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> Re: Indian Algae Eater?
> From: Walter & Jeanne Klockers <klock at olynet_com>
>
> While fish shopping yesterday, I stumbled upon a fish I hadn't seen
> before. There was a tank with about 100 of them. I wondered "why on
> earth would someone order so many dull-looking fish?" They were about 1"
> in length, silver in color with no black markings. Their shape and habit
> reminded me of the Walking Tetra (Characidium fasciatum). They "blipped"
> along the bottom. The owner of the store called them "Indian Algae
> Eaters," and claimed that they eat brush algae! ZOWNS!!! Anyone ever
> hear of this fish and do they *really* eat this form of algae?
Walter,
the Chinese algae eater seems to be sometimes called as Indian algae
eater, but your fish doesn't sound like a CAE. The behaviour you
describe is normal for many Garrinae fishes (SAEs and their
relatives), and as many of them come from India, I guess that they
are a Garra species.
They eat algae and normal fish food, and the species I have seen
don't get very big. I don't know about that brush algae eating,
but let them try! If you have room in your tank, get few of them
and report us later what happened to your brush algae! But before
buying look at them very closely: perhaps they still are very pale
CAEs with that sucker mouth. Garras don't have a sucker mouth, but
a sucker disc on their lower lip and sometimes the mouth looks very
much like a sucker. Some Garras (or most of them?) are territorial
when adult, but they shouldnīt be aggressive towards any other
fishes than their own species and close relatives. If they don't
show any aggression now in the shop tank, you could get a small
group of them (letīs say at least 3) but if they have already
trying to chase each others, get just one.
There are few dozens of silvery, brownish and greyish Garras from
Asia and Africa. Some have a distinct stripe along their sides
(like Garra cambodgiensis, which might be the "false siamensis"),
some have spots but most are just very plain-looking. Baensch
4 and 5 seem to have a lot of Garra pictures, but I'm not sure
if the names are right.
Liisa and her three different Garra fishes