What kind is it?

ilovecarljohn

i got a new fish to day and i am not sure what it is... it whas just labled algea eater and the lady did not seem to know any thing about it other than it swims fast.. it is very slender and small it is a yellow orange color and some of them had brown on there backs i dont have a pic right now because it is hiding and i cant get a good pic of it any ideas???

onefish2fish

could be an otto, which is short for ottocinclus ( spelling? ) idk, google that and see if the picture matches. really a picture would be helpful, it could be a few different things.

ilovecarljohn

thanks but i dont think it is it is more of a yellow or oragne body but about the same size although i dont know if it is full grown

onefish2fish

hmm. a pleco of some short? but those generally dont have a slender body..

where did you purchase this from?

in the future it may be best to research a fish and its needs before making a purchase..

it will save you alot of money and alot of headaches lol.

how do you know this thing wont grow to 3 feet?
( it prob wont, but just an example )

iamntbatman

Here are some fish commonly sold as algae eaters:

An albino version of a plecostomus (I chose an albino image due to the colors you described, but there are *many* types of pleco):
http://www.guppies4me.com/gallery/al...oPleco_001.jpg

Otocinclus:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...us_affinis.JPG

Siamese Algae Eater:
http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/...iamensis_1.jpg

Chinese Algae Eater ("golden" variety):
http://nicky.my/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/img-5483.jpg

ilovecarljohn

lol i got it at wal mart i doubt it will get to be all that big most of there fish dont exceed 6 inches lol but it dose resemble a chinese golden algea eater in ways howerver they did have some brownmarkings also

iamntbatman

Here comes the bad news:

Chinese algae eaters *do* grow to 6 inches, although I've heard reports of them reaching up to a foot.

Worse, once they outgrow their juvenile phase (and often before that happens) these fish tend to stop eating algae altogether. They also become *very* aggressive and will kill and eat your other fish.

ilovecarljohn

thats not good hmm i am not sure it is for sure but i am thinking it is thats kinda scary i will have to see if my friend wants to take it she has a tank but all she has in it are huge fish so mabe that would be a better suited home lol guess i should have read up first lol or not been so cheap and got the one that looked like my mom and dads it is more common type well i guess my lessons learned

iamntbatman

Probably the two most common types of "algae eaters" are Chinese Algae Eaters and common plecostomus. Both are problematic fish for many fishkeepers. The Chinese Algae Eater has the problems I already mentioned, and the plecostomus produces a *ton* of waste and grows to about 18" in length. Even siamese algae eaters get somewhat large, and otocinclus do better in groups and can be sensitive fish. The best "clean up crew" type fish for smaller tanks, then, are shrimp that will eat algae and snails.

ilovecarljohn

you answered my question before i even asked it... i was going to ask what i should get... but do you need to add and special food for shrimp or snails also i am curious the albino frog thing how do they do in a tank are they agressive or are othe fish agressive to them...