SAEs

H

HarmonyMahi

AC Members
Nov 20, 2004
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Are SAEs schooling fish? I tried to order some on the web and the site I went to says I need at least 6! Can I keep two and have them be happy?
 
yes, I think you can. I've got three SAEs and while they do stay together constantly, they seem just fine as a threesome - they're always out and about, not shy at all, constantly nibbling away at the algae. They're great fish, very fun to watch :D
 
They do tend to school. I too only have three but are very happy in my tank. I bought them when I had my algae problem with a couple flagfish and now that they ate it all they eat the flake food and bloodworms. I ordered mine from azgardens.com and the site says you have to order 6, but when I talked to the guy on the phone and said I only had room for 3 he understood and said don't worry about the 6 fish minimum. Call them and ask, they will work with you.
 
HarmonyMahi said:
Are SAEs schooling fish? ....?
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Yes they are. And, yes, you can keep two with no problems at all. Make sure you are getting "true" SAE's and not CAE's! SAE's will have their stripe going 'all-the-way-through' their tails, and not stopping 'at' the beginning of the tail. Be sure to look for that!
Here's a pic of our SAE's .....


40176450.jpg
 
Yeah I bought CAEs under the impression that they were SAEs when I first got my tanks... I won't make that mistake again! The little buggers stopped eating algae and started chasing my other fish. Needless to say, I got rid of them fast.
 
Yeah, the CAE's also have a rough edge that outlines their black stripe. you can tell a true sae by the way it rests on the bottom of the tank. It will prop itself up on its fins so it's belly never touches the gravel. hth
 
HarmonyMahi said:
Yeah I bought CAEs under the impression that they were SAEs when I first got my tanks... I won't make that mistake again! The little buggers stopped eating algae and started chasing my other fish. Needless to say, I got rid of them fast.
Click to expand...

It's sad that CAE's are readily available, when "true" Siamese Algae Eaters are hard to find. At least down here in Florida SAE's are tough to find..
 
SAE's are hard to find because they don't ship very well. On average, you should count on losing around 20% in shipping. It's hard for a fish store to make money on them if they've already lost so many in transit.
 
My SAE was added about two or so weeks ago. I've never seen a fatter fish in all of my life after it began to work on the tank. My only regret is that I don't have a 100+ gallon tank for more of them! They are great fish if you also like growing plants that othersh might like to munch on. Don't be surprised if you see a few nibbles here and there, though.
 
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