CAE terrorist

[zacusmaximus]

A neighbor purchased a golden CAE a few weeks ago and everything was peachy for quite a while. Recently, she says the thing is terrorizing her mollies and swordtails. She's worried about it because she just lost a big female swordtail and said it looked like it was wounded in several places. I watched her tank for a while today and it seemed to chase after anyone getting near the gravel. She has a zebra danio tank with another CAE in it and everyone's happy. That makes sense to me since danios don't really go near the bottom too often.

Anyone know anything about them? I've never kept them before so I don't know what to tell her. I was thinking she could move it to the danio tank. Would there be any foreseeable problem with having two of them in one tank? Is it true they get meanier as they get bigger/older?

 

[Zagz]

How big is the CAE? They are known for going after other fish. They suck the slime coat off the other fish causing the fish to be not only stressed but obviously ill. I lucked out, I have a 7" golden CAE that is perfectly harmless. He is in with Malawi cichlids in a 125 gal otherwise I don't think he would be harmless. Better off returning him and getting a true SAE.

 

[zacusmaximus]

Her tank with the problematic CAE is a 55g and the little monster is probably 3.5-4", if I had to weather a guess. Think there'd be any problem with two CAEs of that size to co-occupy a 10g with 6 zebra danios?

 

[Zagz]

Definately a problem with them in a 10 gal, the smaller the space the more the aggression.

 

[exodus]

I just got rid of my 6 month old CAE, thing stressed my redtail shark to death, and somehow I've had 7 neons and 10 rummynose just up and walk away.. they're little terrors.

(oh, and when I say 'got rid of', i mean brought him back to the LFS where I work )