Please Help Me ID

[Ymookie22]

Is this an Oto?

Thanks!




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[emerald76]

No, it is definitely not. I'd say either CAE or SAE- they are nasty little buggers.


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[emerald76]

A true oto-



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[Ymookie22]

Emerald76, thanks for the quick reply. He is in the tank with my Angelfish, should I take him back to the lfs? The store I bought him from had him listed as an Algae Eater. I thought it would be nice to have him clean some of my decorations.


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[emerald76]

Don't buy fish just for cleaning, they often don't do their stated purpose. Buy because you like them. You definitely have a CAE. Check this out-
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+1162+1564&pcatid=1564


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[emerald76]

Oh also I wouldn't keep him with angels, I have a feeling they will fight back and forth until one dies or is seriously injured when the CAE gets bigger.


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[aqua_holic]

A true oto-

There are some 20 species of otos, FYI.

 

[Ymookie22]

@Emerald76, I only buy fish that I like. I had been reading about Otos and thought it would be nice to have a few with my Angels. Being an algae eater was a plus. Unfortunately,Otos and CAE look very similar and I found myself in the lfs without a photo and thought I picked up the right fish. Anyway, I returned him an hour ago. Thanks


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[emerald76]

There are some 20 species of otos, FYI.

Sorry I meant that it was a representation of an oto, not necessarily a "true" oto


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[emerald76]

@Emerald76, I only buy fish that I like. I had been reading about Otos and thought it would be nice to have a few with my Angels. Being an algae eater was a plus. Unfortunately,Otos and CAE look very similar and I found myself in the lfs without a photo and thought I picked up the right fish. Anyway, I returned him an hour ago. Thanks


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Not your fault at all! Sorry, you run into many people who want fish to be cleaners so they don't have to work. If you want otos, look for a flattish head and they like schools. mine always died, they are hard to get past the first few months.


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[Ymookie22]

@Emerald76, no problem. Between my 55 and my 29 it seems I am in a constant cycle of Water change, vacuuming and filter changes. Especially in the 29 gallon with he Angel ( what a Bio load!), A few weeks ago I fell behind by a day or 2 and soon regretted it. Since then I have not only stayed on top of my WCs, but I now keep a log of all of my maintenance and parameters for both tanks. I've decided on 3 peppered cory cats. Thanks for the advice.


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[severum mama]

That is most definitely a Chinese algae eater. They get big, territorial, and nasty. I'd suggest returning it if at all possible. Gyrinocheilus aymonieri – Sucking ‘Loach’ (Gyrinocheilus kaznakovi, Gyrinocheilus monchadskii) — Seriously Fish

 

[Ymookie22]

@severummama, I returned him a couple days ago. Thanks!


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[severum mama]

Haha, good move on your part. Your tank will be a lot more harmonious without that fish.

 

[trennamw]

I disagree with the recommendation to not buy fish just to clean.

I really wanted a community that self-supported, with complimentary species. I want to say ecosystem but someone will come remind me that's near to impossible or I'm using the word wrong ...

But anyway. Cleaners are important. I researched which cleaners clean what, and chose an assortment accordingly. I had thought Otos were boring, ghost shrimp ugly, and Malaysian trumpet snails a nuisance and a sign of a flawed tank. And I couldn't justify the cost of the small loaches I loved, and didn't love the small ones I could afford.

So I acquired 4 or 5 species, fully half my bioload, of fish I didn't love. I've come to appreciate all of those for what they do, and have come to enjoy watching them.

If I'd only bought what I loved, my tank would be a heck of a mess.


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[aqua_holic]

The fish tank is definitely an ecosystem, albeit a closed one. I agree that one should try to keep complimentary species. If you have algae, then why not get an algae eater if you have the room for it. The problem I often see is people getting an algae eater for algae that's not there yet. Otos are notorious for starving in tanks because they didn't wait long enough for the algae to grow, assuming it will grow. Not all tanks will have algae issues.

 

[ricco34]

When he gets bigger he'll suck the slim coat off the angels


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[trennamw]

The fish tank is definitely an ecosystem, albeit a closed one. I agree that one should try to keep complimentary species. If you have algae, then why not get an algae eater if you have the room for it. The problem I often see is people getting an algae eater for algae that's not there yet. Otos are notorious for starving in tanks because they didn't wait long enough for the algae to grow, assuming it will grow. Not all tanks will have algae issues.

My understanding is that Otos eat biofilm, in addition to algae. So they can live well in a tank without algae, but it has to be well established and not overly scrubbed.

I have fat Otos in a tank that's never had an algae issue ... They run around sucking invisible something off everything. I suspect that's the mysterious biofilm.


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