algae eater and zebra danio

Question

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-----Question-----
i have  a 6 gallon tropical community tank ( 1 zebra danio 2 gold micky mouse paltys a mechanical chemical and biological filter  change the water once a week) i recently got an algae eater and have algae on the walls and on lots of it on rocks but all the algae eater does is swim up and down the glass all day never eating any of the algae the fish was marked for tropical community tank and we also had got a zebra danio and had one in the tank we we got him hes was swimming with the other fish and doing fine but then that morning it looked like part of his mouth was gone but he wasnt bleeding he just had his mouth open we tested the water and it was fine he died later that day and had lots of blood by its gills and mouth but didnt earlier that day did on of the fish go try to eat it and it caused it to bleed i couldnt figure anything out what do u think about that and the algae eater. Thank you very much for all your help
-----Answer-----
Hi Taylor;

Sometimes fish stores will sell catfish as algae eaters when they aren't. Little cory cats tend to swim around like that. They can be pretty hyper. They don't eat algae either. Look at the link to the following list with photos of some of the fish your "algae eater" could be, let me know if you see yours there and which one it is;

http://www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/list.aspx?category=1

It's hard to say for sure what could be the cause of redness on your poor lost danio. He may have been attacked by one or more of the other fish being a bit territorial. He was the new guy and was stressed from being in a new home so he would not have been as strong as he should have been. Or, he had an infection. Fish don't bleed after they are dead, but could be injured if they are dying already. Sad but true. Watch your other fish for signs of the same in case it was something contagious. Make a 25% water change to help boost your fishes' immune systems. The 25% changes should be done weekly all the time to help your fish feel their best anyway.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

my algae eater is on the list its a little ways down there but here is the scientific name Gyrinocheilus aymonieri he sometimes does suck on the walls and as i looked we had brown algae from adding stability could that have been why he didnt eat it or is he not an algae eater and does that particular algae eater suitable for a tropical community and could it have attacked the zebra danio??
thank you very much for all your help

Answer
Hi Taylor;

Those algae eaters are pretty mean guys. They get predatory as they grow and he gets too big for your little 6 gallon tank anyway (6 to 10 inches). It is very possible he attacked the zebra. I would recommend replacing him with a little guy called "Otocinclus". They are the only algae eater that stays under 2 inches and are docile too.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins