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Re: Miller's FFF Musings
Roger Miller wrote:
> Is there anyone out there who *doesn't* sell flag fish that want's to
> stand up and tell us what a great community resident flag fish are, or to
> tell us that they really are great at controlling algae?
That would be me. I have a pair (male/female) of American-Flag
Fish in my 30 gallon community tank. At the time they were
introduced (about a year ago), the tank had serious green algae
problems (thread and fur). I had begun to control it via nutrient
balance. When the flag fish were added, they hid for the first week.
Then they started in on the algae. First all the thread algae
disappeared. Then they went to work on the tougher fur algae
(Oedogonium). Eventually that too disappeared. Now I see them
nibbling here and there on the driftwood or anubias, picking off what
little they can find. They sometimes nip at the micranthemum, but I
can assure you that they do no noticeable damage. They don't eat
food from the surface, but devour sinking pellets. The female is
especially voracious for both algae and pellets. The male is very
timid.
So far they have been model citizens in the tank, keeping to
themselves and bothering absolutely no one. I have rasboras,
various small tetras, pygmy cories, and an SAE in the tank too. At
no time have I ever seen any aggression. Let me also note that this
pair has not bred as far as I can tell. If they do, they must pick a
deeply hidden part of the tank where no other fish go anyway (not
hard to do in this densely planted tank).
Like Dwight, I have been promoting the keeping of these fish for
algae control, to anyone who asks. It would appear that the
personalities of these fish are highly individual. However, if you find
a mild pair, they are excellent for algae control in a planted tank.
Perhaps Dwight could breed for mildness?
Cathy Hartland
Middletown, MD
http://www.nfis.com/~hartland/aqua/aquaria.html