Flying fox

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a solitary, mostly peaceful bottom dweller that gets territorial as it grows, especially toward its own kind and similar-shaped fish. Keep one per tank unless you have a lot of space. It needs that 140 liter minimum, water in the low to mid 20s C, and pH from 6.5 to 7.5. It grazes algae and biofilm but also wants sinking foods, frozen items, and blanched vegetables. Pick robust tankmates that are not slow or long-finned.

In the wild

The flying fox comes from fast, clear forest streams in Thailand and Malaysia, the kind with rocky beds and a steady current. Those streams stay well oxygenated and run slightly acidic to neutral. At home, give it room over a 140 liter tank, smooth rocks and wood to graze on, good flow, and clean water. Aufwuchs, the film of algae and tiny life on surfaces, is a big part of what it eats in the wild.

Good to know

Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus is a cyprinid in the family Cyprinidae, reaching about 16 cm as an adult, larger than people expect from the slim juveniles sold in stores. It has the barbels and underslung mouth typical of bottom-grazing cyprinids. Breeding in aquariums is essentially unrecorded, and the fish in the trade are wild-caught or farmed rather than home-bred.

Did you know

The flying fox is often confused with the Siamese algae eater, and the two get sold under each other's names. The quickest tell is the black side stripe: on a true flying fox it ends in a clean line with a gold band above it, while the Siamese algae eater's stripe is more ragged and runs into the tail. Knowing the difference saves you from buying the wrong fish for an algae job.

Related species

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  Rainbow shark

  Epalzeorhynchos frenatum

  5.9 in (15 cm)32 gal (120 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)

• 

  Red-tailed black shark

  Epalzeorhynchos bicolor

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• 

  Silver flying fox

  Crossocheilus reticulatus

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• 

  Siamese algae eater

  Crossocheilus oblongus

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• 

  Cambodian log sucker

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• 

  Panda Garra

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