One Foxy Algae Eater
The Reticulated Flying Fox (also Fishnet Flying Fox) is a flowing water fish that is common in its native range over much of south east Asia. It is famous for being the fish in a culturally important food in Cambodia called Prahok; a fish that is fermented, dried and refermented, then stored, eaten and used as an ingredient in other foods. Luckily for us, it is also farmed and exported to North America where it is a useful aquarium fish that is gaining in popularity.
In its native environment, it lives in freshwater streams where it predominately eats algae, diatoms and other films. Reticulated Flying Fish live in shoals that can be quite large and are very active. They can get to be nearly 6 inches long in time. During certain times of year, they migrate to lakes and other flooded areas where they spawn (during this migration is when they are abundant in Tonle Sap and many are harvested for food). The vast majority of the fish that we see in North America are aquacultured and as such these native environs matter less in successful husbandry of these animals.
That being said, they still seem to appreciate the flowing water of their ancestral homes. In the aquarium, ample turnover / filtration are an important aspect of giving them an environment that is suitable. Flow helps prevent the buildup of organic material and also promotes the higher oxygenation levels that support the activity levels this fish is famous for. We suggest either keeping them in larger groups (think seven plus) for those of you with big aquariums, or singly. Small groups can be detrimental as these fish may bicker to maintain a natural pecking order and with too few fish, this aggression can't be distributed enough to prevent damage. All this being said, they are very peaceful with other fish which allows for a wide range of choices for tank mates. As long as other fish are also of peaceful demeanor and appreciate similar tank conditions, there shouldn't be any problems related to compatibility with this Flying Fox. While these fish won't bother common aquarium plants overmuch, the flow that Reticulated Flying Fox prefer eliminates most plants as a décor choice.
Feeding this fish is pretty straight forward; with enough bright light and good flow, and ample amount of live algae film should develop on the decorations and substrate to be an excellent source of nutritious supplemental food. Do not rely completely on these films for food, especially if the Foxes are sharing an aquarium with other fish that have the same diet, like plecos. We also feed them algae wafers and a low protein sinking pellet. Care should be taken not to over feed any aquarium fish, but the flying fox could be especially sensitive to this as they have evolved to thrive on a very low protein diet and most available fish foods put on emphasis on elevated protein levels.
For the aquarist looking for an algae eating fish for a high flow aquarium, the Reticulated Flying Fox is hard to beat. Their high activity level and general hardiness / ease of husbandry combined with their gorgeous adult colors of shimmering silvery gold and crosshatch patterns make them extremely attractive to many aquarist. If you are interested in sourcing a sustainably harvest, or aquacultured group of them for your aquarium, just ask your Local Fish Store about getting you some from Aquatropic today!