How To Tell Between An Oto And A Cae

[fishwatcher]

I bought 2 algae eaters, labeled as such and said to grow no more than 2.25". Now that i am looking though, they look similar to the chinese algae eater. How can you tell the difference???
Thanks!

 

[bobf]

I bought 2 algae eaters, labeled as such and said to grow no more than 2.25". Now that i am looking though, they look similar to the chinese algae eater. How can you tell the difference???
Thanks!

CAEs are often sold as sucking loach and are usually much rounder in the body - Ottos seem rather 'flat' by comparison, and have a slightly diamond shaped appearence when viewed from above or below.

Here's a good description of most of the algae eaters - Siamese Algae Eaters and Flying Foxes are often confused plus the situation is made worse with the false Siamensis.

Algae eaters

 

[fishwatcher]

If I post a picture of what I have, can someone identify which one it is?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Actually they look nothing alike. One easy way to know the difference is otos and other plecos will attach to things with their mouth. The CAE doesn't do this.

 

[PlecMama]

I'm sure we can, I did the same thing and then my fish started vanishing...I put the Chinese face huggers, er, algae eaters in a seperate tank and oddly, no more missing fish...

Do a Google Images on CAE's they have loads of pictures.

 

[fishwatcher]

The things I have actually attach to the sides of the tank (and to the bag we brought them home in). Does that mean they're not CAEs? I'll try to get a decent picture of one tonight. They don't like being out where I can see them too much though.

 

[Bloo]

Well here's a pic of my oto - which might help you decide

and a pic of a CAE

Though easy to see how people get confused when you look at this profile on FishIndex (click on third picture down) - that looks like an Oto to me !

 

[keane]

Actually they look nothing alike. One easy way to know the difference is otos and other plecos will attach to things with their mouth. The CAE doesn't do this.

Of course they do!

I had two CAE's (yes CAE's, not SAE's or anything similar) and all they ever did was suck on the glass or the rocks or the leaves of my plants. Its exactly what CAE's do.

Ottos are similar in appearance to SAE's (Siamese Algae Eaters) not CAE's (Chinese Algae Eaters).

Steve

 

[diademhill]

Though easy to see how people get confused when you look at this profile on FishIndex (click on third picture down) - that looks like an Oto to me !

Thats because it is an oto.


If you click on the "more photos" link the extra pic is an oto too!

 

[Bloo]

Though easy to see how people get confused when you look at this profile on FishIndex (click on third picture down) - that looks like an Oto to me !

Thats because it is an oto.


If you click on the "more photos" link the extra pic is an oto too!

Yeah - I agree it's an Oto in that pic too ! I was being slightly "sarcastic"

 

[diademhill]

Though easy to see how people get confused when you look at this profile on FishIndex (click on third picture down) - that looks like an Oto to me !

Thats because it is an oto.


If you click on the "more photos" link the extra pic is an oto too!

Yeah - I agree it's an Oto in that pic too ! I was being slightly "sarcastic"

So was my

These sites should really check their photos as so many people use them for reference. There was one last year had a photo of a tiger shovelnose with the data for a lima!

 

[fishwatcher]

I'm so glad then I'm not an idiot! I thought those looked quite similar... I do in fact have 2 CAEs then. They look just like the one in the 2nd picture. kinda sad.. now I've got to chase them around and catcht them and take them back. That's what I get for buying them at (dun,dun,dun) Walmart!

 

[Dubby]

I'm so glad then I'm not an idiot! I thought those looked quite similar... I do in fact have 2 CAEs then. They look just like the one in the 2nd picture. kinda sad.. now I've got to chase them around and catcht them and take them back. That's what I get for buying them at (dun,dun,dun) Walmart!

The same thing happend to me here at Pets@Home. In this case I've kept the CAE (that was sold to me as an Oto) and he/she is a part of my fishy family

 

[bobf]

I'm so glad then I'm not an idiot! I thought those looked quite similar... I do in fact have 2 CAEs then. They look just like the one in the 2nd picture. kinda sad.. now I've got to chase them around and catcht them and take them back. That's what I get for buying them at (dun,dun,dun) Walmart!

The same thing happend to me here at Pets@Home. In this case I've kept the CAE (that was sold to me as an Oto) and he/she is a part of my fishy family

I was offered Bullnose Plecs when I asked if my LFS had any Ottos.

"... but they're plecs"

"yeah, but they're like Ottos!"

Doh!

 

[als814]

Why do stores sell chinese algea eaters, or for that matter, why are they even bred if it is so obvious that nobody wants one?