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courtesy of danidantje
The latest issue of Aquarium Fish International had some interesting things to say about Chinese Algae Eaters. First is they are not from China, and second is the adults do not eat algae. In fact, the adults become aggressive and feed off the protective slime coats of their tank mates. That’s why a community aquarium can wind up with multiple deaths and one Chinese Algae Eater.
BTW, don’t confuse it with the gentle flying fox, which eats algea throughout their entire life, or the Otocinclus which is smaller.
Flying Fox
courtesy of threefingeredlord
Otocinclus
courtesy of Whisper Photography
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I wonder how it came by its completely false name… there is probably a very interesting story behind that
From what I read, they originate in Asia (thus the Chinese misnomer) and the fry do eat some types of algae. The name is probably all about marketing.