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Here's an article to help you out:
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

I've had both Flying Foxes Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus and Siamese Algae Eaters Crossocheilus siamensis in my time. My observations are as follows:

Flying Foxes are reasonably safe with other fishes, but like Red Tailed Black Sharks (which I believe have now been reassigned to the same Genus) tend to be boisterous with conspecifics. Which is why you only put several of them in the same aquarium if you have space. At least one other poster above has noticed the same phenomenon. Furthermore, although juvenile Flying Foxes may be relatively safe with small fishes, I'd exercise caution and only place adult ones with more robust species such as Congo Tetras and medium-sized Barbs.

Siamese Algae Eaters can be boisterous with conspecifics, and will engage in 'chase play' on a regular basis, but they're much less likely to be out-and-out aggressive toward conspecifics than Flying Foxes. They are also superb algae eaters, the only readily available aquarium fishes that will eat thread algae, and they will totally nuke the algae present in an aquarium. I bought two specifically to deal with thread algae in 1999, as 1-inch juveniles, and in about 3 weeks, they had totally eradicated every last trace of thread algae, and 'mown the lawn' that was growing up the sunlit side of the aquarium. However, SAEs grow fast. Mine went from 1" to 4" in something like 6 weeks. So if you're planning on getting a group of them, give them a spacious home!

Oh, and SAEs are also capable of controlling planaria when they get hungry, although they prefer something a little less distasteful if they can get it.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

You give the example of your "Flying Fox" being peaceful. But you don't have a Flying Fox The fish you say is a "False Flying Fox" (and this title is a new one on me from the many strange labels given to this group of fish) is actually an Epalzeorhyncus Sp. , a barb, completely different from a Flying Fox

Bernard, actually, until recently, this is the only fish I have ever seen here for sale as a "Flying Fox", and I didnt say he is a flying fox, I just said he was a "false flying fox". I havent yet seen any fish labelled as an SAE, they are all labelled as "Flying Fox" or as "Foxy Lady Catfish"!!! (Can you believe that one?).
I had no idea he was an Epalzeorhynchus sp. at all! In fact I posted pics on here about a year ago asking what fish he was, and I got repeatedly told he was "Crosscheilus Siamensis" or something like that.
No he doesnt eat algae at all, and never has, and he is more peaceful than a guppy. He doesnt even have a "territory" so to speak. And "Fox" as I call him, is one of my favorite fish. His fave food is Zucchini, and he is just a sweet fish. He is about 4 inches long, maybe a bit less, and I have had him for almost 3 years now! :-)
Thank you for your information, I appreciate it, this fish has always been surrounded in mystery for me, as I cannot find any info on them, or pictures aside from my own.

Greenfootball- I do not know how big your tank is, or what fish are already in it, so therefore I cannot tell you how many SAE's you could have with or without a common pleco- though I assume if you have/plan to get a common pleco, you are aware they require 125g tanks or larger as they majority of these species are behemoths.
I would say though, generally speaking SAE's are schoolers, and would do best in a group of 6 or more. That would require at least 75g of space though, or preferably larger.
If you have ever seen a full grown RTBS or Rainbow Shark- thats how big a SAE gets. A school of them could be quite sizeable!


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darn, there goes my lazy worry-free plan

well, so how many SAE's can i add with/without the common pleco in there?(eventually will give the pleco away)

but i need somebody to clean the glass, and i have no luck with ottos so far, and my clown just cleans his rock, any suggestions?

One of those magnet algae wipers or an old credit card. It's not that difficult, just do it with your water change.

ps. sorry to cause these "arguements" about fish

No probs. Nobody arguing we're just discussing and exchanging point of views. A LOT of useful information in this thread

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

ok now i know the difference, and i went back to the shop where i saw "Siamese FLying Fox" and they are actually SAE, so yeah, confusing you got it. anyways, they are 3.99 a piece, so i think they are worth the investment since they are the only ones i have seen in town, and i have driven miles across town for these guys...

but the problem now is my tank capacity, it will be heavily planted, and i have 4 angels, 1 common pleco, 1 clown pleco, how many more SAE can i add?? i am thinking about giving the small common pleco away so i can stock the SAE, but i need somebody to clean the glass, and i have no luck with ottos so far, and my clown just cleans his rock, any suggestions?

ps. sorry to cause these "arguements" about fish

If the tank's fully stocked not een a small school of SAEs would fit - they get pretty big (5-6" and are hefty for the length. A single Flying Fox would be a better choice.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

is 3 a good number
3 is the max im willing to buy as the tank hes in now is already overstocked.

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''All the clown fish and yellow tangs in the world cant save you now!''

Just taking that extra precaution .
I already had a topic closed today.


Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 26-May-2005 00:04

Not to be argumentative

Feeling defensive today Noodles

I would agree with your assessment totally. Not the worst fish out there by any means, but just requires some thought on compatibility.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

i have 3 flying foxes in a 50g with an angel, a common pleco and 3 clown plecos. the foxes chase each other all over the tank but leave the other fish alone for the most part. in fact, two of the foxes are sitting *inches* from the angel and just sitting right there on the gravel minding their own business. they act very much like the rtbs i used to have many years ago, except that they eat off the glass and plants

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

Not to be argumentative, but I have had flying foxes, and can vouch that they are fairly well mannered if in the company of FAIRLY LARGE, ROBUST fish. Slower tankmates such as angels and discus may be bothered whence running into the aforementioned cyprinid's territory. Also, they should not, ever, be housed with one another unless you plan on buying a 100+ gallon tank.

Last edited by Cup_of_Lifenoodles at 25-May-2005 22:26

Sneaky,
your reply above is a prime example of how all this gets confusing for people

You give the example of your "Flying Fox" being peaceful. But you don't have a Flying Fox The fish you say is a "False Flying Fox" (and this title is a new one on me from the many strange labels given to this group of fish) is actually an Epalzeorhyncus Sp. , a barb, completely different from a Flying Fox and usually given the common name of False SAE.The biggest problem is probably the huge array of names that LFS's stick on this group of fish.

I would agree it is one of the more peaceful ones but that's not the same as saying a Flying Fox is peaceful. Flying Foxes can get pretty territorial and aggressive, especially with others of it's kind. A solitary one in a large enough tank with fish that can handle them would probably be ok.

The main problem with most of these species, except the SAE, is that they may appear to be eating algae, when in fact they are just rooting around the algae looking for other micro organisms. Most of them do squat for algae, they just give the illusion that they do.




Last edited by bensaf at 26-May-2005 04:14

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Lindy,
what you are saying is not entirely true.
My False Flying Fox is mature, and he is so peaceful he makes a guppy seem aggressive!
I am really not sure what species he is, he is the pic I posted up there "False Flying Fox".
Also, I have heard that true Flying Foxes are not very aggressive when mature either, just dont tolerate others of their kind, sort of like their close cousins the red tail black and rainbow sharks.
The CAES are the only ones I have heard of as being highly aggressive, and can speak from experience, my sister had one, once it got around 5 inches, it started trying to eat her 8 inch oranda! Nasty buggers those are.


Alex - You should be happy you got an SAE. Contrary to what you may believe, your SAE will grow to the same size as would have a flying fox (both fish max out around 6 inches) . Really, what you should do is get him some friends- he is a schooling fish who would appreciate even 1 friend, but more are better - like cory cats! This guy will always eat algae, always be peaceful, and they are super pretty when full grown!


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i know this topic probably been discussed a million times, but i cannot identify the difference, can someone help?

Heres a pic of each for you, hope this helps!


True Siamese Algae Eater


Flying Fox


False Flying Fox


False SAE (Chinese Algae Eater)
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Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
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Unless you have the similar fish sitting side by side for comparison, it can be very very difficult to identify a true SAE. Since the flying fox, CAE, and a few other similar looking fish are all not very community friendly (and don't all eat algae very much), it's best to get SAE's through a private fish dealer who can garantee that you are getting true SAEs. I recently mail-ordered a bunch of juveniles through Arizona Aquatic Gardens (http://www.azgardens.com/algae_eating_fish.php) and they arrived in great condition and are great fun to watch.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

my flying foxes have done a *great* job on the algae in my tank. also, the flying fox is easily identified because of the gold stripe running down the body above the black stripe. you can see it in the pic above. if your fish has that, it's a very good chance it's a flying fox.

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

...Am I the only one who here who doesn't find these fish hard to tell apart?

Even in a shipment of 1.5" juvies, I separate the SAEs from the flying foxes in an instant.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

Am I the only one who here who doesn't find these fish hard to tell apart?

If you have seen all these fish in the flesh, so to speak,they are very easy to tell apart, a one eyed donkey could do it. But even that is assuming the fish you saw were properly labelled in the first place.

Problem is the vast majority of hobbyists haven't seen them, not even one species, before, so it is incredibly difficult.

It's not helped by the fact that there are so many ridiculous names given to them adding to the confusion. For a example if a person goes to a store and buys what is labelled as an SAE but in fact is buying a Flying Fox, well as far as that person is concerned an SAE looks just like a Flying Fox



If you know what to look for as regards differences between the species it's quite easy. If you don't it can be a nightmare and is best to buy SAE's from a reputable dealer who you are sure will give you the correct fish.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.