does anyone have any info on flying foxes? i saw some yesterday called siamese ones but believe they are rare and didnt know till i got home that there was a more common species. do they really eat algae? are they good community fish? i have 1 peppermint catfish about 4", 5 peppered corys, 2 tiger barbs, 5 emerald eye rasboras, 2 peacock gudgeons, 5 pacific blue eyes, 5 silver tipped tetras

there is actualy more than one fish called the flying fox but if its called the siamese flying fox then it is very possibly Crossocheilus siamensis which is peacfull with other species so it is a good community fish but it can be agresive towards it own species. it will grow to about five and a half inches in size. it will eat all types of live food including planerian worms as well as lettuce flakes and algae including thread algae (some people think it is the best algae eating fish around) it will not eat plants the other species called flying fox is the Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus and although a peacfull fish can be very territorial, the way to tell the differance is the Crossocheilus siamensis has transperant fins while Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus has not, also Crossocheilus siamensis only have a single pair of barbels on the upper lip as opposed to two pairs found on Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus.
Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus grows to around six inches

i saw what was called a siamese flying fox but that was before i new there was more than one species. if it is terretorial how will it get on with the peppermint catfish and the corys? i have heard that otos are better fish. any thoughts?

Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus and although a peacfull fish can be very territorial, all this means it will have its own part of the tank it calls home like a lot of catfish do and will chase other fish away if it can. otto's are a very nice peacfull fish and could be a good substitute, although from what i understand from kana i did'nt think they were easy to get hold of in your area

What Da Clunk man posted is the true flying fox, and a great little fish, now with my experience they do get aggressive with ther own kind, a conspecific aggression, but do fine in a community tank. Now another thing my experience with local fish stores is that fish is commonly mislabeled with this littel guy the Otocinclus, another aglea eating fish, only alot smaller and alot easier going. You should do a google search for both these guys adn compare pictures as to what your store has. I recommend this guy over the true flying fox though.

Common names: Otocinclus, Otto, Oto, Pygmy Suckermouth Catfish, Dwarf Sucker
Scientific/Latin name: Otocinclus affinus (other similar species exist, like O. vittatus and O. vestitus)
Maximum length: 1 to 2 inches
Colors: Natural, black
Temperature preference: 70 to 80 degrees F
pH preference: 6 to 7
Hardness preference: Soft to moderate
Salinity preference: Low
Compatibility: Excellent (may suck on large fish like discus and goldfish)
Life span: Unknown, maybe 3 to 10 years
Ease of keeping: Moderate
Ease of breeding: Moderate to difficult

I currently have one in my 10 gallon planted tank with live bearers, and everyonce in awhile i will catch him swimming a little close to my rainbowfish, but he attached himself yet. Other than that, they just plain don't mess with nobody, and they do a great job on algea. You only one of these guys per 10 gallon unless you are going to provide lots of extra food. They are catfish, and like every algea eater they eat consantly.

billy bones here is a link to the fish that jewels was first on about

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and this is the other one

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by the way i like your little profile on the otto, have you thought about subbmiting it with pictures in the catfish species profile ?

Yeah those are flying foxes or siamese algea eaters, or chinese algea eaters, but every darn fish store i go to has the Oto kitty labeled as Flying Fox. I just wanted to warn jewels of the possibility. I actually have a better care sheet and now that i think about it I a few care sheets up on my sight i could submitt with my own pics.

billy bones dont be a if you have some profiles/care sheets with pics then feel free to post them

Well, I have Otto pics, we can just copy & paste Bones' post.

I managed to get 7 Otto's, 7 months after I ordered 10. So suspect we still have a bit of an Otto drought.

Jewel: Malvern Aquarium has the Chinese Algae Eater for 5 or 6 bucks. Laurie (the manager) said he'd ordered another 20 Otto's last week.

Give him a call: 9509 1141. He's a nice bloke. Closed Wednesdays.