[Hardstuff]

I bought 3 true Siamese algae eaters for my established 55 gallon dirted tank. I plan on a 2 to 3 week qt for them. They are in a 5.5 gallon planted tank & they are about 2 inches long. The problem is there is one dominant fish that picks on the other 2 but he has a favorite he really likes to kick the hell out of! The one fish is really stressed & it cannot seem to find any relaxation from being chased around the tank.

All in all all 3 fish seem healthy except the one aggressive fish scratches the bottom & objects??? Is this a sign of parasites or is he marking his territory or a dominant thing? The scratching has been limited & so far no signs of spots on any fish. What should I do. QT them longer? Take out the weak fish? I do have another empty planted tank but their qt time is only at 10 days I was planning on a 15-21 day qt for the 3 of them. I really could use some experience on this since I have never had SAE's before. Thanks

 

[OVT]

Do make sure you actually have SAE and not flying foxes and such. Either search the web or post pictures.

I personally have never seen SAE 'marking the territory'. The common thing is to double-check the water params and temp. If all ok, keep checking for ich. While in QT, preventative internal parasite treatment might not be a bad idea.

Aggression wise, a 5.5g is on a smaller side for 3 x 2" SAE. Dumping in a bunch of water sprite and/or broad leaf plants like Green Temple temporarily should cut the aggression down. Spreading larger flat stones / driftwood around the tank won't hurt either.

v3

 

[Hardstuff]

Thanks OVT: I am pretty sure they are true SAE's. They do not have the black markings on the fins such as the case with the flying foxes. There is no red color around the mouth to indicate they are false SAE's either. There is no blue color or coloration around the pec fins either. The black band from the mouth all the way down the side to the folk that is jagged slightly is another good indication they are true SAE's as well. However my fishes black band does not totally make it to the folk, that being said it could be my lighting which is less than ideal. From certain angles it looks like the band may be indeed going all the way to the folk. There is also no lighter color band directly above the black band which is another good indicator they are true SAE'S not false SAE'S. I still have some doubt remaining about there true identity however I have spent a great deal of time researching true SAE'S & all photos & films of them swimming in tanks look pretty much what I have. The flying fox really looks different totally.

I have read there can be aggression even with SAE'S that are true. It could be the confined quarters of the 5.5.

My nitrates are high , 40ppm's or more just coming off a fishless cycle with a already cycled canister. I knocked the nitrates down to 20ppms when I put them in. The store TDS was 600! I tried to match & drip acclimated them. I now lowered the TDS to 490 in the last 11 days now. My goal is 400 in the next week or so to match the 55 they will be going into.

Not sure if Ick traveled in with them. If nothing shows in the next week or so they should be fine. However I thought of treating a little prazzi for flukes but I am not a fan of treating meds if not necessary .