# Siamese Algae Eater



## Mark Webb (19 Jun 2009)

Crossocheilus siamensis

I am considering adding 5 of these to my newly planted 260L but my LFS tells me they can be aggresive. Any experiences please? Intending to add tetras and shrimp in addition. 

Are they safe with Cherry Shrimp?


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## a1Matt (19 Jun 2009)

I have heard they can be agressive, but my experience has been that if kept in groups they are not agressive at all.
Mine were incredibly docile actually.

They are voracious algae eaters, but will also chomp through moss you have as well.  They won't eat it completely but will leave it looking a bit stringy\tatty.

I think this topic has been covered a few times before, I can;t rmember what the consenus is on cherries, but you could probably get the answer via the search function.


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## rawr (19 Jun 2009)

I think they might eat baby Cherry Shrimp if they get the chance and they're big enough to do so, but not sure. I know saintly kept them together and bred them succesfully at the same time in a relatively dense planted tank.

They also stop eating algae as they get older.


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## a1Matt (19 Jun 2009)

rawr said:
			
		

> They also stop eating algae as they get older.



Not in my experience.  I had them for about 4 years and they eat algae voraciously the whole time.


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## rawr (19 Jun 2009)

I've never kept them peronally, just researched them quite a lot and that's the idea I got from quite a few sources.


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## a1Matt (19 Jun 2009)

I found the same when I researched them.  Glad I ignored it though. hee hee  That said I have seen some fish be extremely placcid in one tank, move the same fish to another tank and it turns into a nutter!

I really liked my SAE's, they hang around in a group, very social. They rarely stop eating.  and when they move, boy can they move impressively fast!


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## Mark Webb (19 Jun 2009)

Many thanks for the feedback


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## sari (19 Jun 2009)

Actual SAE's aren't aggressive, but there are other species of fish for sale that are not the correct ones. Mostly you see garras and cousins of the real thing and they can be vicious. I love the real things so go shopping with some pictures so you can identify the actual species!


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## a1Matt (19 Jun 2009)

If you have seen a real siamensis croossowotsits just once then you will never mistake a fake one for a real one  
Lots of MA's stock both what they call 'real SAE's' and 'fake SAE's'
I like this as it inspires confidence that they know how to identify the fish correctly.


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## Nick16 (19 Jun 2009)

i found MA were selling the true ones and the fake ones in the same tank. mine dont touch my baby cheery shrimp let alone the adults. 
i started with about 20 mid sized shrimp and the population must be over the 50's now and thats in around a month.


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## John Starkey (19 Jun 2009)

Hi 
i have had eight of these lovely fish and i have never seen any aggression from them at any time,they constantly search for algae,and they are the best hair algae eaters i have ever seen,
regards john.


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## chris1004 (4 Jul 2009)

I have a lone sae, and yes he is definately a true sae, in my 250L planted tank, he's fully grown at around 6" long and very placid. There isn't a lot of algae in there now for him to eat but he still constantly searches for food. He eats just about anything, flake, catfish pellets, bloodworm, tubifex worm, brine shrimp, dafnia, cucumber, spiralina pellets, algae wafers and snails. Yes snails, man I love this fish for that. He/she picks them off the glass in front of me regularly showing a marked peferance for the tiny baby ones. In fact this fish seems to be constantly eating given the chance.

About the only downside is that I would never be able to catch him (without taking all my plants out) as his turn of speed and mastery of his enviroment is simply awesome. Sometimes when startled he bolts (super fast like) which can cause my other fish to be a bit skittish but its a small price to pay for a valued member of my clean up crew.

Regards, Chris.


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## TBRO (9 Jul 2009)

Mine get along fine, they never bother my adult cherries or CRS but I've never seen any baby shrimp, that might just be my fault but I reckon they'd chomp babies. Thay are excellent algae eaters, even tackling BBA, they are far superior to Otto's in that respect but they do indeed seem to nibble on moss which is annoying. 

T


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