Aggressive Siamese Algae eaters?

[xerxeswasachump]

My siamese algae eater has been chasing my female ram and generally harrassing the other fish. Has anyone else had any problems with these guys being aggressive? I read that they were peaceful. Right now, he is pretty much the most aggressive fish i have ever had.
He hasn't done any damage or anything yet. I just don't want my fish to be stressed out.

[MaryPa]

Sounds like someone passed a false Samiese algae eater as an SAE. SAEs aren`t aggressive but the others are very aggressive. Do you have a pic? Can you discribe it if not?

[xerxeswasachump]

I'm pretty sure it is legit. It looks exactly like any image of an SAE i have ever seen. Black stripe down to the tail, 5" long, not a sucker mouth, one small whisker-like thing on each side of the mouth.
He seems to also like meaty foods. He hasn't touched the green algae growing on the cinderblocks in the tank, but tears after any blackworms or frozen bloodworms i put in the tank.

[Fishfirst]

Chinese is the same as Siamese right? if it is, then CAE's are pretty darn aggressive as they get older... if not... I have no clue what I'm talking about

[fish_doc]

Like mary said - There is a false algae eater
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cy...falsealgae.htm
Real similar in color and pattern but more agressive.

[garfieldnfish]

I have true SAEs and if yours has only one set of "whiskers" it's the true one. While mine eat everything to include meaty foods, they chase each other and other fish but do not cause any harm, except if you have long finned fish. When I had mine in with my fancy goldfish they thought their tails were hair algae and ripped them to shreds within a short time. That set up was supposed to be only for a few days, while I needed the goldfish tank as a quarantine tank, but it only lasted a few hours. So while SAEs usually are harmless, fancy goldfish, angels, fancy guppies etc may be harrassed resulting in fin damage, but other fish should be ok.
BTW mine also love fish food of any kind but after feeding time, they resume grazing on plants, deco etc. They are totally useless for tank walls in my experience.
You have a 20 gal water area with amano shrimp, 2 otos and 1 SAE, there just may not be enough algae for them, so your SAE eating fish food is entirely normal. He (and the otos) would also love zucchini, cucumbers etc, if you don't already feed that to them. I would watch out to make sure the SAE does not go after the shrimp feelers (also resembling hair algae) other then that I would let him have his fun.

[xerxeswasachump]

Cool. Thanks for the responses. Mine really hasn't done any damage. He just chases around my female ram. This morning she kept trying to "mouth-fight" him, cichlid style. According to google images, i definitely have a true SAE.
You are probably right about the lack of eatible algae. The only thing is, there is tons of green algae on the glass at the back of my tank from the back light (i need a backlight in order to have plants under the landmass). I just wish something would eat that. I bought the SAE to do that. Unfortunately, it seems like only bristlenose plecos and a few snails will go near it.
I will move my SAE to my 55 gallon, when that starts getting some kind of algae growth.
Honestly, the aggressive nature of the SAE actually makes the tank more interesting. It is definitely entertaining to watch my female ram and the SAE take turns chasing each other around. I was mostly just curious to see if other people had the same issue.

How do i get my rams to pair up? They don't seem liek doing anything but fighting each other. The man-ram has gotten his ass beat to the point of him only having 1/3 of the tank to claim as his. The female runs the rest of the tank. I'd really like to get them to breed if at all possible. Unfortunately, it seems like they'd rather fight than make babies.

[garfieldnfish]

I can't help you with the rams (never had any) but if you need an algae eater that will eat green spot algae (the hard stuff that sticks to the tank walls) get a rubberlip pleco (L187b, max size 4"). Petsmart sells them and I can vouch for them eating that stuff. I read about them doing it and moved one of mine to a tank that had it badly and he took care of the problem everywhere execept behind a bubble wall. But he was the only rubberlip in a 75 gal and that tank may have just been too large for him to go everywhere, so he chose the places he felt comfortable with. But both the front and the rear of the tank were totally free of green spot algae.

[xerxeswasachump]

I think rubberlip and bristlenose are probably the same thing. Unfortunately, i can't find them anywhere for less that $20!!!! I'd rather have the algae than shell out that much for a fish that isn't even that interesting looking.

[garfieldnfish]

Rubberlips and bristlenoses are not the same fish at all. If you would live close by (Atlanta, GA) I would give you a bristlenose for free. I have over 100fry right now. Petsmart sells rubberlips for about $7.

[xerxeswasachump]

If i paid for shipping would you send one?
Or would it not be worth it if i can buy one at a petco (i haven't seen one there though)?

[garfieldnfish]

I could send you a bristlenose, but not a rubberlips and that is what you need for the green spot algae. Petsmart has them if you have that chain store where you are.
My bristlenoses are only 1 1/8 inch long right now and some of your critters in that tank would still consider them a snack. If you are interested in getting one in another month, pm me.l

[xerxeswasachump]

Cool, can the rubberlips live safely with shrimp?
It sounds like they are easy to get so i will shop around. I have 2 petcoes and 1 petgoods and a small fish store to shop at. I am sure between the 4 i will eventually find a rubberlip.

[meyerhaus]

I have two rubberlip plecos and they take care of all of my green algae. They are also really cool looking...like an aquarium armadillo.

[garfieldnfish]

And your shrimp should be ok with them. I got one in with 2 bamboo shrimp and no problem.