# Chinese Algae Eater Removal



## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

I have a 50 gallon planted discuss tank. Don't recall how or why but I have a chinese algae eater who has recently taken a liking to the sides of my Discuss.

I have tried to remove via net but the _*FISH *_swim away too fast and then behind and under drift wood. 

*With out* draining all the water and removing all the other fish or anything else drastic is there a good way to remove this fish?

Thanks


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

there are fish traps u can make. just youtube it.

or, lure it with some blanched veggies?


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## asil (Mar 23, 2009)

dynomite the tank. that'll get him.............sorry couldn't help myself....lol


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

Thanks 

I was mentally engineering a small spear of sorts but don't think my urban lifestyle is conducive to aquarium spear fishing... It might get ugly.

A lure or fish trap may do the trick. Checking youtube now.

Thanks


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

haha aquarium spear fishing. i can just imagine..my slow moving balloon molly would be an easy target


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## dthb4438 (Nov 12, 2007)

I have a fish trap that works very nice. I use it to catch just about anything.

Try these places:
http://www.aquacave.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=51
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~miscellaneous_fish_trap.html
http://saltaquarium.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Simple_Aquarium_Pet0962933581.htm


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

There's an on-going theory that CAE like to attach to fish because of the slime coat and the water movement. The CAE diet/lifestyle is afterall, algae/slimy surface with plenty of water current.

I've an adult CAE that is a power house. I never have to clean the glass, it's that good.
You could try trapping it inside a bottle (put an algae wafer inside).

If removal is getting too hard, then maybe try adding a small power head pointing to a smooth flat rock - hopefully your CAE will stop going after the Discus with this setup.


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## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

wait a few hours after the lights have gone out.
go to the tank at midnight with your net, just turn the lights on and catch the fish while it's sitting on the bottom dazed and asleep.


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## MikeS (Apr 27, 2008)

Had the same problem with one of them. Did this: 

http://www.reeftime.com/diy-reef-projects/diy-fish-traps/2-liter-bottle-fish-trap/3.htm 

It worked. Caught a couple other fish too, but since it doesn't kill them, you can release them. Put the trap in there about lights out and checked in the morning.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

The soda bottle trap looks like the ticket. Can actually see that working without having to order a trap :thumbsup: Another poster had used those cheap gold fish / beta boxes with a lid and baited the sucker in with food then used a wooden dowel to flip the lid closed. Fish extraction is the biggest PITA bar none with a planted tank.


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## newshound (May 9, 2005)

water bottle, fishing line and a algae disc.


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

Thanks.

All very helpful advice.

I will give it a whirl today and report back.

And by today I mean sometime between now and later.....
Monday.

Thanks


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## lovingHDTV (Oct 15, 2008)

newshound said:


> water bottle, fishing line and a algae disc.


When I read this I read it as fish hook, fishing line and an algae disc 

May work . . .


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

I'd like to see the harpooning of the violator posted on youtube.


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## Trallen44 (Dec 10, 2008)

wkndracer said:


> I'd like to see the harpooning of the violator posted on youtube.


LOL x2 I have had problems with them before myself. But then I just had plastic plants and was easier to tear it apart. I vote for the bottle trap. But if you go with the spear method, we want a video of it!!


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## C2C (Apr 7, 2009)

chinese algae eaters...lol...first they arent even from china...and they arent even true algae eaters...they prefer the sides of fish...they love body slime...i would use a fish trap with some algae waffers...or a jar on its side and then put a net over the opening


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

No luck today. All my little fish found my water bottle trap enticing. The discuss were very interested. The Chinese Algae Eater (now known as the _*FISH*_) checked it out a few times but nothing yet. 
We will see when I get in tomorrow AM if the _*FISH *_makes it in.

Thanks


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

No luck this AM.
The _*FISH *_is hanging out near the bottle. 
Time to make a new more advanced bottle trap with a tighter front end, better suspension and a turbo! Just kidding. Switching food thats all.

Cheers!


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

Oh and no luck today either.

Any suggestions on food?

Tried Algae wafers and blanched greens.

Thanks


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## C2C (Apr 7, 2009)

try a jar...thats how i caught mine


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## ath3ist (Mar 17, 2008)

i tried this method and it worked for removing three adult SAE, http://www.aquamoss.net/Articles/Catching-SAE.htm

The plastic container can be found at a local LFS or Petco/petsmart. This method is still quite troublesome and you really have to be patient.


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

When I had to catch my SAE's in my heavily planted tank I thought it would be a nightmare. But it was so easy - I just stuck a very large net in the back of the tank against the wall and used a smaller net to chase him to the back. Boom - he was in the big net in a matter of seconds. I was so happy! No plants or fish were harmed during this process either. I didn't even have to remove any of the decor.


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

The Fish swims away once i walk over with the net. I have tried to put my arm/hand in there ad scare it out of the plants but it has a spot under a bunch of ~unmovable drift wood.

I have tried the bottle trick and caught only other small fish.
I have tried a clear plastic jug with a lid and still nothing.

Can anyone suggest a particular food to lure him in?

Thanks


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

Oh man, you are scaring me... 
I have a gold algae eater that is constantly fighting with my red-tailed black shark. I eventually wanted to get rid of it, but after your trouble trying to get it out, I'm not so sure anymore. They are actually not going at it that much anymore. I guess since the tank grew in a little there are more hiding places for the shark. 

At least my FISH he leaves the plants alone for the most part...

Previously when I re-did my tanks and had to evacuate the fish I was always able to corner him with the net, but I have not done that in a long time. He's much bigger now... and faster...


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## jmontee (Mar 20, 2009)

So I can tell you how I removed my CAE's (5 in a well planted tank) but you will have to with hold judgment. It is pretty stressfull for everyone involved but it was the only way I was able to do it. I chased the fish around for about 30min to an hour without letting them rest. They were finally so tired and so was I that I just slowly picked them up with the net. 

They get really big and mean so I had to get them out somehow. I have actually seen one at my LFS that was like 6inches long!!


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## organic sideburns (Dec 22, 2005)

well i had to catch my lone harlequin rasbora. hes over 5 years old and wont stop harrassing my fancy tailed guppy. its weird that he wont leave the guppy alone but idk its annoying so i decided to catch him and put him in my 12 gal thats just cycled.

so what i did was i got my 2 nets, a lrge one and a small one. i used them like tongs, sorta. i used the large one to chase the fish around and make it go out in the open, and i kept the small net nearby. i would slowly move the nets close to each other and after bout 15 minutes i scooped him up. now, i need to catch my indian glass fish. he is so aggressive towards my 4 lemon tetras idk y.


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## lbsfarms (Jan 30, 2003)

Try the wait till they are asleep method as mentioned above. I removed 2 rosy barbs from my 75g this way, waited till early morning about 5:00 am while it was still dark, had the dh hold the flash light and used 2 nets, herding with one into the other. We had them out in no time.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

Or better yet, keep the fish there.
I miss mine.


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

Ok.
Operation CAE Oust will take place tomorrow at 545AM. I will sneak into my office leaving lights off and swop down like an eagle and remove him once and for all.

I will report back later.


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Good luck. Mine eat at night too. I have tried the night thing without much success. You have to have a little light to see where you are in the tank. You could make a seine net and keep moving in in a direction so that you are closing him off in a smaller and smaller area. Do the chase thing to one side first, then use the seine net to keep him in the small area. It will be easier to net him if he's trapped to one small side of the tank.

I have two yellow CAE's. I have loved their color. They area also busy workers. But recently they have begun to harass one of my plecos that I have had for 8 years. The choice between the two is easy. The trapping has begun. Last night I got one and tonight the soda bottle trap has been reset and is waiting for him.


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## honor (Apr 8, 2008)

damn, im gona have to get this going too, he moves too much of the sand.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Did I miss it or are you still not resorting to using the harpoon method?


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

Got my last CAE last night. 2 flying foxes to go! 

JulieJeffers - How did you do with the midnight fishing?

Just edited this: You'll never guess... before I could get my CAE out of the soda bottle trap he pushed is way out through the side!! I had the two pieces taped together by 2 pieces of tape. I guess he pushed so hard that one piece of tape popped off. Both the pieces came apart. Now I bet he'll never go into the trap! These guys are clever!


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

No luck. The 5 AM expedition resulted in no CAE :-( I have 4 discuss who are being terrorized.

Not sure what to do.

PLease advise.

He is wary of the net, me, soda bottle traps, ice tea jugs...

Maybe its time for the Harpoon...


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## alan j t (Feb 13, 2008)

the way i did it was to find the path it takes when you chase it with your net.
now put a big net in the path he takes and dont move it.
then use your hand and chase down ,it will eventually wind in in the big net
that was the way i used to take out all kinds of fast @ss fish like danios and rummy and cae's and small tetras

hope this helps


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Why do people go through all this stress to get a fish out? Drain the tank to a couple inches. Put the fish you want in the buckets as you drain. Have some extra water ready for displacement. Remove fish, replace water, replace fish you want to keep. Done in 20 min or less. Having an extra person to help is very useful. Extra bonus, nice water change.


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## Preeths (Jan 29, 2008)

submerge a transperent Plastic cover and chase him into it. Use many covers so he will eventually have to go into one of them. This works for me with all the fish in the planted tanks. You dont need a net to chase the fish inside. use anything that is long and can prod the fish out of hiding places and under stuff. I juse reverse the net and use the handle to scare the fish into the bags.


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## Katydid (Apr 2, 2009)

I am eagerly looking forward to the Harpooning, as it looks as if you are heading that way.

May I suggest a beautiful flag fish? THough they do sometimes nip fins, they will not suck up on your discus and they are algae machines. 

Good Luck!


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

waterfaller1 said:


> Why do people go through all this stress to get a fish out? Drain the tank to a couple inches. Put the fish you want in the buckets as you drain. Have some extra water ready for displacement. Remove fish, replace water, replace fish you want to keep. Done in 20 min or less. Having an extra person to help is very useful. Extra bonus, nice water change.


Are you saying to drain the tank down to 2"? In my tank that would not work. First I would be replacing too much water. Second all my tall plants would be floating on each other AND the fish making it worse to try to find any fish at all, much less the one I wanted. One of the things that makes it so difficult to catch them is the long flowing plants that get caught on the nets and uprooted. Less water makes that worse.

Caught all mine but one. He's the one that got out of the trap the first time. I think I need to get out the seine net and with it keep him at one end and then run him into the net or trap as Preeths suggested.

JulieJeffers - Hang in there!


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## rich815 (May 21, 2008)

Sounds like CAEs are clever little buggers like SAEs are. I had 3 SAEs at one time. I caught one but only by starting a Hikari Bloodworm feeding frenzy first. The SAEs were such aggresive eaters they let their guard down and I was able to snag one in my net as he chased the floating worms. The other two quickly smartened up after seeing their cohort disappear like that. I walk up with net they disappear behind the driftwood in a flash. One helped me out a couple weeks later by commiting suicide out the top of the tank one night and I found him dried up on the floor. The other took me weeks of trying before I finally did a VERY large plant trim, drained the water to about 30%, and then put a 6" net into the tank and using another smaller net coaxed him out eventually and towards the net. Still took a few minutes and a few tries. But with less water and plants in there I at least had a chance. Full tank water and a lot of plants----forget it.

I offer him up as a RAOK and someone took him. Only to report 2 days later that he too jumped out the top of the tank.....

They can help with algae but are no panacea or replacement for proper tank parameters in solving algae problems in the first place. Later on they started nibbling all the new growth on my Rotala sp. Vietnam and wallichii. Really pissed me off!


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## Regloh (Jan 17, 2009)

I spoke with a guy at my LFS and mentioned the gold algae eater that I have. 
He said that this is the only fish that he ever KILLED because he pissed him off...
I have offered mine up a couple of places, but I think I may have to go the way of the cleaver as well... 

Julie, maybe you can "accidentally" leave the top off your tank sometime and you problem may get solved 

Although my tank is partially open and he has never jumped...


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Tex Gal said:


> Are you saying to drain the tank down to 2"? In my tank that would not work. First I would be replacing too much water. Second all my tall plants would be floating on each other AND the fish making it worse to try to find any fish at all, much less the one I wanted.


You would keep the water you removed, and add it back after you are done. And have a little on hand for a wc, the same amount you usually change. Removing the plants if necessary.Double bonus, new scape perhaps. You might like it,_ and_ the fish is out.
I have done this several times over the course of the years, in a 90 gallon reef tank with over 100 Lbs' of live rock, live corals, etc., with no issue. If it can be done so quick and easy with all that, a planted tank should be a cinch. You just have to be willing to go this route. It used to crack me up to hear people come into the shop and say.."I have this fish...I can not get him out!!!"
Sure you can..it's a fish in a square box of water. You put him in there, you most certainly can get him out. Some just look at this as too much hassle. After doing it several times I realized it's the quickest and easiest way, unless you just get lucky and he hops into the net.


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

Tex Gal, I'm rooting for your CAE... (not to be captured and harpooned) LOL


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## Tex Gal (Mar 28, 2008)

bigpow said:


> Tex Gal, I'm rooting for your CAE... (not to be captured and harpooned) LOL


All are caught and accounted for. Each night I put the 2 liter soda bottle trap in the tank *baited with shrimp pellets and Hikari algae wafers*. (I used 4 pieces of tape!) Each morning I awoke to another fish in the trap. I was left with the one golden CAE that had entered the trap earlier and escaped. I waited 2 days, didn't feed and rebaited the trap the next night with the same food. There he was in the am! All are going to new homes!

Julie - what did you use for bait? Maybe that's the secret. I caught 4 flying foxes, 2 clown loaches and 2 golden CAE's with the bait I used. I also had PLENTY of holes in the bottle so the smell of the bait would escape into the surrounding water and lure them in.


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## JulieJeffers (Apr 7, 2006)

*Mission Accomplished!*

I kept rereading in my mind what Waterfaller1 wrote. 
"Sure you can..it's a fish in a square box of water. You put him in there, you most certainly can get him out. "

It really got to me  Thanks Waterfaller1

I hold a degree in Chemistry and should be able to out smart a fish in a glass box full of water!

So I ended up just watching the little bugger and realized that he takes the same path of self preservation. He hides behind some drift wood that I am unwilling to move on his behalf. But I figured out his pattern.

I just stuck a net in the path behind some plants and waited. I fed the fish and when he emerged I walked over to the tank. He swam right into the net. Idiot.... 
He now lives in a swampy tank outside where he can latch onto and eat what ever he pleases... I personally hope he becomes food for something bigger and hungrier.

My discuss are very happy now.

Thank you all very much for your ideas, comments and support!

Cheers!


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## rich815 (May 21, 2008)

>>>>>>"Sure you can..it's a fish in a square box of water. You put him in there, you most certainly can get him out. "

>>>>>>I just stuck a net in the path behind some plants and waited. I fed the fish and when he emerged I walked over to the tank. He swam right into the net. Idiot....

Thank you. I am just wrapping up on a stressful day (I work in the mortgage business!) and these two lines gave me the LOL I needed right now before heading home..... :thumbsup:


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## nickcamp12345 (May 2, 2009)

after reading all four pages of what you just went through, I will be sure to NEVER get one of those. my brother was telling me to get one, but now i'm positive it's not going to happen. lmao


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## Trallen44 (Dec 10, 2008)

Congrats on the capture!


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## Porkchop (Feb 9, 2009)

I was going to offer the use of my Pop's spear gat...guess you don't need it now huh?


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## ggoldmmember (Sep 14, 2013)

you catch them just after turning on the lights in the morning.. while they are still a little drowsy !!


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