Algae Eating Shark?

wolfnature

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Dec 20, 2002
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Everett, WA
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My LFS has some fish that are listed as 'Algae Eating Sharks' that look similar to SAEs. Does anyone know if this is a different name that is sometimes used, or if it is something different?
 
AES, SAE - they've moved the S!!!

I'm kiddin, but I would imagine that if they do looks like SAE's, and apparently do the same job, then they are probably SAE's under a different name.

Hope this helps,
Michael.
 
Some of the fish over in that particular branch of the Cyprinid family are sometimes called Sharkminnows. Fish like the Red-Tailed Shark and the Bala Shark are relatives of the Siamese Algae-Eater (SAE), who is also called the Siamese Flying Fox in a lot of places. Its also easy to confuse the SAE with the False Siamese and the Flying Fox.

For true SAEs:
1) the fins are clear 2) the black stripe extends through the tail and has a jagged edge 3) the scales on its back have dark edges 4) there is either no or an indistinct stripe above the black line.

Crsia_u0.jpg


IME when they are freaked out in a fishstore they get paler so that 3 & 4 can be unreliable: the fish gets too pale to see the edging and whatever faint stripe there is gets more pronounced as they get pale.

HTH
 
Could also be these. This is a False SAE, Very often shipped as a Flying Fox, or a SAE, which it is not.

fsaeb.jpg


Also I have seen RTS (Red-Tailed Sharks) eating algae, as well as Flyign Foxes, False SAE's, and almost any Garra species.

--Mia
 
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