Catching a chinese algae eater

[Rachel0001]

Does anyone have some advice on how I can catch the Chinese Algae Eater I bought from Petco yesterday? The one time I didn't research a fish before buying it there and I ended up with one of those. I should know by now. Every piece of advice I've ever gotten from Petco or Petsmart has been wrong...
So I get home, find out I have a fish who may end up annihilating my others, and now I can't catch the thing! I took 25% of the water out of my tank and removed all the plants and decor and chased him around until I felt so bad for the other fish I had to stop. He's lightening quick!

 

[bruinsbro1997]

How big is the tank?

To catch fish I remove everything and then catch away. It takes patience, so what I do is chase them into a corner and then-BAM!-I caught them.

 

[mr.waffles1842]

Id sooner suck the algae off the tank with my own mouth than get a CAE. the easiest thing to do IMO? hand-and-net attack.use your hand and herd him into the net, or vice versa. if that doesnt work, remove the other fish and lower the water as low as you can get, then strike!!!!

 

[Brandon K.A]

I keep chasing the fish with a net, then they tire out. Removing the decor also helps. Lowering water level helps too.

 

[Rachel0001]

It's a 29 gallon, full of live plants and and pretend coral. After reading about the CAEs, I'd rather eat away at my own algae too.
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to clear the place out and settle in for the long haul. Would you suggest waiting a day or two since the fish might be stressed after a PWC and the "great chase" from yesterday?


I still can't believe I fell for it. The reason I swore I'd never listen to the word of a chain store fish employee? I got a brand new tank and on the girl's advice got two gourami, one bala shark, three tiger barbs and five red wagtail platys. Of course my son immediately falls in love with the bala shark, now affectionately called "my Jacob" by him. Looks like I'll be trading my living room furniture for a large tank in the future. I know they mean well, I just assumed they had some specialized training.

 

[enid_b]

I feel for you, I got the same bad advice from a local LFS shop, they were actually labelled as 'great algea eaters' I was completely oblivious until I saw it clamped on the side of my swordtail. A quick google later and I discovered it's true character.

Needless to say it was a nightmare to catch and I was then taken straight back to the shop and they got a rocket

 

[enid_b]

And, from that point on I learned not to trust anyone's advice and did my own research before I bought a new species.

 

[Rachel0001]

I got him! Thanks MrWaffles, I herded him using two nets.

I am returning him now. And then doing some hardcore research to find a really good algae eater for my tanks! Thanks everyone!

 

[mr.waffles1842]

anytime! thats great! Some algae eaters that i know of that im partial too: Otocinculus cats are superb, SAE eat a wide variety but are often lazy, plus they damage plants, plecos are alright, but they destroy plants and some get huge! plus they arent as good as otos. Amano shrimp i here are amazing, plus they scavenge and have less bioload then otos, which, some people think, makes them better than otos. for me, that remains too be seen. anyway, thats me. you'll want to research alll you like and see.

 

[Sparky74]

I got him! Thanks MrWaffles, I herded him using two nets.

I am returning him now. And then doing some hardcore research to find a really good algae eater for my tanks! Thanks everyone!

Congrats! It took me a long time to catch mine in the planted 55. He was almost 7" and full of rage lol.

I've found SAE's to be the overall best. The do a great job cleaning all the plant leaves. They can also be kept in schools and are very social/active.