Aggressive algae eater stressing my platy

[PlatyLady]

I bought an algae eater several months ago, and thought it was an Otto. After reading about them and I think it's actually not an Otto. It's grown to at least 3 1/2 inches, is not very effective at eating algae (don't have much, but I have to clean it myself). That would all be okay, except that lately I see him chasing around my platies, which must be stressing them out, right? He is the most 'nervous' fish I've ever met, and was a giant pain to try and catch the one time I took him out.

I'm thinking of permanently separating them, unless anyone has ideas to 'mellow' him out, or if by some chance someone can tell me I'm wrong and that this doesn't actually bother platies.

 

[grimlock3000]

Sounds like a Flying Fox which is sometimes called a Siamese Algae Eater. They can look similar to an Oto when they are small. Unfortunately, a lot of people end up with these algae eaters and have trouble with aggression. I am not sure how the agressive breeds got started, but they are definitely different types of SAEs. The true SAEs are usually very docile and never cause an issue.

You could try adding more hiding spots and cover to the tank to give the Platies some breathing room. If they are getting chased all the time by a much larger fish, your Platies can get so stressed that they get sick, and then you will have a much bigger problem on your hands. Seperating the fish might be the best idea in the long run, since the fish usually get more aggressive as they get larger.

 

[William]

I've heard of algae eaters, Like pl*co's, that attack and kill fish twice their size!

strange, but true.

 

[Allivymar]

Platy:

Check out this webpage; its got pics of all those lil algae eaters so we can figure out what you have in there: http://www.azgardens.com/algae_eating_fish.php

 

[PlatyLady]

Thanks. I think I have a Flying Fox, except his dorsal fin isn't yellow - it's always looked clear to me. I took him out this evening and it wasn't easy - he's a quick one! I'm not sure how happy he is in my quarantine tank though but I think it's better for the rest of the fish, I hate to see them stressed out. Maybe I'll see if any of my friends need an algae eater!

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

It sounds more like a Chinese algae eater to me- and those can get fairly large and rather aggressive. The ironic thing about them is that they'll stop eating algae after a certain point- so you end up with a large, aggressive algae eater that DOESN'T eat algae.