My Flying Fox

[SnowJob]

as far as I know all these names mean the same fish.

I have one, they grow fast and become too aggressive and territorial when full grown.

does a good job cleaning algea though, even hair algea which is a happy surprise.

I'm getting a bigger tank in the spring so I'll keep him for that but in a tank smaller then 55 gal don't bother.

my two cents.

PS just in case anyone is wondering, I am not confusing this algea eater with a chinese algea eater, which is totally useless since it doesn't eat algea and has a serious attitude problem.

 

[rdd1952]

as far as I know all these names mean the same fish.

I have one, they grow fast and become too aggressive and territorial when full grown.

Actually there are 3 different fish that are extremely similar but have very different behavior.

A flying fox has a stripe that runs from nose through the fork of the tail. The stripe is very dark and bold through the tail. They also have a dark back. They will become aggressive towards their own kind when they get older so you should have only 1 in a tank. They will eat some algae.

A Siamese Algae Eater also has a stripe that runs from nose through the fork of the tail but the stripe is faint in the tail. Their fins and tail are clear to slightly milky in color. They eat lots of algae and are not aggressive. They are schooling fish and I have 4 in my tank. They do occasionally chase each other but only playfully and never bother the other fish.

The False SAE has a stripe that runs from the eyes to the tip of the body but not into the tail. They eat almost no algae and will also become aggresive with age. Once again, only one per tank.

 

[SnowJob]

as far as I know all these names mean the same fish.

I have one, they grow fast and become too aggressive and territorial when full grown.

Actually there are 3 different fish that are extremely similar but have very different behavior.

A flying fox has a stripe that runs from nose through the fork of the tail. The stripe is very dark and bold through the tail. They also have a dark back. They will become aggressive towards their own kind when they get older so you should have only 1 in a tank. They will eat some algae.

A Siamese Algae Eater also has a stripe that runs from nose through the fork of the tail but the stripe is faint in the tail. Their fins and tail are clear to slightly milky in color. They eat lots of algae and are not aggressive. They are schooling fish and I have 4 in my tank. They do occasionally chase each other but only playfully and never bother the other fish.

The False SAE has a stripe that runs from the eyes to the tip of the body but not into the tail. They eat almost no algae and will also become aggresive with age. Once again, only one per tank.

won't argue with you then...

question is now, which one do I have, I'll have to check this out when I get home from work.

Everything I've read online and LFS employees I talked to at two different places told me the same thing, they are all the same fish...thus reason I though it was. Then again I'm not a biologist...

oh well, you learn something everyday! Thanks for the info.

 

[rdd1952]

As strange as it seems, most LFS sell them as siamese algae eaters of flying foxes (they will indeed tll you they are the same thing) but they may be any of the three. You would think they would know the difference. But they are so similar though, maybe they do know the difference and figure that the consumer won't and they can pawn them off for something they're not.