What buddy did I buy?

[katequang]

So I bought a buddy for my Betta's tank. I also bought him a new heater, filter, tank and decorations as his other tank had a really nasty bacteria of some sort in that I could not get rid of. Pet store and I think it was the food he was eating and what was being left over.

SO. We bought him an algae eater/bottom sucker, whatever you may call them. He sticks to the side of the tank and floats at the bottom, and is very fast. I thought he was called a pleco, I just told the lady I want a fish to eat the leftovers at the bottom. And she gave me this guy.



As you can see he is very ninja, so it was difficult to get a picture of him. He has a green-brown coloured body, with a black stripe down the back. He has a few black dots near his tail. I am not quite sure what he is. I have googled and thought maybe he was a Chinese Algae Eater, which is kind of concerning to me since apparently they grow to a foot long (and my tank is a 5 gallon, way too small).

Any help figuring out what this guy is would be really helpful. Will he survive souly on the leftovers from my betta? And if it is a fish that grows large, will I have to bring him back? I do want to buy a bigger tank eventually (thinking 25 gallon). Would he fit in that? THANK YOU!

[ItsKourtneyYoC8]

I think he is a Otocinclus.

http://www.petsmart.com/family/index...e+Eaters&fbx=0

[sarahspins]

That definitely looks like a CAE... oto's are shorter/fatter. CAE's need a minimum 30 gallon tank when full grown, and they also get increasingly aggressive as they grow larger.

No algae eaters eat 'fish waste' - what they eat is algae that grows as a result of too many nutrients in the water, which can be from overfeeding, but generally not from fish poop. In the absence of a good supply of algae they can be fed algae wafers.

IMO it's better to do your research about how to properly feed/care for something BEFORE bringing it home.. and never bring anything home if you're not 100% certain what it is.

I would take this guy back and get a few oto's (they shouldn't be kept alone) if you want algae eaters in the tank.

[katequang]

Originally Posted by sarahspins

That definitely looks like a CAE... oto's are shorter/fatter. CAE's need a minimum 30 gallon tank when full grown, and they also get increasingly aggressive as they grow larger.

No algae eaters eat 'fish waste' - what they eat is algae that grows as a result of too many nutrients in the water, which can be from overfeeding, but generally not from fish poop. In the absence of a good supply of algae they can be fed algae wafers.

IMO it's better to do your research about how to properly feed/care for something BEFORE bringing it home.. and never bring anything home if you're not 100% certain what it is.

I would take this guy back and get a few oto's (they shouldn't be kept alone) if you want algae eaters in the tank.

I realize I should research before I buy anything. But when I go to the store, she convinced me that any mystery snail I put into the tank would be eaten by my betta (I have a very docile, friendly betta so I thought it would be okay). She then said these guys would do well in 5-10 gallons and would just eat the same food as the betta. Clearly I was mislead, I didn't mean to cause any harm to the fish... I simply wanted something to help "keep up" the tank. And I never thought anything would eat fish poop, haha. I never said that. I thought they ate the food pellets that would float down that the betta missed. :/

[Tikibirds]

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...e-algae-eater/

or

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...s/oto-catfish/

hopefully its an Oto. CAE's can grow up to a foot.

[aokashi]

if you do return him... remember to quarantine your livestock before putting them in...

[Aus]

If the stripe in his tail looks like this (all the way to the end of the tail):



He's a true Siamese algae eater. This is slightly better than a Chinese one, which gets huge and sometimes kills fish:




But even Siamese algae eaters need:

a/ to be in schools
b/ 25 gallons -minimum-
c/ LOTS of algae to eat, so your plants look less tasty. A grown pair can strip a 20 gallon free of heavy algae bloom in a week.

...and they are known to nip long fins, too.

I would love some of these in a large plakat or wilds tank or a sorority/community, though.

[ItsKourtneyYoC8]

Originally Posted by Tikibirds

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...e-algae-eater/

or

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...s/oto-catfish/

hopefully its an Oto. CAE's can grow up to a foot.

I LOVe your Dr.Suess quote <3

[katequang]

Originally Posted by Tikibirds

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...e-algae-eater/

or

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/p...s/oto-catfish/

hopefully its an Oto. CAE's can grow up to a foot.

It is definitely a CAE that I bought. I am going to look for a new home for him as the shop I bought him from doesn't take returns (I don't really care about the money, but the lady on the phone was very brash when I asked about returning him). Guess I won't be going back there ever again!