Chinese Algae Eater & Koi/GF

Has anyone ever introduced a Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
into a pond? with koi and goldfish? According to a few websites, they are
herbivores, but apparently develop a taste for small fish as they grow
larger and are fairly territorial.

I'm curious develop a taste for the slime coating of the their tank/pond
mates the way plecos (Hypostomus plecostomus) do? Koi-lo don't bother
responding, I can google just as well as you can.

References:
http://species.fishindex.com/species...e_eater.ht ml

Snooze. I have a few fairly large chinese algae eaters in some
preforms outside which we put tropicals in as wel as some ornamental
goldies and small koi during the warmer months and they do fine. Even
when we move tropicals indoors along with the CAE they have not been a
proble, We did find out that there is a fish that looks just about
like the CAE and is commonly called the flying fox (its from India
IIRC) that eats algae and does a good job of it, and gets along with
everything that they have shared a tank or preform with. Never seen em
on or try to get on another fish.

On Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:26:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:
Has anyone ever introduced a Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
into a pond? with koi and goldfish? According to a few websites, they are
herbivores, but apparently develop a taste for small fish as they grow
larger and are fairly territorial.

I'm curious develop a taste for the slime coating of the their tank/pond
mates the way plecos (Hypostomus plecostomus) do? Koi-lo don't bother
responding, I can google just as well as you can.

References:
http://species.fishindex.com/species...e_eater.ht ml


--
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oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
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(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

On Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:26:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:

Has anyone ever introduced a Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
into a pond? with koi and goldfish? According to a few websites, they are
herbivores, but apparently develop a taste for small fish as they grow
larger and are fairly territorial.

I'm curious develop a taste for the slime coating of the their tank/pond
mates the way plecos (Hypostomus plecostomus) do? Koi-lo don't bother
responding, I can google just as well as you can.

References:
http://species.fishindex.com/species...e_eater.ht ml


Not in a pond, but in aquariums, and they are worst than pl*cos for going
after sleeping goldfish. Even if they don't get them, they disturb them
often during their sleep cycle = stress. ~ jan


~ jan/WA
Zone 7a

~ janj wrote:

On Thu, 02 Mar 2006 05:26:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:

Has anyone ever introduced a Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri)
into a pond? with koi and goldfish? According to a few websites, they are
herbivores,

LOL. And according to the other websites??

Chinese "Algae Eaters" are herbivores when _young_. At anything over 3"
they are complete omnivores - they'll eat anything that fits in their
mouths, and they have _big_ mouths (and they get quite big enough to eat
most goldfish).

but apparently develop a taste for small fish as they grow
larger and are fairly territorial.

I'm curious develop a taste for the slime coating of the their tank/pond
mates the way plecos (Hypostomus plecostomus) do?

I'm pretty sure that slime coats are the least of your problems :-(

References:
http://species.fishindex.com/species...e_eater.ht ml

The "Be wary they can turn very nasty" comment should tell you everything
you need to know.
--
derek

I tried this with my own tank, and the result was not good. The chinese
algae eaters can and will take a shot at your goldfish. Don't know why they
do it . . . Don't know what other people have said about it (mostly not
good) . . . But I do know what I have witnessed first hand. These little
suckers are extremely fast when they attack, and a goldfish doesn't stand a
chance. My two GF have gained a lot of size since it happened, and both of
them still bear the marks from it.
I personally advise against it. They seemed friendly at first, but within a
few days, they started to attack the GF.

--
Kevin

Just get an indian flying fox. They look just like a chinese algae
eater, but without any bad habits. They may chase off intruders but
thats about all they will do, and I have never seen em do what a lot
of folks have seen the typical chinnese algae eaters do...

Look for the kallopteris (sp?) species of the fish which is from
Northern India .....and there is also a lookalike from Thailand and
malaysia which are somewhat more agressive.

On Sun, 5 Mar 2006 07:03:30 GMT, wrote:
I tried this with my own tank, and the result was not good. The chinese
algae eaters can and will take a shot at your goldfish. Don't know why they
do it . . . Don't know what other people have said about it (mostly not
good) . . . But I do know what I have witnessed first hand. These little
suckers are extremely fast when they attack, and a goldfish doesn't stand a
chance. My two GF have gained a lot of size since it happened, and both of
them still bear the marks from it.
I personally advise against it. They seemed friendly at first, but within a
few days, they started to attack the GF.

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....