Siamese Algae Eater

1 Siamese Algae Eater Species Profile

The Siamese Algae Eater is native to Southeast Asia. Its overall gray-brown color and slender body make it very suitable for display. It can reach a maximum length of 15 cm and live over 10 years.

Chinese name: Siamese Algae Eater

Binomial: Crossocheilus siamensis

Also known as: Siamese Algae Eater, Siamese Flying Fox

Kingdom: Animalia

Family: Cyprinidae

Genus: Crossocheilus

Distribution: Southeast Asia, including Thailand and the Malay Peninsula

2 Siamese Algae Eater Appearance

The Siamese Algae Eater can reach a maximum length of 15 cm, but because it can live over 10 years, it generally takes two years to reach this size—growth is very slow.

The fins are transparent or slightly milky white, with no yellow or reddish sheen. A black stripe runs from the nose to the fork of the tail, with a zigzag (sawtooth) edge. When stressed or fighting, the black of this stripe fades noticeably. The lower body is silver-white; above the black there is no bright stripe, but the whole upper body is brown with each scale edged in black, making it look net-like from above. Some black-edged scales may appear below the black stripe.

The Siamese Algae Eater has a pair of small forward-pointing barbels that fold against the cheek when swimming or resting. In young fish the long black stripe is also easy to see, but until it reaches 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches) the black-edged scales and zigzag edge are not clear. Fish sold in shops are generally 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches).

3 Siamese Algae Eater Habitat and Care

The Siamese Algae Eater is a mid-water fish. There is no certain way to tell sexes; only a rough estimate from appearance—adult females are slightly plumper than males.

The recommended temperature is 24 to 26 C (75 to 79 F). Best in soft water with pH 6.0 to 7.5. Because it grows slowly, a planted aquascape is recommended to mimic its natural habitat and improve its environment. It is a famous jumper, so a covered tank is important. If the tank is custom-made and the glass lid cannot be replaced if broken, use plenty of floating plants, which is quite effective against jumping.

4 Siamese Algae Eater Feeding

The Siamese Algae Eater is herbivorous and not picky, so feeding is simple. Its temperament is also gentle and it lives peacefully with most fish, but it cannot be kept with the Red-tailed Black Shark.

The Siamese Algae Eater is not picky. It accepts ordinary fish food, algae wafers, and cucumber slices. Do not overfeed, or it may become lazy. It prefers flake food to algae. If the tank is heavily invaded by black beard algae, reduce feeding to encourage it to eat the algae. It is said to even eat planarians, which is a useful bonus for tanks infected with them.