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I have 9 juvenile (about 2.5" long) Siamese Algae Eaters in a 30 gal. long planted tank. (they share the tank with a 9" pleco and 2 sparkling gouramis) This morning when I fed them I noticed two of them doing some serious fighting and both had slightly whited out coloring. The others were all fine and basically ignoring the fighting pair unless the lost sight of each other at which point both of them would start chasing the nearest SAE until they ran into each other again. I've had them for about a month now, and I've never seen anything like this. Since the fighters were in stress colors, I couldn't really tell if they were damaging each other.
Has anyone seen this kind of behavior in their SAEs? Should I be worried, or remove the bullies?

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

i would have to say 9 SAE in a 30 gallon is too much!. all though i have limited time with these fish, i noticed that they get very large, and when large they are kinda aggressive. if you have any other tanks around, i would seperate some of them.

I bought them specifically for a 65 gal. aquarium I'm currently setting up. I know they can get up to 6 inches long, but at only 2.5 inches I figured they would be fine in the 30 for a few weeks, and it's a long aquarium (3 ft), so they have plenty of room to zip around at their current small size. Aside from the pleco (also moving to the 65), and two tiny gouramis, there are no other fish.

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

Are you sure they are the true SAE's? Mislabeling along with some difficulty telling the differences between SAE, CAE and flying foxes could mean you have ended up with the wrong fish. I'll try and find a link to a discussion we had not long ago about these fish to help you out. It seems unusual to me that SAE's would argue as you describe. Your tank is not overcrowded or anything so its strange!

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Bottom%20Feeder%20Frenzy/59778.html?200505312210

http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/

Last edited by Lindy at 11-Jun-2005 21:05

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

if they are flying foxes, again not based on experience: said that they may fight among themselfs, but peaceful with other fishes.

In my experience with SAEs, they do tend to fight and chase alot even if they are in large groups. I hear many people say that they are schooling fish, but that is certainly not the case with all the ones I've encountered!

Fortunately, however, no injuries seem to result from their squabbling. I think it is mostly ritualistic bluffing.







Last edited by Cory Addict at 11-Jun-2005 23:01

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

illustrae

To save a lot of confusion can you post a photo please.
I have 6 SAE in my 5ft tank and never a problem well they dont eat the algae any more apprently as thery get older they prefer other foods (well mine do any way)

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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They are true SAEs that I purchased from Arizona Aquatic Gardens.
Here's a picture: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~illustrae/everyday/pictures/pict0005_10.html

They are extremey schooly fish, and while they love flake food, they have done a trememdous job at clearing out an outbreak of hair algae I had. I have heard that they will chase each other, but I guess I just didn't expect it to look so violent or for them to white out like that.

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

What you have to remember about SAEs (Crossocheilus siamensis) is that they are territorial with each other. If they have lots of space, then the fractiousness is reduced, but if they are crowded, then their natural boisterousness will spill over into more serious combat. They can be kept in groups if you have sufficient space, and indeed if you have the space, it's probably better to keep a group of them, but given that they can grow at an astonishing rate, and reach 5 inches in no time at all from little 1-inch babies, their space requirements are considerable. For a group of 6, I'd be looking at around 75 gallons to make sure that they had sufficient space to ameliorate their territoriality, and reduce the activity to mere boisterous and playful rough and tumble.

Also, SAEs like hiding places. They should be provided with a surplus of caves and bogwood arches/root tangles so that they have places to retire to when the rough and tumble becomes too much. A good rule of thumb here is to provide at least 2 caves per fish, so that they're not bickering over prime 'real estate'. Give them space and a surplus collection of caves to call their own, and they settle in quite nicely.

Oh, and they are superb algae eaters: I bought two in 1999 to deal with a thread algae outbreak, and they utterly nuked the thread algae in under 2 weeks. And polished off a thick green carpet of fur that had grown on the sunlit side of the aquarium to boot. They'll eat algae that very few other 'algae eaters' will even look at. If ever you have a thread algae outbreak in an aquarium, true SAEs are the fish of choice to deal with it. They are second to none for dealing with thread algae, and they'll also polish off a brace of other algae species that other fish species will give a wide berth to.

Hope this helps!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002