Normal Sae Behavior Or Something Wrong?

[CBBP]

SO I jsut got my SAEs today.. they will sit at the bottem and maybe eat some algea then they will swim up against the glss back and forth and up and down then do sit and eat more algea and swim around the medium hieght of the tank for a bit and then do the glass rubbign again... what is up?

My ammonia levels are 0 nitrite is 0 and nitrAte is 5 ish.

 

[Lateral Line]

Pretty much any fish that has been caught, bagged, transported, then plonked into a strange setting will have been stressed, and behave atypically for a period whilst it adjusts. That said, most of what you describe there is typical SAE behaviour.

 

[CBBP]

how long till they actually start cleanning hair algea? and how sencitivy are they.. i had an ammoia spike of 0.25 but I knocked it back down with prime.. no nitrIte spike yet. I need to watch...

I have somke bad news though.. I lsot one but I figured as much whenI saw how he came in. He had a hole in his gill plate and his tial looked like it was bitten off.

 

[Lateral Line]

They are a pretty sensitive species, and in no way should be in a non-cycled tank.

You should not buy fish that have serious damage. It is a shame your shop sold them in that state.

As for eating hair algae, they will eat it, but if there is something better, they will eat that first. If you have a runaway algae problem, adding SAE's may help a little, but you first need to get your system under control.

 

[CBBP]

oh I know.. it was one out of 6.. who knows why he was like that.. the rest seem fine.. I dunno if they are crazy or eatting the algea.. theya re hanging out near the algea wall alot..

I plan to get my system in check no worries..

 

[deni]

My SAEs will swim around in short bursts looking for anything edible then spend time resting plant leaves or on the bottom of the tank. I read somwhere that they have a different, or modified, swim bladder that keeps them on the bottom so they don't get swept away in strong currents. So they can't float and don't swim like other fish. Mine swim up and down the glass madly as soon as they see me near the tank if they think I'm going to feed them! They're good at eating green algae on plants and tank decor, they used to eat some hair algae but now they're old and fat and eat anything they can find.