Got an Algae Eater yesterday, and he's not looking to good! I think

[Glofish101]

So, yesterday I got a new Algae Eater, and he's not looking to good. Well, at least i think. Are Algae Eaters supposed to breathe at a fast pace? Because right now he looks out of breath. There is no algae in the tank because i cleaned it out yesterday before i got my new fish. And he is not eating the flakes. Should I give him algae wafers? What should I do, and should I be concerned about his breathing? Also, I have never had an Algae Eater before.

 

[mommytron]

what kind of algae eater do you have? you will probably need to supplement his diet with algae wafers and blanched vegetables (i like zucchini) if there is no algae in the tank. what are your water parameters? i would immediately check your ammonia and nitrite levels because it sounds like there is not enough oxygen in the water.

 

[Aquarium1]

what kind of algae eater do you have? you will probably need to supplement his diet with algae wafers and blanched vegetables (i like zucchini) if there is no algae in the tank. what are your water parameters? i would immediately check your ammonia and nitrite levels because it sounds like there is not enough oxygen in the water.

+1

 

[Crepe]

Mine breathe about 1-2 "breaths" a second depending on what they were doing at the time. (otocinclus sp)

 

[Glofish101]

I have a golden algae eater in a 20 gallon tank and he won't eat the algae wafer!!!! AGH!!!!

 

[Crepe]

Mine refuse to eat algae wafers. They only eat the algae in the tank and peas and cucumbers.

 

[Aquarium1]

I read that Golden Algae eaters can get anywhere from 6"-11", too big for a 20g IMO.

 

[mommytron]

I read that Golden Algae eaters can get anywhere from 6"-11", too big for a 20g IMO.

+1, read that also.

 

[Glofish101]

the guy at petsmart told me that when he gets bigger that he'll eat all of my other fish, so I'll put him in another tank.........when he gets bigger, if he ever eats, that is

 

[DragonFish71]

I know our algae eaters (otos, albino-chocolate pleco, common pleco and even our shrimp, RCS and ghosts) love algae wafers, blanched zucchini and blanched green beans.

 

[Crepe]

You need to worry about the algae eater eating other fish. That's a total lie. I want you to print out this post and have him read out the following:

"I'm an idiot"

anyways. It's not so much that the algae eater will eat the other fish but the fact that Algae eaters will become extremely aggressive as they age and also end pick up some really bad habits such as sucking on the mucus of larger fish. So don't let size full you. That algae eater can stress to death fish many times larger than itself; it won't eat it though.

 

[Glofish101]

The Nitrate level is 0, the ammonia is 0 PPM, and the pH is 7.6

 

[mommytron]

if nitrate is 0 you may not have a cycled tank... what is the nitrite reading??

 

[Aquarium1]

are you using a liquid test kit or strips?

 

[Glofish101]

I am using a liquid testing kit. Um, what happens if a danio eats a algae wafer, because my long-finned danio totally ate it and the algae eater didn't

 

[Glofish101]

oops sorry, nitrite is 0 PPM, i don't have a nitrate testing kit

 

[mommytron]

nothing is wrong with that, a little veg is good for fish keeps em regular