I Can't Believe It! :o

[Eines]

I was in the petstore just now looking at the viewing tank (the fish that aren't for sale) and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a giant Chinese (or Siamese, I don't know) algae eater suddenly move at the back of the aquarium! I hadn't even noticed him because he camoflauged into the background and there I was looking at some tiny little tetras when that thing started moving! He must've been like the size of my forearm. I see why people suggest not to get them. I just couldn't stop thinking about how I would hate to have to stick my arm in there. lol. I know they're harmless, it's just my first time seeing a full grown sae, so I'm totally amazed. Does anyone actually own a fully grown one?

 

[FeroX]

Why on earth would you be afraid to stick your arm in there? Complete nonsense...

I've not owned, but worked in a LFS where we had full-grown ones. Just as bloody hard to catch as the young ones. They're pretty useless when they're old, as they HARDLY eat any algae and are super-aggressive.

 

[Eines]

Lol, no, I wasn't actually scared, I know they're harmless, but their sheer size is freaky when you first see them!

 

[Gill]

Yep they get huge and nasty, an LFS nr me has some huge GCAE's and they are lovely but nasty

 

[Eines]

Yeah! I got to see that guy chase a few smaller fish and corys around the tank a bit. He was beautiful, but mean!

 

[mrbudgie]

we've got a gold one in our 6 footer must be at least 7inches long and fat, never once been aggressive.

lucky i guess

 

[Eines]

gold? hmm...must be beautiful!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

gold? hmm...must be beautiful!

The gold ones are very attractive, i used to have one myself but it died during a long power-cut, the gold ones aren't actually gold but rather vary in shades of pale yellow/skin/orange/cream colors. They can actually vary quite a lot in coloring and patterning, like these unusual specimens;

http/www.akwafoto.pl/fotoreport/egzotari..._aymonieri2.jpg

http/www.aqualogo.ru/fish_catalog/goods_...s/big/f3717.jpg

http/www.hippocampus-bildarchiv.de/bilde...umbs/X49009.jpg

http/www.plantedtank.net/forums/myFishIm...w=200&h=200

http/www.akvarko.cz/images/atlasryb/dals...onieri-a1_n.jpg

etc...

If i had a large empty tank to play around with, i would actually be tempted to get a CAE- it is actually possible to work around their temperament problems if you stock the tank very carefully with the right types of fish etc .

 

[mrbudgie]

probably just dpepnds on their individual personality coz in our tank with ours there is really diddy corries all the way to a giant ospheragus gourami which is about the size of a dinner plate and no probs what so ever,

also go a smaller one thats with 4 discuss some clown loaches and a few l numbers