007

everyone always talks bad about these fish. they can and probably will eventually learn to attack slow or wide bodied fish. i seen them suck on my bichir lol, so i had to get rid of them.

anyways, i think they are good in tanks with fast aggressive fish like barbs or even african cichlids which i have experience housing them with both

GirlieGirl8521 · Sep 20, 2007

Agreed ^^. They are best kept with more aggressive fish that can hold their own.

I'd return the Chinese Algae Eater and get a couple Otos.

They are totally peaceful and would fit in nicely in a 10g. I'd get 2-3 and be sure to feed them algae wafers every night or every other night.

platytetrafan · Oct 14, 2007

Yes that is a chinese algae eater and I think I might have them in my tank as well. They are gold with a tan stripe down its side. So far I have not seen aggression but I keep close watch on the them. They do chase each other and seem in fact to get along with my other fish but I continue to keep alert to their behavior. I did not have luck with otos they died.


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Is this algae eater suitable for a 10g?

cbatusf

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penpitt

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ThePBM

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Star_Rider

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williedee

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elementkid65

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syddakyd

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