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Finding SAEs

     Hi All,
        I have noticed that the comment of not being able to find SAEs in a 
     certain area, keeps coming up. Thought I would do a quick post that 
     may help some of you find them. 
        A great many, if not most, people working in the fish departments 
     of stores have no idea what an SAE is, much less what they look like, 
     or how to tell the difference between SAEs, False SAEs, Flying Foxes, 
     Chinese Algea Eaters, and a few others fish that have a similiar 
     appearence when young. 
        My first suggestion is download the article on the KRID by Neil 
     Frank and Liisa Sarakontu on SAEs. It has good black/white sketches, 
     and excellent discriptions of all these fish. Read it through and keep 
     it available whenever you visit a fish store. I keep a copy in the 
     glovebox of all three of my vehicles. 
        Whenever you see a fish that is similiar to an SAE, get your copy 
     and compare the fish that you are looking at to the 
     description/pictures. This way you can narrow down the possibilities, 
     or elimenate the fish as a choice.
        I have come across SAEs under a slew of names. Chinese Algea Eating 
     Sharks, Flying Foxes, Algea Eating Sharks, Chinese Algea Eaters, 
     Assorted fish from SE Asia, are a few of the names I have seen. My two 
     favorites are Foxey Ladies and Unknown SA Algea Eater (So America ?). 
     No points for close on that one.
        The local stores kept telling me the same thing when I first 
     started asking for SAEs; They're not available here, cannot find a 
     source to order them, etc. To be fair, I would guess that this 
     mis-labeling starts from wherever the SAEs are caught and shipped 
     from. 
        When I started comparing fish at the stores to the 
     description/pictures I found a lot of SAEs in different stores. Many 
     in tanks with a mix of SAE (True and False), Chinese Alge eaters and 
     Flying Foxes. 
        When I bought the last batch of 20 to add to my group ( $1.25 US ), 
     I explained to the store owner what he had. He had a couple of other 
     fish that I was interested in, so after checking out info on them I 
     decided to purchase one of them. When I returned to the store, the 
     tank with the SAEs was relabeled, and SAEs were $4.98.
                        Hope this helps some of you find some
                                Doug Underwood