How to tell male and female algae eater fish apart??

Question

I'm starting a new fish tank and want to get fish in 2's, 1 male and 1 female. The first fish I'll get will be algae eaters. How can you tell male from female? I plan on going to Walmart and getting the basic algae eater. Any suggestions or websites will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

There are many different types of algae eaters, more commonly the ones that are sold under that name are Otos, CAE's or SAE's. Find out the scientific name of the algae eater you plan to buy.

I wouldn't buy from wal-mart, they generally keep their fish in horrible conditions.

Answer 2

DON'T BUY AT WALMART!!!!!!! go to pet smart or pet-co or any other fish store unless you have fun watching fish die. i know that your local fish store/pet store should able  to tell you.

Answer 3

i would just get one algae eater, unless your tank is pretty big.

if you want fry, then go for live bearers, like mollies and guppies.

Answer 4

If by "algae eaters" you are thinking of a common pleco, I hope you have a very large tank, as they grow to be over 15" and require a 55-gallon aquarium. (They are also not possible to s*x.) Most other "algae eaters" need at least 30-gallons.

You need to research your fish very well before adding them to your aquarium. Here are a few good sites for that:

http://www.aquariumlife.net/fishsearch.a...

And

http://www.peteducation.com:80/category_...

Also, if you have not already done so, be sure to read up on cycling your tank before you even think of bringing home any fish:

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

It does take a bit of patients, but a properly cycled tank is imperative to a happy, healthy tank.

Finally, never, but never, buy fish at Walmart. They are famous for selling disease-ridden fish that will likely not survive and can permanently contaminate your aquarium. Petsmart, Petco, and other big-box stores are also a gamble, and tend to have sales people who, while completely ignorant in fish keeping, have no problem dishing out ridiculously bad advice to the novice fish-keeper. Your best bet is to find a good aquarium store in your area, where you will get better advice/trouble shooting, and healthier fishies.

Good luck.