Re: Algae eaters - Farlowella?

["Katherine Yata" <k_yata at hotmail_com>]

I have had three Farlowella in my tank for a year now with one being there 
for two years. They don't eat my fine leaved plants because they are way too 
clumsy to balance on the stems! These fish don't really swim, they lurch 
from spot to spot. My amazon sword plants of three different species have 
had lots of gnawed places on them after I blacked out the tank so they are 
capable of doing some damage.

My otos don't do as much damage and can balance on the smallest of leaves, 
how about them? These fish are all sucker mouths and eat different algae 
from the SAE. Sucker mouthed fish just rasp the leaf so it dies early-if 
they are causing any damage.

I really like the Farlowella, very interesting fish. If you try it, my tank 
is 150 gallons and I have three of these so get one per fifty gallons to 
save the sword plant leaves! Don't depend on it to clean small leaved 
plants, it is not capable of doing it.

Snails? Shrimp? How about some of those? Platies and swordtails are busy 
algae nippers too.

Kathy in southern California

<<I was wondering if anyone had any experience with
Farlowella
sp. with an algae eater. Will they harm soft-leaved plants such
as Rotala sp. or Heteranthera? How are they with moss species? I
am looking for an algae eater to compensate for four SAEs I gave
away
(got too large and started eating the R. wallichii so much that
all I have left now are twigs with several tiny, healthy
sideshoots).
Thanks,
Carlos>>




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