NANFA-- Re: nanfa V1 #1577

Terri Vance (kterriv_at_msn.com)
Wed, 05 Mar 2003 21:12:08 -0500

Not all AEs are the same. Though loads better at its job than the
Chinese AE (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri), the Flying Fox (Epalzeorhynchus
kalopterus), along w/ its cousin, the False siamensis (Epalzeorhynchus sp.
or Garra taeniata), are not the best choice of AE for a tank of any
size. All of the above spp. have many inherent problems including:
intraspecies aggression & increasing interspecies aggressiveness as they
grow in size. Also w/ growth comes an ever increasing tendency toward
opportunistic feeding on their fellow tankmates' food while ignoring the
very algae we purchase them to control!

The best choice of AE minnow is the true Siamese AE (also referred to as
the Siamese Flying Fox), Crossocheilus siamensis. This species is
neither aggressive toward conspecifics nor toward interspecifics, nor
does it have the ever increasing habit of ignoring algae for other foods
as it grows.

All of the above spp. are somewhat similar in appearance to the untrained
eye. Identification of C. siamensis can be determined by examining fin
color & length & shape of the black horizon stripe. In C. siamensis, ALL
of the fins are either transparent or milky & free of any yellow or red
tinting. A black horizontal stripe travels from the snout through the
body & continues THROUGH the tail, ending in a point. Additionally, this
stripe is zigzagged along its edges. For reference pics of the various
AE spp., refer to http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/.

Terri

----Original Message Follows----

Subject: nanfa V1 #1577 Date: Wednesday, March 5 2003 Volume 01 : Number
1577

... I wonder if in your case, the best thing to do would be to do a bunch
of regular water changes, cut the light a bit, and get something that
might eat the algae. Some animals were already mentioned but another one
would be to pickup a (dare I mention an exotic on this list.....) flying
fox. They seem to do a good job on this small stringy type of stuff...

Nick Zarlinga
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org