Flying Fox

The flying fox (Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus) is a slim, torpedo-shaped cyprinid from the streams of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Thailand. A bold black stripe runs from the snout right through the tail, with gold-brown above it and a pale belly below, and the fins carry dark bands edged in white. It is regularly confused with the Siamese algae eater, so check which fish you are buying — the two behave quite differently as adults.

Aquarium care

• Reaches around 15 cm, larger than most people expect.
• Grazes algae readily when young and becomes less interested in it with age.
• Territorial toward its own kind and toward similar torpedo-shaped fish. Keep one unless the tank is very large.
• Wants clean, well-oxygenated water with real flow.
• Provide wood, rock and caves so it has a territory to hold.
• A jumper — keep the tank covered.

It suits a larger community with barbs, danios, rainbowfish, larger rasboras and loaches. Avoid slow, long-finned fish, which it will chase, and avoid adding a second flying fox to an average-sized tank. Do not buy one purely as an algae solution; it is a good fish in its own right and an unreliable cleaner.

Stock rotates with each shipment, and livestock is available for local pickup at our Lethbridge store. See the freshwater fish collection.