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Re: SAEs VS. F-lorida F-lag F-ish / the 'ole ball-'an-chain



 SAEs VS. F-lorida F-lag F-ish
=====================

Yes Miller Man, I've been a List-lurker long enough to know there are false
SAEs w/ that sucker mouth.  As long as the
"black-line-goes-to-the-tip-of-tail" you're ok.  You've got yourself one of
two similar but different true algae eaters.  I've got 'em both!  Mind you,
the other Crossocheilus species has been seen nibbling often but that's
just the point....they just nibble...in a very gentele "high brow" sort of
way :-) That's fine for the long term!  In that respect SAE's do have
utility.  However, If you have a  full scale hair algae WAR on your
hands...in a tank you've worked hard to convince the 'ole-battle- ......
'ehhh, spouse! (yeah, that's the ticket:-) to buy;  that promised her/him
that It wont get messy... you need a "fuel air explosive"(FFF) to destroy
that algae immediately, not a little "hand grenade"(SAE) every other day!  

HAIRALGAE IN JAVAMOSS
-----------------------------------------
When you've got Javamoss infested with hair algae (like picking fly specks
out of wet pepper) you want a fish that will dig in there grab a mouthfull
of hair algae, thrash his little 'ed from side-to-side while he backs out.
Then, watch him slurp it down like spaggetti!  (they dont eat Javamoss).
SAEs wont do this kind of work.

BBA AND OTHER RARE ALGAES
------------------------------------------------
About the BBA (Black Bush Algae) thing, once they have waxed off the "easy"
hair algae FFF will turn their sights on BBA as well.  Now, BBA is not a
fast growing strangulation type algae...its tougher texture... which it why
we worship SAEs so much because they eat rare algaes.  The fact that they
"nibble" is not much of a factor in this case b/c BBA doesnt grow very fast.

EATING OTHER PLANTS
-----------------------------------
 Keep in mind I no longer own fishfood so my elgae eaters had better do the
job or else!  I test my algae eaters under somwhat extreme conditions.  For
example, "rosy barbs" Forget  it!  I bought six of them and added them to a
20gal long that had hair algae so thick it could trap fish.  Over the next
two months they died of starvation one by one.  I was going through my
Amano-Algae-Shrimp phase back then (that's another story), and the four
Amanoshrimp were the only thing left alive after two months in a tank still
chuck full of hair algae!  There is a down side to using a "fuel air
explosive"(FFF) in your war against algae...."colateral damage". Your
results will probably be better since you give them outside food.  My list
of known casualties:

Hairgrass No#2: They dont KILL it, but even the small FFF will graze it
low.  It still spreads, mind you;  but it wont grow taller than an inch.

Hairgrass No#1: Vulnerable only to the BIG FFF.  (see hairgrass2 for damage
report)

Rotala wallichii:  Keep few FFF with this plant they will graze the leaves
down to the stems if the tank has no other food.

Ambulia Limnophilia indica:  Less vulnerable than wallichii, but subject to
nibbling w/ on other food source.

Glossostigma?: No, I've never seen them mess with it.
Hemianthus micranthemoides (pearl grass)? No, I've never seen them mess
with it.


HARRASSING OTHER ANIMALS:
-----------------------------------------------
The males get a little territorial when breeding.  Solution: keep them in
quartets and they will dissipate their fussiness amongst themselves.
 
When they have no more algae, they will suppliment their diet by ambushing
snails!  They slooowwly... sneeak.... up on 'em...POUNCE!  And bite their
heads off!!  Then the other FFF join in a feeding frenzy and dispatch the
decapacitated snail.  THIS was a supprise to me!  But I began noticing I
could'nt find many snail species in my tanks except for MTS(Malasian
Trumpet Snails) who burrow in the substrate.

============================================================

The Ole' Ball-an'-Clain (informal)  [adj]  1.  A mental state of being
adopted by an overly restrictive and nagging spouse.  <Your spouse adopts
an "ole-ball-an'-Chain" attitude when your new aquarium gets overrun w/
algae>   2.   Characterized by reacting with unthinking predictability in
rehashing old DEAD disputes irrelevant to the current situation. <"So THIS
is what you spent our hard-earned money on?!!  I NEVER agreed to yet
ANOTHER tank!!   Its FILTHY!!!  This is just like the time when you spent
that money on yhadda, yhadda .....">

A bona-fide insult is calling someone in particular the now infamous "Plant
smuggling MORON!" ..."Gitte"  You need to talk OFFLIST and get some
proportion and perspective here.  Now I'm moving on.

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