what on earth did i just buy?

[lauritastlouis]

I just purchased a fish listed as a gold go by from my lfs. It has a face kinda like an albino Cory (with whiskers and all) and is about 4" long. Long eel-like body. His head and back are a pale yellow and the rest is white. Freshwater. The guy at the lfs said they Max out at 4" - 5". I looked it up when I got home to learn more about this guy (lifespan, confirm the Max size etc) and I couldnt find any info. I also can't find an image of any freshwater go by that even comes close. There were several fish that looked identical to him at the store so I can't imagine he's an unusual example but I'm clueless. I will try to take a pic of him tomorrow but the fishies have their nightlights on and I don't want to mess them up...

 

[Wolfsblood]

Golden dojo loach perhaps?

 

[alLexX]

i think wolfs right. and the max is something around 12"

 

[Hholly]

Is this it?
http://www.aquariumdomain.com/viewSpeciesFreshwater.php?id=128

 

[lauritastlouis]

Is this it?
Golden Chinese Algae Eater, (Gyrinocheilos aymonieri) Species Profile, Golden Chinese Algae Eater, (Gyrinocheilos aymonieri) Care Instructions, Golden Chinese Algae Eater, (Gyrinocheilos aymonieri) Feeding and more.  ::  Aquarium Domain.com

That's him and hmmmm... the guy said he woouldnt get much bigger than his 4". It looks like I'll be having to find a home for him because I'm about a year away from getting a bigger tank (unless these lil guys grow very slowly....)

 

[Hholly]

Uh oh. I also read that as they grow they switch from eating algae to sucking on other fish. Maybe they'll let you exchange it for a different fish.

 

[vanimal]

The description sounds more like a Dojo Loach than an Algae Eater.

 

[Kimlafeiet]

Looks like you have a golden dojo loach. They are a lot of fun. I have 2 of them, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. They are great community fish, mine co-habitate with a pleco, gourami, mollies, platys, and guppies. They do prefer to be kept in groups, they are more shy when just a single guy in a tank.
What size is your tank? They are fairly slow growers, you probably have a good while to rehome him.
I wouldn't worry about them eating your other fish, but if you have snails, he will eat them.....and sometimes little inverts, like ghost shrimp. Be sure to feed a variety of foods, they are bottom feeders (scavengers), not primarily algae eaters. They are omnivores, and need more than just flakes/veggies. I feed a mix up between flakes, shrimp pellets, frozen bloodworms and algae wafers.
Also, these guys are scaleless fish, so they need a smoother substrate, or sand to dig in. They are also more susceptibale to disease, and cannot tolerate aquarium salt.
They are so fun though! Personality plus!

 

[shellieca]

That's him and hmmmm... the guy said he woouldnt get much bigger than his 4". It looks like I'll be having to find a home for him because I'm about a year away from getting a bigger tank (unless these lil guys grow very slowly....)

If it is a Golden CAE, usually in a tank setting they get about 6" but they do have a bad rep. I have 2 in my 46g & I actually really enjoy them. They mostly hide but have certain times of the day they come out to play. I've had mine about a year, they were really small when originally purchased with misinformation from the LPS employee. They LOVE their veggies & so far I've had no problems or aggression issues.