Siamese Algae Eater Question

[jonnyf84]

will a siamese algae eater be comfortable with a day time ph of 6 and a night fluctuation up to 7-7.3?

I plan on having just one of these in my 36" community, for its activeness and algae eating, will a male or female be better and what are the differences?

Cheers.

 

[Rafael Dilone]

will a siamese algae eater be comfortable with a day time ph of 6 and a night fluctuation up to 7-7.3?

I plan on having just one of these in my 36" community, for its activeness and algae eating, will a male or female be better and what are the differences?

Cheers.

Size: May grow up to 6 inches (15cm) in length, however these fish usually grow to around 4-5 inches.(10-12.5 cm)
Tank: 30 gallons minimum
Strata: Bottom, Middle
PH: Soft, acidic water, 6.5-7 (tolerates a much larger range span)
Hardness: 5° - 20° dH
Temperature: 70°F to 84°F (21°-29° C)

So you will need to raise your pH a bit in order to keep it ideal conditions even if it may tolerate the current pH you have. One is recommended for every 5 gallons.
Siamese algae eaters are hard to sex but females are fatter than males and look more rounded when viewed from above. No other differences are known. Nothing is known about breeding this species in aquariums without the aid of hormones. It is reasonable to assume that changes in the water (temperature, pH, hardness) and current conditions might trigger spawning in well conditioned fish.

 

[philak]

I have two in both of my tanks. I was told they are best in small groups , with a minimum of 2, and they are always together in my tanks.

 

[Ben M]

i have a group of 5 in my 4ft, i have been told that they like to live in groups of five or more. they're always playing and are really active. they eat loads of algae and dead plant matter that always appears in my floating plant.

really good tank cleaner.

 

[Sanj]

I have 6 siamensis and one reticulata in my system. I think your system should be ok, stability is more important than whether your ph is 0.5 higher/lower than what a website says. There is a natural swing in ph in planted systems, i do not think yours will present much of an issue. Do you switch off co2 over night? if not then that would help reduce swings.