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Re: Aphids
> Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 03:35:03 -0500 (EST)
> From: ac554 at freenet_carleton.ca (David Whittaker)
>
> Paul Garrett has an infestation of aphids in a small tank.
> Well Paul, I have a similar problem which to date remains
> intractable. It affects most of my aquariums. As a problem
> it ranks right up there with black brush algae. It looks
> like ladybug predation is one more potential solution that
> the rest of us will not have to try. Carbon dioxide asphix-
> iation was innovative. Have you considered carbon monoxide?
Would it be possible to forcibly submerge all vegetation for a
week or so to drown the aphids or make them readily accessible to
the fish? As far as I know, aphids spend most of their lives as
parthenogenic livebearers, so if you can get all the adults, you
are done.
> I had thought of introducing a small "slamander" to graze among
> the floating leaves. Anyone tried this?
I read an article once about how dwarf gouramies (Colisa lalia) can
spit water to knock insects off leaves, somewhat like an archer fish,
but not as skillful. They had photos to prove it. You could also try
killifish. Some Rivulus species are fond of resting on leaves out of
the water. It would be interesting to see if they can catch aphids
while they are at it.
If anyone tries any of these proposed aphid predators, let us hear
about it, successful or not!