[bou]

cae (chines algea eater) and ahli... http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Gyri ... onieri.php

i have a cae in a fry tank and recently somebody give me 8 ahli (2")
when the cae is added to my fry tank with my acei and red zebra mbuna (1") i have no problem with him but recently when i sale all my mbuna fry i see a new comportement on my cae when i open the light in the morning... the cae try to suck the ahli on the side... but the ahli always move and he not be able to suck... after 2 minutes the light is on the cae don't try anymore...

dangerous for the ahli to loose to much slime coat??? or the ahli is to fast???
you have some advice???

 

[ridley25]

I've read many posts on this site that suggests older CAEs will try to suck the slime coat from cichlids - my CAE turned up dead after 4 peaceful months with my mbuna, so you could say the opposite happened in my case.

 

[cichlidaholic]

bou, I won't keep CAE in my tanks for this very reason.

Yes, it is dangerous for the fryeri (probably not ahli...Those are very rare...)

The slime coat is what protects your fish. Having part of it removed can challenge the fish's immunities, leaving it open to all sorts of infection.

I've seen pics where CAEs did a lot more damage to fish than that, though, so I would remove it. The larger they get, the more aggressive they become.

 

[chapman76]

It is 100% a fryeri. No one in North America has a documented ahli. Trust me. I know. I've been looking for one for about 6 years now. They end up being fryeri or sp. Big Eye.

I agree with Kim. CAE's LOVE fish slime coats and it could easily end up causing the death of the fryeri from stress.

 

[bou]

sorry for the mistake... it's a fryeri...

for the cae (because it is the question) i remove it from my tank...
i isolate it in another tank for the moment...
you know with what kind of fish it's compatible with cae???
only with american cichlid???

 

[cichlidaholic]

The problem with the CAE is that they can attach themselves to any fish, bou...I just don't like them. When they are little they aren't too bad, but once they start to get as large as the fish you are keeping them with, they can be terrors.