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New member with concerns

Bugs Indi

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Hi all,
Thought this would be the best place to meet new folk with similar interests and get better advice the all the different answers I seem to get from the many local aquatic shops.

I have one nagging concern and it's my one of flying fox which seems to have an injury on it side that seems to be getting worse and I would hate to lose it as it part of a pair I have had for a few years now. So any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
 
Welcome to the forum :)

I'm sorry to hear of your problems. So we can properly help you get to the root of the problem, could you give us some more details of your set up, please?

Size of tank, a list of occupants, and results of any water tests you've done, plus a picture of the affected fish (if you can; I know photographing fish is very difficult!) would all be useful.
 
Thank you for your reply,
I have tried to upload a photo of the injured fish, but it keeps saying server unable to process

But here is the tank info, It is 140 litre tank and has natural plants and a sand substrate. I have 2 penguin tetras, 2 mollies, 2 flying foxes (the biggest fish in the tank )10 neon tetras, 3 clown fish which are a new addition due to some snails I introduced to combat my alge issue which breed like horny rabbits and exploded in numbers. I have 4 tiny glass type fish which seem to hang around one side near shelter, 2 zebra and 2 leopard tetras ( I think that's what they are called) again not much smaller then the neons I have two Babel type bottom feeders I call ebony and ivory which I have had as long as the foxes and that is pretty much it. My tank for it's size which is 3 ft in length is probably under populated. I have a huge external filter which has had purigen in it for the last month and a half. I have lost 4 fish in the last month which I think is due to one of the fish being aggressive. But I cant figure out which one. I have noticed one of the peguin tetras "stalking" the mollies. But apart from that everything seems fine with water balance. I am taking a sample in to get a proper test done. I do a 35 % water change every couple of weeks. I upgraded tank size from an 80 litre tank over a year ago and all has been well apart from this current situation. I am at a loss now
 
Think I have managed to sort a photo out of the injured fish. Hope it can be viewed
 

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Thank you for your reply,
I have tried to upload a photo of the injured fish, but it keeps saying server unable to process

But here is the tank info, It is 140 litre tank and has natural plants and a sand substrate. I have 2 penguin tetras, 2 mollies, 2 flying foxes (the biggest fish in the tank )10 neon tetras, 3 clown fish which are a new addition due to some snails I introduced to combat my alge issue which breed like horny rabbits and exploded in numbers. I have 4 tiny glass type fish which seem to hang around one side near shelter, 2 zebra and 2 leopard tetras ( I think that's what they are called) again not much smaller then the neons I have two Babel type bottom feeders I call ebony and ivory which I have had as long as the foxes and that is pretty much it. My tank for it's size which is 3 ft in length is probably under populated. I have a huge external filter which has had purigen in it for the last month and a half. I have lost 4 fish in the last month which I think is due to one of the fish being aggressive. But I cant figure out which one. I have noticed one of the peguin tetras "stalking" the mollies. But apart from that everything seems fine with water balance. I am taking a sample in to get a proper test done. I do a 35 % water change every couple of weeks. I upgraded tank size from an 80 litre tank over a year ago and all has been well apart from this current situation. I am at a loss now
penguin tetra group of at least 6 same with zebra and leopard danio (not called tetra) and looks like your "flying fox fish" is really a Siamese Algae Eater (not 100% sure but pretty sure) https://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/may08/siamese-algae-eater-id.htm and finally the clownfish? freshwater clownfish?
 
My tank for it's size which is 3 ft in length is probably under populated
un populated? that is at the maxium or oversrocked i looked it up on http://aqadvisor.com and boy there were problems try putting in all your fish. again freshwater clownfish more details please.aquaadvisor said
  • Warning: Chinese Algae Eater is too aggressive to co-exist with Neon Tetra.
  • Warning: Penguin Tetra is too aggressive to co-exist with Neon Tetra.
  • Note: Chinese Algae Eater will become incredibly aggressive and destructive when they become adults.
  • Warning: Chinese Algae Eater is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 11 inches.
  • Warning: At least 5 x Penguin Tetra are recommended in a group.
  • Warning: At least any combination of 5 are recommened from (Zebra Danio, Leopard Danio) as they will shoal together.
  • Warning: Your selected species may eventually require 280% of your aquarium space. You may need to deal with territorial aggressions later on. Try removing some of (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) or get a larger tank.
  • that was without the glass catfish or clown fish and bottom freeder
 
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Right not clown fish but clown loach....sorry baby daughter who is a nemo fan refers to them as her clown fish everytime she is over. I was sold the two "flying foxes" as this is what they are labelled at all the aquatic stores around here ??? So not sure on that. From research I have done I know I need to get more penguins as to be happy I realise they need numbers. So this in " the pipe line. I am going to double check the tank size that I have given as if you see the tank it is big and I know mates have half the size tank and almost triple the amount of fish. So hence me thinking I am under populated. I have always made sure to get community fish everytime i purchase new fish and enquire with the store to make sure there will be no issues with my current occupants. And yes danios is what they are. I am pretty rubbish with the names sorry.
 
Sorry just to say. I did a quick Google search on the simease/ Chinese alge eaters and the flying fox. My two are definitely flying foxes as they don't have the sucking type mouth of the simease/ Chinese alge eaters plus some other differences.
 
Oh goodness, I was hoping you didn't mean Clown Loach as these guys can grow up to a foot!
They get very large and you (most) do not have the space for them.

Oh ...Hi and welcome by the way :)

But as fish boi pointed out...you're seriously over stocked and are going to run into aggression problems as well as numerous other issues.

You should definitely invest in a test kit of you're own and should most definitely be doing at least 50% water changes weekly! I'd have to imagine with that combo of fish and the size of your tank that your ammonia and nitrates are building to dangerous levels.

Once you get the information that fluttermoth requested we can further help you decide what to keep and what to rehome...
also what might have happened to your injured fish which I'd have to assume is nipping and aggression mixed with water quality issues.
 
First on fish identification, the fish in the photo in post #4 is not a Flying Fox. The fins on the Flying Fox are black or reddish hue, edged with white; those on the fish pictured are all clear. I think the pictured fish is a Siamese Algae Eater (common name). This fish and another commonly called the False Siamese Algae Eater are identical except for the position where the dark lateral band ends; on the False SAE the dark lateral band ends at the caudal peduncle whereas on the SAE this band continues into the caudal fin. The photo here stops just into the tail (caudal) fin and seems to show the line extending onto the fin, so it is a SAE. These species, and a couple others, are frequently mis-labelled in stores; always verify the species before acquisition, as they have differing temperaments.

The scientific name of the true SAE is also confusing. Those not interested can skip this para, but in case anyone is interested, I'll explain. The common name Siamese Algae Eater is regularly applied to several related but distinct species. The species Crossocheilus langei is the one most often encountered in the hobby as the Siamese Algae Eater [SAE] and is the best at eating black brush [aka red beard] algae. The "true" SAE is actually Crossocheilus siamensis, a species initially described by H.M. Smith in 1931 as Epalzeorhynchus siamensis and moved by Banarescu into the genus Crossocheilus in 1986, and which has probably never been seen by hobbyists since the holotype [the specimen collected and used for the description] is the only one known. To further confuse, the fish described as C. siamensis by Smith was subsequently determined to be conspecific with a prior described species, Crossocheilus oblongus, so in fact there never was a C. siamensis as a distinct species, and the name now is a synonym for C. oblongus.

You have some issues here. The SAE is not a small fish, attaining 6 inches. It should be in a group, but some keep it as a solitary specimen (you have two, that's a problem). It should have a larger tank, so frankly I would return them (the injured one may not make it, and the store probably won't want it).

Clown loaches get much larger still, 8-12 inches, and absolutely must be in a group of five or more, sometimes four can work but it is not the best. This fish is highly social and alone or in less than 4/5 will develop serious stress and hierarchial problems. It definitely should be returned, it is not going to be healthy guaranteed.

The aquarium is seriously overstocked now, and water changes must be much more frequent that every few weeks. A change of 50-60% of the tank volume should be done once every week. With the removal of the loaches and SAE, and sorting out the other small fish ("zebra", "tetra", penguin tetra) things could work.

Byron.
 
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