In search of the true Siamese Algae Eater – get ready for the confusion!

So we know the true Siamese Algae Eater is the Crossocheilus siamensis which is often confused with the Flying Fox (Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus) and not so similar Chinese algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) as well as a fish known as the False Siamese Algae Eater (Garra cambodgiensis) which prefers fish food to algae.

                                Garra cambodgiensis

                        Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus

Often they are found in the fish store in a tank labeled – Algae Eaters which then house an array of fish that all look like a true Siamese Algae Eater.

Lots of shops mislabel these fish so Siamese algae eaters can also often be found under Flying Fox as well as other names.
The names in shops:
Algae Eater, Thai flying fox, Siamese flying fox, colorful flying fox, Epalzeorhynchos sp, trunk barb, Chinese catfish as well as an array of wonderful other names.

The only real gem for planted tanks is the Crossocheilus siamensis as this is the one that WILL eat brush algae (red algae) unlike most other fish…. All others also rather eat fish food and will not touch any algae.

So how do we tell them apart from a false Siamese algae Eater? Well the rule so far has been that the fins should be be all clear and the black horizontal line goes all the way to the tip of the tail. Sounds pretty easy but it seems one of those things so many get wrong…including publications (Baensch Atlas has a picture of a fake SAE instead of a true SAE in the book) and the internet has an array of wrong images listed under Siamese Algae Eater.

You may now smugly look at your tank and think ‘YES, I have a true siamensis’ but don’t get excited yet. Even if you have eliminated the chance of it being a flying fox, garra, or chinese algae eater there is more to come……

Intrigued as to how so many people can be confused a little research was needed…
It seems a whole group of fish who look very similar and near identical all swim in the same habitat and these are all caught up and labeled as one of the above names and sold in the shops.
So even in one tank in the shop you can have a mix of near identical fish who are actually different fish – yes it is so confusing but it gets even worse…

Here it comes… what you think may be a genuine Crossocheilus siamensis may actually be :-
Crossocheilus oblongus
Crossocheilus Langei
Crossocheilus atrilimes
Crossocheilus citripinnis

WHAT?????
Yip these guys all swim around together in a habitat and believe me they all look like the real deal…but don’t act like the real deal when it comes to Algae.

 
                              Crossocheilus oblongus

 
                             Crossocheilus Langei

                           Crossocheilus atrilimes

Note that in images the coloration varies depending on stress as well as lighting etc.

There is a whole art to telling these guys apart which comes down to shading in a certain light, the exact millimeters of the horizontal stripe as well as the barbels or lack of. To make matters worse the one and only TRUE named Crossocheilus siamensis very very rarely is imported and nearly does not exist in our tanks.

So who is the imposter you thought was your true Siamese algae eater?

If you are lucky it is the Crossocheilus Langei which I believe we all label as and know as the true Siamensis – these guys are the only real brush algae eaters. All the others prefer fish food….

If you are unlucky you have the Crossocheilus atrilimes who favors soft plants and moss which makes sense to me now…. some people report their SAE eating moss etc. whilst other say they don’t touch theirs.

If you have a Siamese Algae Eater and are curious as to which one you really have now here is an excellent link:
http://math.muni.cz/~niederle/tabulka.html

After a head breaking hour I have discovered that I have 2 x Crossochelius Langei & 1 x Crossochellus Oblongus & 1 x Crossochellus citripinnis

Two of mine I believed to be Siamensis - the back one is a Citripinnis and the front on is a Langei (note the coloring is the same but the snout is different)

World Ranking top 27 Aquariums - PLANTS LAYOUT CONTEST 2008

The winners have been in a while but thought I would share some of my favorites from this years top ranks.

Although there is no denying they are all amazingly beautiful I tend to lean towards the more dense set ups purely as I believe fish don't enjoy the sparse all low plant set ups and fish always come first with me ;)

I love the 'branches' in this

I could look at this all day...just beautiful and natural looking - My personal favorite and it came in 14th place

This reminds me of a real forest

The depth and roots in between the foreground plant are lovely

To feast your eyes on all the winners please visit:

International Layout Contest 2008

Low Light Aquarium Plants

So on a follow up on the blog I did about plant nutrition a few days ago the questions are flowing in on do I need CO2?...are my lights strong enough?..etc..etc...

If you have never ventured into the world of aquarium plants as you are scared and cannot be bothered with all the hassle of special ferts, high lights, CO2 then don't bother with all that!!  There are enough beautiful and interesting plants that are happy enough in a low maintenance every day lighting kind of tank.

Here is a list of EASY and LOW LIGHT plants

Anubias are great and undemanding...only condition is not to plant these but rather attach them nicely to some rock or wood.

Anubias barteri var. barteri which also comes in an array of versions like marbled etc.

Anubias barteri var. nana - same as above but mini version & the nana version comes in some varietes"
Anubias bar. var. nana 'Yellow heart'
Anubias bar. var. nana 'petite'

Normal Anubias barteri var. nana

Anubias barteri var. nana 'Marble'
 

So there is an Anubias for e very size tank as well as lot's of nice variations - just remember the name Anubias Barteri and you can't go wrong ;)

For mid and foreground nearly all Cryptocoryne also work great! and they come in all different kinds of leaf shapes & colors.

All Microsorums - Java Ferns will also work and there are variations - it takes a disaster to kill these in the tank...even with no light for some weeks they do great.
           

For backing plants in the scape you cannot go wrong with:

Hygrophila Polysperma (please note illegal in some countries/states)
Hygrophila Tiger Sp.
Ceratophyllym demersum
                 
Bacopa australis
Bolbitis heudelotii

To finish off the whole look of a low light tank you can add some nice drfitwood with moss attached....mosses are also easy and can look very effective and impressive in a scape.

HAPPY PLANTING!

Update on Apisto Cacatouides Fry and Angel Fry

Pictures say more than any words  LOL

Back & Lost some fish...

Holidays are always risky as a fishkeeper...you can leave a manual for someone to take care of your fish the size of the bible but things can still go wrong.  Only you know your fish the best and know when something is up.   Unfortunately I lost some friends whilst I was away...

Rhett my Apistogramma MacMasteri was the most painful - he was a true beauty in character and looks.  R.I.P little friend.
Also lost some hemigrammus bleheri and my discrossus filemantosa male Anakin.

The lifecycle continues though... on my return the Angels promptly welcomed me with a nest

and since yesterday the Apistogramma Cacatouides Triple Reds are free swimming

 

The show tank had turned into a jungle  LOL

So I spent a good while pruning it right back - a bit drastic but it will grow in nicely within a week or two plus it is nice to see some of the fish again <grins>
 

Caring for your live plants - Nutrition

Get to know your aquatic plants like you get to know your fish…watch its growth, coloring and read about its needs in a book or reliable Internet site. I am going to try and outline the needs and deficiency’s here as simple as possible.

The Major nutrients needed for plant growth are carbon, nitrogen, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur.

As with everything in life though it is about balance and finding what you need for your individual tank as every tank is different add to that the fact that many of those substances are toxic to the plants & fish in very high amounts – eeeek!!!

 
        Java Fern is undemanding and grows in any light

I am one of the first to agree that it all seems scary & frightening as there is a lot of information to take in at the beginning but once you have found that beautiful balance it is just a case of throwing in the right amount of the right nutrients every week with your water change – easy peasy!

So where do we start…
Too little nutrition and the plants suffer and too much nutrition you get an algae outbreak – but not every tank needs added nutrition to sustain healthy plants. Every tank already has small amounts of the needed nutrition on its own. The nutrients in your tap water and in your tank substrate make up what you already have.

1st Rule - check your set up and lighting and chose your plants from there as this can stop a lot of heartache from the word go...there are hundreds of aquatic plants available so definitely some for each tank set up.
If you put a high light plant in a low light tank no amount of nutrition is going to turn it into an amazing plant and vice versa….stick a low light plant in a high light tank straight under the lighting and it is just doomed to be covered in algae in no time and may even suffer leaf burn.
Remember to check the plants preferred pH range also when looking for your tank and match it to yours.

2nd Rule - don’t spend hundreds on special substrates – check your chosen plants needs but basically all that plants need are a not too compact substrate (anaerobic) which allows the nutrients to get to the plants easier.
Yes I am going against what the advertisers tell you LOL All that specialized substrates do are allow the nutrients to chelate more (Chelators - These are organic “coatings” that keep the nutrients from binding with other substances which the plants cannot access. Plants break down and use these chelators, the Bacteria in your tank also release small amounts of the nutrient into the water over a period of time)
Most bottled nutrients or tabs have chelating agents in them so I don’t see the point in doubling up. Upside of specialist substrate is that you may need less nutrient supplements over time but I would like to add that peat & humic acid are natural chelators so if you put a little of either (really just a little bit) if your tank that is not meant to be a High PH tank you have a wonderful and cheap way of cutting the costs of nutrients also.

3rd Rule -Check where your plants get their nutrition as every plant is different.
Heavy root feeders such as Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne or Anubias spp. Don’t really care about the liquid ferts….for these use root tabs.
Most stem plants & floating plants are leaf feeding so love the liquid stuff but a root tab here and there can also help them a lot.

4th Rule – Before throwing any ferts in check the bottle/packaging.
Good companies will list all the goodies on the packaging – Nitrates & Phosphates are a no-no!!! Instead check it has supplemental potassium and possibly magnesium as well as other trace elements.
You can make it as complicated or as easy as you like… some companies bring out a separate bottle for each supplement and others have good all round in one supplement.
Don’t always stick to the dosing on the packaging!! Every tank is different – a 10 Gallon tank with 2 plants is going to need a lot less than a 10 Gallon heavily planted set up.
Use common sense…. The companies go by the average… if you only have a few plants use less if your tank is overflowing with plants use more or spread it over 2 times a week.

5th Rule – Don’t start throwing in nutrients like a mad professor… when you first add the plants don’t do anything other than maybe a few root tabs here and there!!!
Watch them for a while – a lot of them will be fine. If they do start to wither away don’t panic – plants are strong and pick up really quickly again.
It is a lot easier to add what is needed rather than start cutting things out (which the plants may need) and you end up in a vicious cycle.
Plants take a little while to bounce back after a change as with everything in the aquatic world it is about patience. If you do start to add something give it a good month or two before abandoning it and trying something new or adding something else. Usually at the way the plant is withering you can tell what it is lacking.

6th Rule – Don’t panic if your newly purchased plant starts to change color or wither away.
Most plants need to adjust to the new water and substrate they are being put in. Many aquatic plants are also grown out of water so need a period of time to adjust to being underwater in which time they can first wither away or dramatically change in appearance. Some High Tech LFS’s have recently been keeping aquatic plants in CO2 tanks – if you don’t have a tank with CO2 then the plants have to adjust.

7th Rule - Low Light tank: If you have a low light tank and suitable low light plants your regular water changes and fish feeding are probably giving your plants all they need – if you add nutrients algae can take over as that is all you are feeding. Usually the only problems that arise are iron or magnesium.
8th Rule - The higher the light the quicker the plant growth the more nutrients the plants need – simple huh?
If you are adding CO2 or/and have high lights the chances are very high that you really need to use a schedule of dosing every week to keep up with the plants demands.

9th Rule – Don’t make it all so complicated for yourself… relax and take your time with plant choice, nutrition etc. Your plants are your guide – if it isn’t broke don’t try to fix it. It is not a science and if I can do it so can you!

10th Rule - Fish come first - plants last!!! Don't do anything that could harm your fish in any way in the name of having a beautiful planted tank.

So on to the deficiencies remember many symptoms are possible..these are only indications of what could be going wrong but are a good guide to start with to track down the problem.

• 
  Carbon dioxide deficiency – small leaves, very slow growth, white deposits on leaves.
• 
  Nitrogen deficiency – Old leaves turn yellow and in very high light tanks reddish. Leaves die off very quickly.
• 
  Phosphorus deficiency – Very similar to Nitrogen deficiency with leaves dying off Small dead areas appear on the leaves. Leaves can turn dark green and stunted growth.
• 
  Potassium deficiency – Yellow spots, withering tips on older leaves. Pinholes also appear and slowly enlarge
• 
  Calcium deficiency – deformed new leaf growth (bent, cupped, curved). Damage and die off of growing points. Yellow margins.
• 
  Magnesium deficiency - Yellow spots on old leaves. Often appears similar to iron deficiency since mg deficiency prevents a plant from properly using iron. Yellowing of old leaves starting from edges while major veins remain green
• 
  Sulphur – yellowing of new leaves or reddish in very high light set ups. Similar to Nitrogen deficiency.
• 
  Iron deficiency - Leaves grow in pale or yellow, Greenish nerves enclosing yellow leaf tissue. First seen in fast growing plants and the leaves can look transparent.
• 
  Manganese deficiency - in new leaves yellow areas between veins, while the veins themselves remain green. The tissue between the veins then dies, producing elongated holes in the leaves. These symptoms can also be seen in the presence of excess iron because this condition can block the uptake of manganese.
• 
  Copper deficiency — The tips of the new leaves die and margins wither. Excess copper will kill a number of plants, including Vallisneria, Ludwigia, Sagittaria and others.
• 
  Zinc deficiency — On old leaves yellow areas appear between the veins, on the margins and at the leaf tip on older leaves.
  Boron deficiency — In new leaves growth tips die. The plant produces side shoots, but these also die quickly. Similar to Calcium.
• 
  Molybdenum deficiency — Yellow spots between veins on old leaves first. This is followed by brown areas along leaf margins. Flowering is inhibited.