Hurray!!! I found real siamese algae eaters!!(labeled flyin

[gfink]

I bought two for my 29. I took a picture of some of the BBA I have on my equipment. Hopefully I can post a before an after picture in a few days. They haven't seemed to touch the BBA yet. They seem too interested in my glasso and eco-complete. There must be some better tasting stuff down there that my otos, cories, and shrimp ignore.

 

[Zezmo]

SAE's...eat flake, then moss, then fine leaves plants, and then... if they are still hungry might eat some of the BBA.

No animal will take care of an algae problem while the conditions favor algae over plants.

 

[squawkbert]

Are you sure?
True SAE - single dark stripe, clear fins, stripe to end of tail.

Typical Flying Fox or false SAE -2 light stripes, not so clear fins, stripe shorter:

 

[dapellegrini]

Congrats and Good find! Petco is notorious for mixing them up out here in AZ. When they are very young it can be hard to tell.

When they are still young then seem a lot more content with algae, but as they get big, their palette seems to become more demanding. Their favorite food in my tank is brine shrimp, then my Mayaca and R. Wallichii (now completely gone), followed by perhaps a nibble at some algae. Of course they are all full grown now. Enjoy them while they are young!

 

[gfink]

yeah, I figured they would eat the flakes & green stuff before the black stuff.

They actually had young and older. I picked up the older ones because I was afraid the markings on the youngers might change.

I am pretty darn sure these are the right guys. (checked many articles and photos) FYI use this article for reference: http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/cyprinid.html

Characteristics:
Solid black stripe all the way though tail.
No lighter golden stripe above it.
Scales, not smooth skinned.
Black stripe has jagged edges (due to scales)
Completely clear fins.
Only think I couldn't do was count the barbels on his face. too hard to see, and they sometimes hold them flat.

When I put it in my tank next to my flying fox, the differnce is very clear.

 

[dapellegrini]

It really isn't that hard to tell them apart, with fin coloring and strip on the tail. It is actually good to get these guys medium size, IME, as the really small ones tend to be very sensitive and I have killed more than my share...

 

[zenkatydid]

i got 2 SAEs recently, at about 3" and they have completely taken care of my staghorn problem. i have DIY CO2, so i expect a little instability and will probably have mild cases of staghorn all the time. but with them in the tank, even if they onyl eat a few pieces a week as adults, it should keep it under control.