Post by Allaquatica on Jan 29, 2007 19:19:07 GMT -5
The Siamese algae eater, Crossocheilus siamensis, is a more gregarious and tolerant cyprinid that ranges up to 15 cm. It is the only fish that will also graze on 'Black Hair Algae' ( freshwater Rhodophyta, or Red algae). They are not as agressive as the flying fox or chinese algae eater that they are often confused with in petshops (this mis-labelling has earned them a bad reputation for being agressive) These fish will also do a great job of removing the Black Hair algae that no other species will touch and are often used in planted tanks as a cleaning fish of preference. They will eat Algae pellets, flake, and even bloodworms or frozen foods. Keep them at temps of 74-77f (24-28c) same as most tropicals.
A great site on telling the real from the fakes: www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/
