The flying fox (''Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus'') is a

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

n species of freshwater fish in the family

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest v ...

. It is commonly kept in the aquarium trade. Among other foods, it is known to eat

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ( Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alg ...

.Flying Fox (''Epalzeorhynchus kallopterus''), Mongabay.com, 2006
retrieved on: August 20, 2007 It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Siamese algae eater.

Description

The flying fox fish has a characteristic long body with a flat abdominal area. Its dorsal area has a coloration ranging from olive to dark brown. The lower half of its body has a yellowish white hue. A brownish-black line runs from its mouth to the caudal fin. On top of this distinctive black line is a gold-colored stripe. The eyes of a flying fox may have a reddish iris. Its dorsal, anal and ventral fins consist of a transparent front with a thick black band along the edge. Although capable of reaching up to , flying foxes have an average length of and are frequent victims of stunting in the aquarium setting.

Distribution and habitat

The flying fox is a bottom-dweller that is native to the fast-flowing foothill rivers and streams of the Thai-Malay Peninsula,

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

and Sumatra in Southeast Asia.

Captivity

Tank requirements

A 40-gallon or larger breeder tank lined with fine gravel or sand substrate is suitable for an average-sized flying fox fish. Being bottom-dwellers, the aquarium for flying foxes usually has broad-leaved plants, rocks, and driftwood to serve as hiding places. Because the flying fox is a known algae-eater, adequate lighting is preferred. Flying foxes can survive in aquarium water that has a pH of 6 to 7.5, a water hardness ranging from 2 to 12 dH, and temperatures kept at .Flying Fox (Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus), AquariumLife.net (undated)
, retrieved on: August 20, 2007

Behavior

Flying foxes are generally compatible with

acara The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is the independent statutory authority responsible for the development of a national curriculum, a national assessment program, and a national data collection and reporting pr ...

angelfish Angelfish may refer to: *Several groups of fish: **Freshwater angelfish, tropical cichlids of the genus ''Pterophyllum'' **Marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae **Atlantic pomfret (''Brama brama''), sold by fishmongers as "angelfish" in Sou ...

, barbs,

danio ''Danio'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae found in South and Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquaria. They are generally characterised by a pattern of horizontal stripes, rows of spots or vertical bars. Some species ...

s, eartheaters,

gourami Gouramis, or gouramies , are a group of freshwater anabantiform fishes that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of ...

s, knifefish,

loach Loaches are fish of the superfamily Cobitoidea. They are freshwater, benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish found in rivers and creeks throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Loaches are among the most diverse groups of fish; the 1249 known species ...

es,

tetra Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA; formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio), a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification. TETRA was specifically designed for use by ...

s and

rasbora ''Rasbora'' is a genus of fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are native to freshwater habitats in South and specimen that reputedly originated from Africa (Cameroon), but this locality is considered doubtful. They are small, up to long, altho ...

s. Aquarists may keep these fish alone or in schools, however a group of flying foxes may exhibit territorial behavior.

Life span

In the aquarium, flying foxes may live from eight to ten years.Dunder, Jonathan. Free Information Society, FreeInfoSociety.com (undated)
retrieved on: August 20, 2007

Diet

Mainly algae eaters, flying foxes also eat flakes, wafers and tablets. Vegetables such as spinach, zucchini and lettuce, as well as live

planarian A planarian is one of the many flatworms of the traditional class (biology), class Turbellaria. It usually describes free-living flatworms of the order Tricladida (triclads), although this common name is also used for a wide number of free-li ...

s, tubifex worms,

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

s and other aquatic insects, are excellent staples for these

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

s. They do not consume red algae.

Breeding

Sex among flying foxes is difficult to determine, though as with most fish, mature females tend to be plumper and males more slender. Flying foxes are not known to breed in captivity.

Similar species

The flying fox is similar to the Siamese algae eater (''Crossocheilus oblongus'') and the false flying fox (''Garra cambodgiensis'') when young.Flying Fox Information, The Aquarium Wiki Encyclopaedia
retrieved on: March 1st, 2008

References

Specific

General

Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus (Bleeker, 1851), Taxonomic Serial No.: 639590, ITIS.gov, 2007
retrieved on: August 21, 2007 * Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus on the Aquarium Wiki Encyclopaedia {{DEFAULTSORT:fox, flying

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker Freshwater fish of Indonesia Fishkeeping