# HELP! A problem that really sucks



## Onoma1 (12 Jan 2019)

Please refrain from snorts of incredulous laughter when reading this post.

Ok in the mists of time when I first set up the first community tank for my kids I was sold a small ‘algae eating’  ‘suckerfish’ by the rather friendly young salesperson in the fish shop/ pet supermarket. I was told it was a great community fish and just ate algae - nothing but algae - it's a herbivore -  think of it as the 'cow of the fish world' they said. Last year when I converted my ‘kids’ tank into a test aquascape (n.b. after the kids went to Uni) the rest of the fish were re-homed, however, I kept this ‘algae eater’ and indeed was quite pleased with the fact that this useful fish had been nurtured to a ripe old age and a decent size. I hadn't seen much of it over the proceeding years, however, assumed that was benevolently eating algae during the nights and then returning to its hiding space to digest the night's bounty. 

Catching it from the community tank was rather a pain as despite it's size it has Houdini like abilities to escape and I ended up draining the tank and putting the tank on its edge to net the thing. I transferred it across, to the larger new spacious tank and it disappeared behind the hardscape of larva rock. I didn’t see it for a few months and felt rather guilty as I thought that the trauma of the transfer had killed it.

Early this morning I got up and to my delight I saw the fish resting in the tank. However, I  swear that the fish looked directly at me before wiggling back into the jungle of plants and into a lair at the midst of the hardscape in quite a menacing manner. This didn't seem the behaviour of a placid algae eater.    I thought that as researched all the other fish that I had I should now perhaps check up on the fish to learn more about how I should care for it.

Ok – so what I have is a mature and fairly large sucking loach ‘Gyrinocheilus aymonieri/ Psilorhynchus aymonieri. A quick search on internet reveals that this an aggressive territorial fish that will destroy delicate plant and as an adult will be less interested in algae eating and more interested in terrorizing the other occupants of the tank (https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/databank/sucking-loach-chinese-algae-eater-). It’s an omnivore and will suck/ eat other small slow moving fish and shrimp.

On the positive side my angst about not being able to sustain a breeding population of cherry shrimp is now relieved. It wasn’t the KH, PH, water temperature or feeding regime that led to the poor things disappearing one by one instead it was the fact that they were in fact fish food (very expensive fish food). Rather like the 1987 Predator films one by one the poor sods were picked off by something hiding in the vegetation. On the negative side the sodding thing has eaten 15 cherry shrimp, three amano shrimp and is probably at this very minute stalking the remaining three shrimp, eyeing up my rather shy green neon tetra (now I know why they are shy) and possibly planning to assault my innocent, playful and rather delightful Otos.  After which it's probably deciding which one of my plants my delicate and rather expensive plants it should trash today. While I may be slightly over-reacting I think it has to go.

Now to the point of the post. What should I do? I think that I will need to strip down my tank to the substrate and try and net the thing. Is there any alternative way of dealing this this - should I just let it be?  Almost any advice, comments welcome.


----------



## Ady34 (12 Jan 2019)

Sorry your post made me laugh....

I think you unfortunately already know the answer, last time you had to strip the tank and tilt it on edge to catch the blighter 
Alternatively keep it as a single fish only tank with hardy plants and be traumatised by the fishes taunting character daily when you see it......or don’t see it  

You could try something like this, how effective they are I don’t know but if you believe the paraphernalia on the box D) then you will have success 
https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/breedi...5SNROQapby8_40qgl6ZUkYO2F5f0NwnQaAsepEALw_wcB

Cheerio


----------



## Kalum (12 Jan 2019)

Plastic bottle trap maybe worth a try, cut off top 1/4 of bottle, place food inside and insert cut off section the opposite way around inside the 3/4 section of the bottle


----------



## goldscapes (12 Jan 2019)

Classic post!

First, I’m no expert, but what I would do is check Seriously Fish as well as Fishkeeper, it’s good to get more than one opinion.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/search/Sucking+loach

Unfortunately they do seem to be in agreement! It does say they live about 15yrs, if yours is close to that then you could hang on in there and let nature take its course...

If not then this could be a golden opportunity to setup a high flow long shallow tank scaped like a riverbed. Spend some time researching suitable tank mates (which in theory should be possible) and get them in the tank first before moving yours in with them.

But then I’m totally hooked by this hobby and whenever I visit a new house I end up daydreaming about where I would place aquariums...

There is a great example of the type of tank I mean on here, I just can’t find it at the moment...

Wait, here it is!
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/5ft-bookshelf-aquarium-river-scape.52040/

Good luck!


----------



## Tim Harrison (12 Jan 2019)

I kept them way back in the day...and they are a complete blahblahblahblaher to catch, even with the confounding two net strategy. My tank inevitably resembled the Somme afterwards. I'd definitely get rid of it, but maybe give one of the other methods a go first, you never know your luck...


----------



## TBRO (12 Jan 2019)

You could also try fishing for it! Hooks come in tiny sizes 22 -26, can also get barbless ones pre attached to fishing line. Blood worm or shrimp as bait? 

Probably not what most people would want to do but depends how badly you want it out!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tim Harrison (12 Jan 2019)

TBRO said:


> You could also try fishing for it!


----------



## rebel (12 Jan 2019)

Just empty the tank up to 90% and use two nets.


----------



## Onoma1 (13 Jan 2019)

Thanks for all of the helpful advice. This fish is (or should I say was) a sod to catch. It is now out of the tank.

In the end I had to empty the tank of the hardscape, plants and other fish, drain the tank down to find it camouflaged in a small pool of water at the back of the tank.  This was not the normal two net capture. The rest of the green tetra's are pretty traumatized.


----------



## Mark bowen (19 Jan 2019)

At least you’ve got it out


----------



## Onoma1 (20 Jan 2019)

Mark bowen said:


> At least you’ve got it out



Absolutely!  Delighted that it's now gone.


----------



## Coys (24 Jan 2019)

My method for catching overgrown Siamese Algae Eaters (once they lose interest in eating algae) and Bristlenoses (once they develop a preference for eating plants), both notoriously difficult to catch in a heavily planted tank, is to use a thin stick to chase them from their hiding places towards the net.

Which reminds me; time's almost up for my three Bristlenoses...


----------



## sciencefiction (19 Mar 2019)

Coys said:


> My method for catching overgrown Siamese Algae Eaters


----------



## Onoma1 (20 Mar 2019)

sciencefiction said:


> View attachment 122707



Amazing...I have heard of trout tickling https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trout_tickling but not Siamese Algae eater tickling...

Any chance you could pop round and work your magic with 30 odd green neons?


----------



## sciencefiction (20 Mar 2019)

Onoma1 said:


> Any chance you could pop round and work your magic with 30 odd green neons?



I don't know why they're so friendly... Besides rubbing their bellies every so often I haven't done anything different


----------

