do you know why they call it a Flying fox?

DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR · 05-01-2008, 08:26 AM

i never thought much of it.

but now I do, and i will share it with you.

tuesday i went to the lfs and got 3 amano shrimp, and 2 FLYING foxes.
anyway, got em home. stuck them in my 10 gallon quarentine tank. (this tank is ghetto. has the wal mart 10 dollar filter,(no complaints here) a LID made from plexi scraps, and it uses the mini fridge underneath it as a HEATER. (actually works quite well)

but that is all besides the point.

i went to check on them tonight a few minutes ago, and only one was in the tank! the other one..Escaped!! apparently he had a bit of business on the outs to handle. i dont know. the tank was covered except for a small gap about an inch wide. by the time i found him he was all dried up and linty..

i guess he would have rather died than spent the rest of his life eating algae. after all i cant blame em... but my lfs has gotten kinda sketchy and i dont expect il be able to find anymore of these guys for a while. i got the last 2.
its too bad, i guess a different guy is managing the fish over there. they dont take care of their tanks near as well as they used to

they brought in a few handfulls of discus that i picked out 4 from. a week later they were eating and healthy in my tank at home, i went to the store and there was about 15 of them, DEAD wrapped around the filter tube and laying on the gravel..

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**dthb4438** · 05-01-2008, 10:49 AM

I had maybe three or four flying foxes and they did quite well eating algae for eight or nine months. When they got bigger, they stopped eating algae and just ate regular fish food. You would be better off with ottos anyway. I got three of the tiny little buggers and they keep the tank spotless.

**eyebeatbadgers** · 05-01-2008, 11:24 AM

I've had a few flyers in the past as well too, and they certainly enjoy carpet surfing.

JAXON777 · 05-01-2008, 12:28 PM

Yea I recently got three for my 100 gallon open top. OOPS got only one left now. They jumped at least five feet from my tank.

**John7429** · 05-01-2008, 03:09 PM

lol fish are so weird sometimes...

**Bugman** · 05-01-2008, 03:22 PM

It's not just the flying foxes. SAE are jumpers also. Have to keep a cover on the tank. I stated out with 6 and now only 2 are left. They wait till I do a trim on the plants and sieze the opp to jump.

newshound · 05-01-2008, 05:12 PM

flying foxes are better not in your tank.
sae and ottos are way better algae eaters.
I love watching my sae cruse the tank in a loose group eating algae. Like a herd of cows in a field.

rasetsu · 05-01-2008, 07:19 PM

Decent chance the surviving one harassed the other one and caused him to jump out. They don't like being around their own kind. I had 3 juveniles at first. Down to just one big one now. He doesn't even really like the SAEs. He'll chase them a little bit but then realize they aren't Flying Foxes and swim back to his cave.

Max F · 05-01-2008, 07:47 PM

I had one and he was a sorry bastard! Used to harass all my other fish and didn't eat a damn bit of algae. One day I got fed up with him harassing my rainbow fish and off went his head! Never resorted to that before (other than for humane reasons - i.e., sickness).

Eitumba · 05-02-2008, 12:02 AM

I hear lots of complaints about the Flying Fox, but I rather love mine. I have one in my 40g, and he is fabulous. Eats lots of algae and cruises around the tank beautifully. He does have a habit of chasing the SAE around the tank on occasion, though, which is a little bit annoying.

He eats a good amount of algae still (going on 2 years), but more than anything just looks pretty and sleek.

xiaxia · 05-07-2008, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John7429

lol fish are so weird sometimes...

haha very true

DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR · 05-09-2008, 05:20 AM

so i went to the lfs store the other day.

spotted a tank filled with young SAE!!!!!!!!

got 4 of them... they are cool. they swim in a school and they are addicted to algae

SammyP · 05-09-2008, 02:44 PM

yah i remember a few years back the LFS guy sold me like 7 or some rediculous number for a 20 gallon that was grownig some nice BBA. Anyways, these guys turned the tank into a highway... They all followed eachother around the tank in a really fast circle. it was like nascar or something.. all the other fish were so frightened it was kinda funny. Within a week i was down to two and then one by the end of the month. the others all went carpet surfing. These fish are psychos!

05-01-2008, 08:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 60	do you know why they call it a Flying fox? i never thought much of it. but now I do, and i will share it with you. tuesday i went to the lfs and got 3 amano shrimp, and 2 FLYING foxes. anyway, got em home. stuck them in my 10 gallon quarentine tank. (this tank is ghetto. has the wal mart 10 dollar filter,(no complaints here) a LID made from plexi scraps, and it uses the mini fridge underneath it as a HEATER. (actually works quite well) but that is all besides the point. i went to check on them tonight a few minutes ago, and only one was in the tank! the other one..Escaped!! apparently he had a bit of business on the outs to handle. i dont know. the tank was covered except for a small gap about an inch wide. by the time i found him he was all dried up and linty.. i guess he would have rather died than spent the rest of his life eating algae. after all i cant blame em... but my lfs has gotten kinda sketchy and i dont expect il be able to find anymore of these guys for a while. i got the last 2. its too bad, i guess a different guy is managing the fish over there. they dont take care of their tanks near as well as they used to they brought in a few handfulls of discus that i picked out 4 from. a week later they were eating and healthy in my tank at home, i went to the store and there was about 15 of them, DEAD wrapped around the filter tube and laying on the gravel..

05-01-2008, 11:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
eyebeatbadgers Moderately Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (12) Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Madison, TN Posts: 948	I've had a few flyers in the past as well too, and they certainly enjoy carpet surfing. __________________ Filstar #105

05-01-2008, 03:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
John7429 Sergeant (View User Tanks) PTrader: (25) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 444	lol fish are so weird sometimes... __________________ Sergeant of Marines

05-01-2008, 03:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bugman Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 125	It's not just the flying foxes. SAE are jumpers also. Have to keep a cover on the tank. I stated out with 6 and now only 2 are left. They wait till I do a trim on the plants and sieze the opp to jump. __________________ 55 gal, SMS red, 4x65 CF, XP2, Pressurized Co2 with aqua pump reactor, AP substrate ferts. Rainbows, Angels, Panda Corys, Rams and Otos. 55 gal, SMS red, 4x65 CF, XP2, Pressurized Co2 with aqua pump reactor, AP substrate ferts. Guppies, Cardinals, Panda Corys, Yoyo's and Otos. 20 gal.H, SMS red, 3x14 Coralife T5, 150 biowheel, Guppies and Panda Corys.

05-01-2008, 05:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
newshound Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: May 2005 Location: northern ontario canada Posts: 365	flying foxes are better not in your tank. sae and ottos are way better algae eaters. I love watching my sae cruse the tank in a loose group eating algae. Like a herd of cows in a field. __________________ under stock over filter

05-01-2008, 10:49 AM	#2 (permalink)
dthb4438 planted member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (14) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hollywood, Maryland Posts: 180	I had maybe three or four flying foxes and they did quite well eating algae for eight or nine months. When they got bigger, they stopped eating algae and just ate regular fish food. You would be better off with ottos anyway. I got three of the tiny little buggers and they keep the tank spotless.

05-01-2008, 12:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
JAXON777 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: DFW TX USA Posts: 58	Yea I recently got three for my 100 gallon open top. OOPS got only one left now. They jumped at least five feet from my tank.

05-01-2008, 07:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
rasetsu Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 181	Decent chance the surviving one harassed the other one and caused him to jump out. They don't like being around their own kind. I had 3 juveniles at first. Down to just one big one now. He doesn't even really like the SAEs. He'll chase them a little bit but then realize they aren't Flying Foxes and swim back to his cave.

05-01-2008, 07:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
Max F Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 7	I had one and he was a sorry bastard! Used to harass all my other fish and didn't eat a damn bit of algae. One day I got fed up with him harassing my rainbow fish and off went his head! Never resorted to that before (other than for humane reasons - i.e., sickness).

05-02-2008, 12:02 AM	#10 (permalink)
Eitumba Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: May 2007 Location: Alexandra, VA Posts: 5	I hear lots of complaints about the Flying Fox, but I rather love mine. I have one in my 40g, and he is fabulous. Eats lots of algae and cruises around the tank beautifully. He does have a habit of chasing the SAE around the tank on occasion, though, which is a little bit annoying. He eats a good amount of algae still (going on 2 years), but more than anything just looks pretty and sleek.

05-09-2008, 05:20 AM	#12 (permalink)
DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 60	so i went to the lfs store the other day. spotted a tank filled with young SAE!!!!!!!! got 4 of them... they are cool. they swim in a school and they are addicted to algae

05-09-2008, 02:44 PM	#13 (permalink)
SammyP Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5) Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Westbury, NY Posts: 313	yah i remember a few years back the LFS guy sold me like 7 or some rediculous number for a 20 gallon that was grownig some nice BBA. Anyways, these guys turned the tank into a highway... They all followed eachother around the tank in a really fast circle. it was like nascar or something.. all the other fish were so frightened it was kinda funny. Within a week i was down to two and then one by the end of the month. the others all went carpet surfing. These fish are psychos! __________________ 10 gallon tank 15 neon tetra, 5 red phantom tetra, 11 ottocinclus, 9 cardinia japonica AH supply lighting, Seachem and greg watson ferts, eco-complete

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