# Experiences with Siamese Algae Eaters



## Alyssum (Feb 23, 2015)

I'm new to planted tanks. I'm currently setting up a 55g and I've heard mixed opinions on siamese algae eaters. Some say they can get aggressive toward each other or other fish, they must be in a school, they move fast and will disturb dwarf cichlids, they eat moss, and they stop eating algae after they get to a certain length...I wanted to know if you've found any of these to be true. A lot of people seem to swear by them and others have had horrible experiences of them terrorizing other fish. I am also unsure how many I should get if I do decide to get some, as they grow quite large and the mixed tales of aggression mentioned above. I'd like to have them as sort of a "preventative". I don't have many plants yet and I plan to add a bunch of plants at once. It will be a low tech tank. I'm going to be adding about 16 corys, some rummy nose, endlers, and a german blue ram (maybe a pair). I don't want the SAE terrorizing my precious corys (my favorite) or blue ram, so I am a bit nervous about it. Opinions?  From what I've gathered it seems they have "personalities" just like people and it would be hard to tell what they will do.


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## tclancy (Jan 29, 2014)

I've had 2 in my 75 gallon that were about 5 inches. They never bothered any other fish. I added 2 small ones to my 40 gallon and they mind their own business and sometimes will swim back and forth with my rummy nose.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Their relatives are several of the 'sharks' and these relatives may be quite territorial, especially toward each other. 
But IME the SAE is a very peaceful fish, and does not tear up plants.


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## Alyssum (Feb 23, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. If I were to get some, how many? Should I just stick with one and see how it goes or several?


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## DirtDevilDTOM (Nov 10, 2014)

I have two SAE that for most of the time are extremely peaceful and are constantly picking stuff off of leaves and driftwood - no problems at all. Lately, I have noticed that every few days they tend to pick at each other a bit for a few minutes. When this happens they tend to both turn a grayish color instead of the gold/black coloration.

I haven't figure dout if they are fighting or some type of mating thing? From what I read (briefly) they are tough to breed in the tank so I am thinking its more likely they are fighting. But after a few minutes, they go back to normal and go back to cleaning - most of the time they are together.


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## lilbri (Mar 18, 2015)

its the false sae that are mean and the chines aldge eater is very mean


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## caique (Mar 16, 2012)

lilbri said:


> its the false sae that are mean and the chines aldge eater is very mean


 
2nd this these are the ones you have to worry about.

Depending on your stocking already I would go with 3 or 4 only because they do like to school, and they are fun to watch. Mine were all over the plants at first but already they seem to like the food I feed them twice a day better. I feed them food from Almostnaturaltropicalfishfood.com
best food around IMO. Just simply read the ingredients its a no brainer.

I have 4 in my 120 just put them in a month ago they are always out in the open and are fun to watch they school a lot too.

I have never seen them go after any of my other fish, if they get big and pissy they will be donated to the local fish store and I will get some more babies.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

Had SAEs for over 10 years. Max size is 6 inches. They will eat algae their entire life but will not turn down easy fish food either. They will also eat the side shoots off of moss leaving just a stringy skeleton. Do not get moss if you have SAEs. Depending on your tank size, SAEs like company of their own kind, 2 or 3 are minimum, but they are not schooling fish. Mine have never shown any aggression toward each other or any of the other fish in their tanks. Make sure the fish you get have only one set of barbells and that the black lateral line goes all the way through to the end of the tail to ensure you get the real deal.


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

*sae*

I have four sae and they are extremely docile. No aggression what so ever. They are constantly cleaning the leaves of my plants. I love them. But, you must make sure you get true sae . which is sometimes not easy to do. If yours are aggressive , then they are not true sae.


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## Alyssum (Feb 23, 2015)

Would three disturb german blue rams? As I said before, I have a 55g so i don't want it too crowded, so I'm debating whether to get just 1 or 3. I've read a lot about all of the fish out there mistaken for SAE, so that is a concern. I asked my LFS if they were SURE they are SAEs. They seem to know what I'm talking about and I will be inspecting them myself before buying. She said they will be available on monday, so I'm trying to figure out what to do.


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## Linwood (Jun 19, 2014)

I have two SAE in a 45G, and six in a 220G. They are extremely entertaining, as well as useful. They are a "big" fish even though small -- very fast, very very active. I would be inclined not to put more than a couple in a 55G unless they are the only/main fish.

I did a lot of reading about "true" SAE, and you should before buying. I've found very experienced fish stores with them mis-labeled, as well as the Pet* chains. I bought mine labeled "Flying Fox" but they are actually SAE -- the reverse happens probably more often. As best I can tell the key things to look for are the black stripe extending into the tail fin, clear not colored fins in general, and one pair of barbels on the mouth not two. The latter to me is the easiest to tell from the flying fox, but you have to be able to get a real good look (the second set is behind the mouth, more on the side, of the flying fox; Wikipedia's drawing is actually better to go by for the two mouths than the photos). 

Mine are extremely aggressive eaters. They just cleared all the staghorn/hair algae I had, as well as the BBA (I did not have much of the latter, but it is gone). Only place they wont' eat is Jungle Val pu at the surface in the water flow. 

BUT... they wills swarm any type of food added to the tank aggressively, whether flakes, bloodworms or (especially) algae tablets or veggies I am feeding the plecos. They seem to prefer hanging low and getting what falls through the surface feeders, but will go where ever the food is. Fast. They do not harm other fish going for it, but they can sure intimidate them, and get there first. It does not seem to keep them from grazing for algae, but if you have timid eaters they will make it harder to feed them.

Did I mention VERY fast. I actually bought 6 intending to move one or two to the small tank. An hour later, covered with water, and having tried two nets separately and together... I went out and bought two more for the small tank. I couldn't even come close to catching any of the first 6 in my 220G, at least not without destroying all the rocks and plants. Fast and skittish. 

They do not really hurt my plants, but they do zip around through them and occasionally break loose leaves from crypts or wisteria. I think they do it by running into them, not from their eating habits -- their grazing is incredibly dainty, kind of buzzing along the leaf.

While fast I agree they are peaceful; they chase each other quite often, but I never see them bothering any other fish. While fast and active, they have shown no sign of being territorial. I have them with Angels (including a pair in one tank), serpae tetras, barbs, molleys, congo tetras, plecos, and rainbows. No fireworks with anyone. 

I see no difference in behavior between the two, and the six, so I think all the advice "must get 5 or more, or just one" is questionable. Mine are pretty big (maybe 4.5-5") so I think into adulthood, and seem well adjusted both as 2 and as 6. The two appear to be a pair (based on body shape and some guesswork), so that may help.

All in all the best value in fish I bought -- entertaining, cleans algae... what's not to like.

Oh... be careful... they JUMP. I've never had them jump in the display tanks, but while acclimating them I had them in about 3" of water, dripping into to a bucket, with about 8" of bucket above. I came in later and 3 had jumped out and died. Amazingly high jump given the shallow water. They seem happiest in the middle/bottom of the tank now, but be careful if they get spooked or while acclimating.

Bump:


Alyssum said:


> Would three disturb german blue rams? As I said before, I have a 55g so i don't want it too crowded, so I'm debating whether to get just 1 or 3.


Personally I would get two. They seem very social with their own kind, and I think they will be more entertaining. Three probably won't hurt, but they take up a lot of space just from being so fast. Other than trying to get in the front of the line for food they won't disturb your Rams. 



Alyssum said:


> I asked my LFS if they were SURE they are SAEs. They seem to know what I'm talking about and I will be inspecting them myself before buying. She said they will be available on monday, so I'm trying to figure out what to do.


Frankly I would not trust them. Not because they want to fool you, but I really think there's a lot of honest misinformation floating out there. A very, very reliable guy sells them as flying fox, because that's what his distributor told them.

You may already have these but in case not: 

Well researched descriptive article

Wikipedia article - look at the drawing

Wilipedia flying fox - see drawing


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## Beefy (Mar 6, 2015)

I tried keeping true SAE in a 29G several times about 10-12 years ago. Had to get rid of them each time as they caused great stress in my corydoras at feeding time.

I eventually gave up and replaced them with a bristlenose pleco. While b/n's can still be a bit gruff, they move a lot slower and tend to be content when they have actually settled on the food. I found them to be a much more entertaining fish to watch as well.


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## Alyssum (Feb 23, 2015)

Hmm, it's a tough decision. I'm not sure how I would keep the SAE from eating the cory's food during feeding time. I didn't want to sound naive when I said the LFS sounded like they know what I was talking about. I don't trust their judgement. They're really good with fish, but it seems really easy to make a mistake with these. I've looked at several articles explaining how to tell them apart, but can't really say how good I'll be "in the field". Thanks for the pics. I'm not sure how BN plecos will do with corys, from what I've gathered they like "their spot" and will guard it. Could go either way I guess. I'm also not a fan of plecos in general look wise, but that's just personal preference.


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## Beefy (Mar 6, 2015)

If you just want a guaranteed-peaceful cleanup crew, consider otocinclus. They won't be a centrepiece fish like an SAE or b/n might be, but will get the job done with very little bioload.


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## Linwood (Jun 19, 2014)

Beefy said:


> If you just want a guaranteed-peaceful cleanup crew, consider otocinclus. They won't be a centrepiece fish like an SAE or b/n might be, but will get the job done with very little bioload.


I tried them before SAE. They are indeed - very peaceful, almost don't know they are there. But I couldn't get them to eat staghorn algae. 

They are also often abused in transit and many people report high mortality during the first 30 days or so, though that likely varies a lot based on where you buy them. I bought 7, and six died in the first few weeks. The other survives though, and is healthy.


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

So would a rubberlip pleco. Smaller than BNs and gets along great with corys. I have one with some salt and pepper corys and the corys breed in the tank. He does not bother the fish and is better in eating algae than any BN.


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## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

Beefy said:


> If you just want a guaranteed-peaceful cleanup crew, consider otocinclus. They won't be a centrepiece fish like an SAE or b/n might be, but will get the job done with very little bioload.


^+1^
I would add 4 oto's.


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