The Siamese algae-eater (''Crossocheilus oblongus'') is a species of

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

family,

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

. This bottom-dwelling tropical fish is found in mainland

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, including the

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

and

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

basins as well as the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

. Its natural habitats are streams and rivers as well as flooded forests during the rainy season. The Siamese algae-eater should not be confused with the flying fox (''Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus'') or the false siamensis (''Garra cambodgiensis''), lacking the distinctive black bands of the former.

Description

The Siamese algae-eater has a black horizontal stripe extending from nose to tail. The stripe can quickly fade to camouflage the fish against its surroundings, which is observed during fights or stress. Genuine ''Crossocheilus siamensis'', without maxillary barbels and with deeply fringed V-shaped upper lip are rarely encountered in the aquarium trade. Siamese algae-eaters can grow up to 15 centimetres (6 inches) within two years, and live for over 10 years in optimal conditions. They are valued in the aquarium trade for being the only known fish species to consume red algae, including ‘ black brush’ or ‘beard’ algae. Closely related is the red algae-eater ''Crossocheilus langei'', a species that is widely sold as the Siamese algae-eater. It has a bright brownish elongate body with a slightly flat belly. It has a prominent brown-black horizontal stripe extending from nose to tail. This fish may grow to measure up to . It possesses small maxillary barbels and an unfringed shallowly arcuate upper lip. Two other similar species are traded as Siamese algae-eaters, namely ''Crossocheilus atrilimes'', a species that prefers

Java moss Java moss is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Taxiphyllum barbieri'' *''Vesicularia dubyana ''Vesicularia dubyana'', known as Java moss or Singapore moss, is a species of moss native to Asia. It is common in the aquarium tra ...

to red algae, and an undescribed species of ''Crossocheilus''. Crossocheilus Oblongus

Aquarium care

The hardy red algae-eater ''Crossocheilus langei'' is commonly found in the aquarium trade and is one of the most popular and effective tank

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

cleaners. They are active and fast swimmers that will school together if kept in a group, but some individuals may display aggression to their own kind or related fish. In general, the red algae-eater can be kept in most

community tank Community aquaria are tanks that are designed to contain more than one species of fish. Most commonly they include a variety of species that do not normally occur together in nature, for example angelfish from Brazil, swordtails from Mexico, and ...

s and is reportedly much less aggressive than similar fish such as the Chinese algae-eater or the

red-tailed black shark The red-tailed black shark (''Epalzeorhynchos bicolor''; syn. ''Labeo bicolor''), also known as the redtail shark and redtail sharkminnow, is a species of freshwater fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae. Despite its name, it is more closely rela ...

. It prefers water temperature range of , a pH range of 6.5–8.0, and a water hardness of 5–20 dH. Because the red algae-eater is effective at controlling tank algae, many aquarists like to place them in heavily planted tanks with strong lighting to prevent the growth of algae. Unlike other aquarium

algae eater Algae eater or algivore is a common name for any bottom-dwelling or filter-feeding aquatic animal species that specialize in feeding on algae and phytoplanktons. Algae eaters are important for the fishkeeping hobby and many are commonly kept by ...

fishes, the red algae-eater is valued for its ability to eat

red algae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

(particularly

Audouinella ''Audouinella'', also known as black algae, is a widespread genus of red algae, found in marine and freshwater environments. The form known as "''black brush algae''" (or "''black beard algae''", ''BBA'' for short) is a particular nuisance in a ...

). The fish, however, is an opportunistic feeder and will eat pellets and most other food, a tendency that strengthens with age. The lid of the tank should be properly closed leaving no large hole for the fish to jump out of the tank. Since they cannot stay in mid water, they love driftwood/rocks and some plants that can support their weight to rest on. Siamese algae-eaters will often school together, but are also content living solo. When two are kept together, they will often establish their own territory as they mature. They can be a long living fish, with reports of lifespans up to ten years.

References

External links

*
Algae Eating Cyprinids from Thailand and Neighboring Areas
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1570265 Crossocheilus Cyprinid fish of Asia Fish of Thailand Fish described in 1823 Taxa named by Heinrich Kuhl Taxa named by Johan Conrad van Hasselt