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Re: Who are you calling a shrimp?



Are you talking to me??

"The algae is SELECTIVELY removed and taken out. The nutrients from the
algae's mass is repackaged(shrimp or SAE food)/remineralized(bacterial
breakdown of waste) and fed to the plants(these are not eaten) as nutrients
and they can get the upper hand on this issue alone. Herbivory is a powerful
tool and it does work well but it can be done without it to certain degree.
How many shrimp do you think I have? Say in a 55 gallon? And other fish?
About 100 at least(50 or so shrimps). Failure? Not quite. The shrimp(or most
any herbivore) also eats the new growth(it being the most nutritious and
tasty) so it has a much harder time becoming attached and established."

Agreed, but I suspect that your tanks aren't the algae farms that entice the
notion that just throwing in some "algae eaters" of whatever flavor will
solve the problem. And that last sentence in the paragraph above really says
it all. Get ahead of the algae by managing the inputs to the tank first,
then any herbivores can stay ahead of it as well. I notice my herd of Ottos
scrubbing something off the plant leaves. I can't see what they are eating,
and that's a good thing. I guess I'm just annoyed that there is a "fad"
thing that happens in the hobby which leads newcomers to believe that they
have to spend a lot of money on exotic stuff to be successful. It ain't so.

"Having no animals at all is not a good thing IMO."

Well, I never suggested this extreme, they ARE called fishtanks too.

Tom
(no, the other Tom)