All fish / Cyprinidae

Siamese algae eater

Crossocheilus oblongus

Also known as siamese algae eater, sae, siamese flying fox, true siamese algae eater, siamensis, crossocheilus siamensis, siamese algae-eater, algae eater, ปลาน้ำผึ้ง, ปลาเล็บมือนาง, サイアミーズ・フライングフォックス, ikan siamese algae eater

A slim, silvery-brown cyprinid with one black stripe running from the snout right through to the end of the tail fin. It is kept mainly because it grazes on algae, including the black brush and red algae most other algae eaters ignore, and it stays active and peaceful in planted community tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Group of 3 to 6, or a single fish in smaller set-ups

Diet

Omnivore: algae and biofilm, algae wafers, blanched vegetables, sinking pellets, bloodworm and other small frozen foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 10 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Mekong and Chao Phraya basins and Malay Peninsula to Indonesia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia)

Breeding

It scatters eggs, but breeding in home aquariums has not been reliably recorded. Fish in the trade come from commercial farms that use hormone injections.

Good to know

Often mixed up with look-alikes such as the flying fox (Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus) and Garra species, which are more territorial and eat less algae; the true species has a black stripe running into the tail and a clear fin edge without gold. It jumps well, so use a tight lid, and older fish may eat less algae if they are fed generously.