is this true?

[kaz]

Don't buy dwarf suckermouth catfish (otocinclus affinis), sometimes sold as "algae eaters". These are small

bottom feeders about one to one and a half inches long. Greenish-grey to muddy yellow with a light underbelly, many have a brownish stripe along the side. They are mottled and can have a spotted or striped pattern along the back. When young they consume a lot of algae and any dead fish, but as they mature they attack other fish, even including very large fish. They will kill baby guppies, and injure adults. They can also become cannibalistic. Many pet shops don't bother to inform their customers of this aggressive behavior, so beware.

 

[Zagz]

I believe that what that is referring to is the chinese algae eater,it doesn't stay small by any means but does tend to turn on the slime coats of fish as it gets older. Otos on the other hand do stay small but do not harm fish at all.

 

[lyquidphyre]

My common pleco at one point turned on my goldfish which ultimatly lead to the goldies death. I think they are still great fish, you just have to be careful- but thats true for everything =o)

 

[hsherman1986]

I would agree with Zags. That sounds like CAE (chinese algea eaters). They are really mean, I had two that got real big, and chased EVERYONE around once they got big. I much prefer my rubberlip pleco. So far, he is a good boy

 

[Jman17H]

I also highly doubt you are talking about oto catfish. They are small and barely do anything but hang on plants and eat algae. They are actually many peoples prefered algae eaters for small tanks.

Chinese algae eaters on the other hand barely eat a shred of algae. They grow fairly large and are known to start sucking the slime coats off other fish. Nothing but a nuisance. I just caught my worthless one last night. Totally a worthless aquarium fish that is far from an algae eater and impossible to catch.

 

[NeonJulie]

My (not knowledgeable!) local fish store gave me that story too - said they would suck the slime off my fish. Very nasty sounding, almost disliked even talking about the evil oto!

I checked forums, no one else agreed, through personal experience. They must have the wrong fish. Either that, or this must be people who don't supplement their diet, so they might do it if they're literally starving...

I've had otos just under a week now. They do swim close to eachother, close enough to kiss eachother, but no one suffers under them. They shoo the neons from their spot, but what fish doesn't? None of it's harmful. They ARE really cute. I never thought I'd get them. They acclimated the fastest, and have been real fun. (But I also have a bit extra to do, to make sure they have spinach leaves, algae wafers, and zucchini to work on. It's great when you see them sucking on the food you've cooked them. )

 

[Devilishturtles]

CAE's will do that, but I agree with everyone else, not otocinculus catfish.

 

[flyjawn]

that would be such a sad story if it were true (which i doubt). my oto's are adorable little guys and they get along wonderfully with everyone else in my tank.

 

[kaz]

i didnt say anything i am posting a quote, and as u see they specificly said otos on first sentance but then they start talking about sae maybe there the ones confused? just checking though cause i own like eight of them lol.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Where did you get the quote from?

 

[theotheragentm]

I've never seen my Chinese Algae Eater try to suck the slime coat off any one of the other fish, but I have seen him chase away another algae eater I had at one time. They can be quite territorial.

They definitely do get big though. Mine has added an inch and quite a bit of girth in two months.

 

[kaz]

I was searching how to sex my now 7 week old guppies and I found this unter one article not to keep with guppies.

 

[hc8719]

sucker like fish in general may latch onto a fish, and start eating slime, not knowing that they are hurting the fish, though the suckers have to be pretty hungry to begin with. i've heard horror stories of little sucks clinging onto goldfish, discus, and fw rays, but sucker fish aren't a problem if fed right.

otos are almost entirely algae eaters (i believe) so i dont even think they'd see a larger fish as a buffet they way a hungry pleco or cae might

 

[Toirtis]

Where did you get the quote from?

I would love to know as well....killer otos!

 

[Billsgate]

Lol, oto's bothering fish is not true. CAE on the other hand should really be sold with a warning. Mine has too little space to grow (The guy at the lfs told me my tank size was fine, I was a noob back then), and is quite agressive from time to time, chasing my cichlids around the tank, stressing them out. And they really are a PITA to catch!!! I've tried tearing down my tank 2 times, and it hasn't helped me one bit, I caught all the fish I needed, apart from the CAE.

 

[Jman17H]

I think me CAE knew what a net was meant for and that it was only in the tank to catch him!

He was caught the other day when the tank was being torn down and to my suprise is now in an icy grave awaiting his trip down a Lima Shovelnose, 14" Oscar or turtle?

 

[Zagz]

My CAE doesn't suck the slime coat off the other fish either but he did try it. He is in with a bunch of african cichlids and they weren't interested in putting up with it. So even though he is almost 8" now he doesn't bother the other fish.

I have several otos and they only latch onto a fish that has already died.

 

[kaz]

i dont remember what search engine if it was ms, yahoo or googles, I was searching on all of them to find out more about sexing my fry and now six + week old guppys and under one of these guppy articles it stated what type of fish to keep guppys with in a tank (tankmates) the original post is what not to keep with them. I found this totally wrong and just wanted to share it with you guys have youre opinion. I tried looking for the same article but not finding it as quick, I spent four to five hours researching the other day.

 

[confusion]

Also, you have to remember the situation at a lot of LFS'. I have been in a lot of LFS and seen otos, flying foxes, SAEs and CAEs eating dead fish. Now and then, you see them latching on to ALREADY sick fish and munching away. But, at the same time, these tanks are kept pristine. The water is treated to prevent algae, the tanks are vacuumed daily, they often have no substrate, and so these guys have nothing to eat.

I was at a Petsmart a few months ago and they had a tank of plecos. Mostly common, some sailfin and a few golden nugget, which they sell for $40 each. Many of them were dead, and the others were emaciated. There wasn't a thing for them to eat. I pointed it out to an employee who expressed frustration that everytime they get a shipment of plecs in, they die within a week. They have some slop mixture of food that they feed that doesn't appear to get to the bottom to feed these guys.

Anyhow, it's not hard to see how they would get a bad rap from LFS employees. They're often eating dead fish or latched on to dying fish.