Apisto Fry with SAE?

[Smokentl]

Hi

I've got about 20 Apisto fry about 10mm in length and I would like to know if you could put a Siamese Alga Eater in the tank with them. The tank I have them in is fairly new and the algae is becoming a problem. This is the first time I've managed to raise fry and I would hate to put something in the tank which would ruin all the good work

Regards

Graham Evans

 

[farm41]

My experience with the SAE is it will eat anything that it can easily get. I have 15 or so right now and they will eat daphnia and live or frozen worms, they feed right up with all my other fish. I don't know if a female apisto guarding fry is enough to run them off, I do hope so though, because I have new apisto fry too, and they have two SAE's in the tank with them.

HTH

 

[Neil]

Smokentl,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

At that size they would probably be OK with a small SAE, but it would be safer to put some snails in the tank for algae control.

 

[Randall]

Apisto fry and SAE

Dear Graham,

The truth be known, SAEs really don't consume that much algae compared to some of the other "sucker type" fish, especially when they get older. If you want to keep algae in check, may I suggest that you use some Otosinclus affinis instead? Not only do they consume more algae, they will not harm your precious Apisto fry.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[Cichlids1]

I use dwarf ancistrus (bristlenose) in many of my fry tanks. I have 5 that get rotated from tank to tank. About the time one tank gets all cleaned up, another one is ready for their service. I have yet so witness any of the bristlenose messing with the fry.