SAE are fighting

Wildiana

wildiana
Sep 27, 2004
486
0
0
55
Syracuse, New York
i have 3 of them, never had a problem, but latetly 2 of them are going after each other, today they were actually on a stand off! if they keep this up, i'm sure one will not make it.

is this normaly for SAE"s?

is it possilble i have a pair and this is causing the fights?
 
They can be very territorial with their own kind. You should probably consider returning 2 of them. I did however read that in a very large tank a large group of them might do ok together. What size tank do you have?
 
I was just reading on another post that most SAE's are really CAE's or flying foxes, and I'm not sure if those two are as aggressive... But if you really have SAE's, a 29g would be too small for 3 of them, I think
 
Is the tank have decor and / or plants?
I've seen 3 SAE's in a 5G, and they were fine; the biggest was 4"!

I would agree with Holly9937 that they are not SAE's but flying foxes. :(
 
No you are wrong, the flying fox line does extend all the way, FALSE SAE has the line the stops at the tail. SAE only has 1 set of barbels, Flying Fox has 2. Flying fox also has brown color on his rear and top fins, while SAE is clear/colorless. The line on the SAE is jagged on the top while Flying Fox has a nice smooth line.

I have 4 SAE in my 72 and for the first few days the main 2 went at it a bit. No damage was done so it was just a dominance thing. SAE are supposed to be less aggressive than the flying fox who should be kept alone when it's bigger.
 
SAE's usually like to school together. if they are fighting you might have two males and 1 female, or there might not be enough food for them. Biznatch is right, about flying foxes. fllying fox black line does extend. sae are lighter in color usually, flying fox are darker. here is a great sight that shows and explains the difference.
http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/
 
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