Siamese Algae Eater (SAE) questions

[jaysen]

i've got 3 sae they did a great job in eating algae.they sometimes chase eachother, no aggression towards the other fish.What do you feed them?

i feed zucchini and sinking pellets. nothing color enhancing. seems more genetic than anything. they demolished my staghorn algae and bba. i bought 12, one mysteriously died, the other jumped out. down to 12 and doing well. always eating.

 

[wwg]

mine don't seem to like zucchini that much do you blanch it or anything?they eat spinach and peas

 

[jaysen]

nope they eat it raw but only one or two of them. the rest prefer flakes and pellets. they never stop grazing on algae.

 

[Heady]

I bought 3 true SAE's when they were about 2 inches long. One has since disappeared, and the other 2 are about 5" long now. They play nice with the other fish, UNTIL it's feeding time. The second I put food in there (daily), they jump all over it and vigorously chase everybody else away. Luckily they're messy eaters and spew pieces all over the place while they're tearing it to shreds. Otherwise the others might never get any.

They are always eating!! They do a great job eating algae in general, but they're not very effective at removing it from the sides of the tank. My fish pretty much disappear behind the wall of algae just one week after I clean it off.

I pretty much exclusively feed frozen bloodworms, frozen brineshrimp, and frozen veggies. All of them LOVE it.

 

[gatotsu77]

So I have to ask a dumb question... SAE's will NOT harm discus? Or is it more of they hold the potentiality to but rarely do? I ended up getting rid of my 2 true SAE's per someone's recommendation when I converted my tank to a discus tank. I'm curious as to whether I really had to or not.

 

[skillful abbot]

My SAEs eat the new growth on my java moss. They won't eat the old parts, but they mow down the new stuff like someone trimming a bonzai plant.

Yeah, mine pretty much anything, including my mosses.

 

[gatotsu77]

Just a friendly bump to help get more people to take a look at my recent question. Any opinions/info appreciated.

 

[Lupin]

So I have to ask a dumb question... SAE's will NOT harm discus? Or is it more of they hold the potentiality to but rarely do? I ended up getting rid of my 2 true SAE's per someone's recommendation when I converted my tank to a discus tank. I'm curious as to whether I really had to or not.

SAE's are fine with discus. I did this mix before with no ill results at all.

 

[gatotsu77]

SAE's are fine with discus. I did this mix before with no ill results at all.

Shoot... I may eventually decide to get another one then. I don't see them as an excuse to get out of tank maintenance... certainly not. I do, however, see them as useful for keeping algae on delicate plant leaves in check, and as a fascinating fish in general. Thanks Lupin.

 

[plantling]

So I have to ask a dumb question... SAE's will NOT harm discus? Or is it more of they hold the potentiality to but rarely do? I ended up getting rid of my 2 true SAE's per someone's recommendation when I converted my tank to a discus tank. I'm curious as to whether I really had to or not.

I don't have discus but my SAE's do fine with my Angels.