Siamese Algae Eaters

The differences are very subtle :/
 
The lateral line is finer on the atrilimes.
 
The most obvious differences would be when they are adults as their full sizes are very different.
 
Not the easiest of species to tell the differences if just seeing one specie in a LFS tank with nothing to compare to....
 
I must admit that the differences between those two species in the photos on SF are difficult to distinguish, as Ch4rlie mentions.  Seen in a store tank, I would not know which was which unless both were there, and perhaps not even then.  We also don't know how the lighting in the two photos may affect the colour.
 
There are presently 20 valid described species in the genus Crossocheilus, as listed by Dr. Eschmeyer in the authoritative ichthyological catalogue database of CAS.  Now, this does not mean they are all going to appear in the hobby; they all occur in SE Asia, though from different areas at least in some cases (as far as I know, I am not going to track each one down).
 
Akasha, it is extremely unlikely that you have C. siamensis, as I explained earlier; this species is not even a valid one now, as the name is a synonym for C. oblongus the correct species, and as Matt Ford mentions in the SF profile of C. langei, "It [meaning, C. oblongus] was described as a blueish fish with yellow fins and is almost certainly not the ‘SAE’ in the aquarium hobby."  I would venture that you and others who have the "SAE" almost certainly have C. langei if it appears according to the description we have been tossing around.  Though having said that, as all these fish are imports from the wild, it is increasingly possible that other species are being collected and as Ch4rlie said the names are frequently inaccurate unless the collector has sufficient ichthyological knowledge to know the differences.  Of course, if the species are in separate populations and not overlapping, it is much easier to determine the correct species from the locale it comes from.
 
Byron.
 
I'm just worried these monsters of mine are going to turn into tank busters 
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 I'm going to have to watch them ... I was hoping they'd stopped growing but with a max size of 15cm they could well have some more growth to come. If that comes about I really don't know what I'll do 
shout.gif
  ... scream? 
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 wave bye bye? there isn't a smilie for panic 
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I know one way to identify them is by looking at the stripe, with a regular Flying Fox it will be a completely straight stripe while Siamese Algae Eaters will have kind of a zig-zag pattern
 
yes 508, that's one trait. The flying fox also has 4 barbels and the black lateral line stops at the base of the tail. It may also have black lines through it's fins and possibly a red edge too.
 
The false siamensis has the line going into the tail but instead of tapering off it gets wider. That's all I know about them.
 
This thread has taught me some more info about them so thanks for bringing that about :D
 
my fish was tagged flying fox.....
anyone confirm that they are not?
 
thanks
 

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From that photo, the fish is not a Flying Fox, Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus, which has white-edged red and black coloured fins.  It is also not a False Siamese Algae Eater, Garra cambodgiensis, since the black lateral band extends into the caudal fin.  So that means it is likely Crossocheilus langei the Siamese Algae Eater, or one of the closely-related species as we have been discussing in this thread.
 
Photo of a Flying Fox attached.
 
Byron.
 

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Ha, I knew it!
As soon as I saw them I knew they were SAE but I just needed it confirmed. I bought a group of them, nice little find!

Thanks Byron :)
 
it also looks to be sat on it's fins - that's another trait of the true SAE :)
 
I love it how they all follow each other, my new favourite Fish after the weather loach.
 

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