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Crazy SAEs

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>Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 23:22:42 -0800
>From: mrambo <mrambo at pacwest_net>
>To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
>Subject: Crazy SAEs
>
>Hi,  rabid long-time lurker here,
>(first time I have ever posted, so if I screw something up please
>forgive ;) -and I have a little (ha!) problem.
>But first let us take a little time warp:
>
>ONE YEAR AGO:
> My poor 29 gallon (at the time, the biggest tank I had) was overrun
>with black hair algae, -a more potent, voracious, and vicious algae
>never found-
>and I was just about to rip the last of my hair out in frustration. (the
>first bouts of hair ripping had been over "The Mysterious Swimming
>Disemboweler" -which ended up being my golden chinese algae eater)  I
>had first found out about the Siamese Algae Eater on this list, but had
>never been able to aquire one. The best I could do were otos, a
>farlowella, Flying Foxes, and one short-lived Pleco.
>
>THREE MONTHS LATER
>Bought a 55 gallon aquarium. :) Oh joy! Oh Rapture! I was grinning like
>a maniac the entire time I was setting it up. The angelfish from my 20
>gallon tall tank were singing praises at me, and I spent hours and hours
>in front of the tank that first day. :)
>
>MAYBE A MONTH AFTER THAT GIVE OR TAKE A FEW DAYS
>Angelfish were still happy, but my great nemesis, the black plague, had
>returned in full force. I am happy to say that this sad situation ended
>when I went to my semi-local petstore Aqua Serene (off of West 11th; in
>Eugene, Oregon) this one day, looking for some more otos for my poor,
>algae infested 55 gallon aquarium. And what should I see, but 7 or 8
>SAEs! And for just $5.50! They were labeled "Algae Eating Sharks" but
>there they were! Bought four. ;) Took some time, but they really helped.
>I could still see a little, but nothing like before. yeah!!! . ;)
>
>THREE DAYS AGO
>I walk into my room, and sit down in front of my tank. And immediately
>notice the ragged fins of my big black angelfish. Eh? Trouble in
>paradise? I watch and watch and watch, and finally see the culprits. 2
>of my SAEs are taking turns "nibbling" on my angel. And not just on my
>black, they are chasing the glowlight tetras, harassing my betta, and
>every other fish in the tank. What is going on here?? SAEs are supposed
>to be peaceful!!!
>
>So, I, in a fit of self righteous indignation, chased them down with a
>net and deposited them in my Jack "Marauder" Damsey tank for a little
>attitude adjustment. (When I first bought him he was just itty bitty and
>the fish store lady told me that he would be compatible with any
>community tank. So I stuck him in my Platy tank. All went well, until,
>strangely, all of my platys died. One by one. Only then did I do any
>research on my purchase -I know, I know, my bad- and discovered the
>truth. But it was too late, I had bonded, and my platy tank became a
>Damsey tank.) Jack welcomed them with open fins, "Come, let us dine
>together" -then I took them out and put them back in the 55. Seemed to
>work.
>
>TODAY
>Hello! Back again, eh? Anyway, I walk into my room and guess what? Not
>only are the two back at it again, they've convinced the other two to
>join in. So, in a nutshell. that's what's up. Any ideas on how to curb
>this behavior?
>
>OH THOSE MESSY DETAILS
>55 gallon tank.
>one regent filter, for a 55 gallon tank.
>ph: 7.5 (too high for tetras, too low for most Cichlids. The gods are
>cruel.)
>Ammonia: nope.
>Moderately planted, everything grows well, but kinda slow, 100 or so
>watts over the tank. -Was gonna get SHOlights, but heard VERY scary
>things about them, such as you just look at them and they pop all their
>screws and blow up like little Hiroshimas. Or something. ;)
>
>PLANTS:
>small swordplant, mountains of Java Fern on bogwood, a few apons, onion
>plant, giant Vals, more Java Fern on the gravel, some pink hygro(sp?), A
>giant Hygro(sp?) another type of plant that the name escapes my
>mind...ricala or something. Kinda like the pink Hygro (sp?) only in very
>miniature. TONS of Crypts, of all kinds. Big ones, little ones, green
>ones, kinda red ones, tanish ones with a little red on them, brown ones,
>and so on,  Java fern on lava rocks, and last but not least, Java
>moss.
>
>ALGAE (heh heh heh)
>black, green spot, and that's about it.
>
>FISH:
>4 adult SAEs (the snots)
>2 adult Flying Foxes (the only ones that behaved themselves among the
>minnow family, AND READ THIS PART!!! I know the difference between Foxes
>and SAEs.
>The foxes have the extra, light whitish stripe over the black one, and
>both the stripes extend only to the base of the tail. Adult foxes
>sometimes have a bit of red in their tails, like my two. SAE's black
>stripe extends to the end of the fish, they have no extra stripe, a few
>more barbels, and are supposed to be nicer then the fox. Heh. Maybe I
>should make then read the article about themselves. ;)
>
>6 Angelfish (two adults, four babies)
>3 corydoras (panda, false juli, and a green one)
>1 eel ( I forget the name, not tiretrack, or a ropefish, gets 6 inches
>long, not aggressive. Slinky little fellow, whitish tan with darker
>tanish markings along the middle of his body; his face is pointy with a
>funny looking nose, his tail is like a rounded triangle. Neat neat neat
>fish.)
>3 Kuli Loaches
>1 Ring Loach
>3 otos,
>2 Farlowella
>1 blue male betta
>1 African Buttery.
>7 glowlight tetras.
>
>Comments? Rants? Solutions? Death threats? All are welcome. :)
>Can't think of anything more to talk about, so I will now shut up.
>
>
>Mia Sara
>(NOT THE ACTRESS!!! -lots of scary scary people out there...just change
>your name to Madonna or Roy Hicks, Mia Sara or Carmen Electra and you
>will be contacted by at least half of them.... :)
>
>
>