Loaches Online Forum

Have 4 of these guys



Also, can anyone tell me what kind of moss/algae this is? My brother told me its Java Moss, but from the pics i've seen it definitely isn't. Its very hair-like.



My loaches love to use is like a hammock =)

Java moss covered with green algae?

cool!

Ded1 wrote:Java moss covered with green algae?

What he said. Nice fish

Yep. Java moss with algae. Try taking it out of the tank and swishing it about in some tap water. It will tolerate the chlorine, but the algae won't.

Thanks guys, and once I get a better camera (using my phone right now), i'll get some better pics of these guys! They're only 3 inches long right now but they're so much fun!

Siamese Algae Eaters are excellent at cleanning up this kind of algae. I put three of the little guys in a 55 gal tank with plants that looked like yours, and they'd cleaned it all up in a week. Beyond that, they're entertaining fish--they're energetic, and swim around at all sorts of wierd angles trying to get at algae on the undersides of rocks and such.

They're smallish fish, so I don't know if your loaches would see them as a meal or not. Also, if you decide to get some, be careful, because there are a few similar species that grow up big and mean which might be sold under the same name.

This page: http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/ has a good guide on how to tell SAEs from other fish.

SAE reach 4" and my Clowns (same size) ignore them. In general the SAE are mid-tank fish, but they can perch on stuff, too. Mine are not often on the floor, or under caves, though.
I have one young SAE (1-1/2" in a tank with some Schistura or similar, and, again, no problems.