Re: Real Or False SAEs in NJ?

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Real Or False SAEs in NJ?
From: Matt Rhoten <mrhoten at oz_net>
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 03:22:52 -0800
Cc: eriko at wrq_com
In-reply-to: Your message of "Mon, 11 Dec 1995 07:33:38 PST."

Erik Olson writes:
>Just to add my 2 cents in with this one, I found 2-3 stores here in
>Seattle selling "Thai Flying Foxes" again.  When little, they look very
>much like the baby SAEs, so much that I went "woah!" when I passed by the
>tank.  But they probably aren't them!  The "thai flying fox" I've raised
>have turned out to be (Garra taeniata, based on Niel and Liisa's article). 

One of the stores on the Eastside recently stocked "CAEs" (which, I
don't think were CAEs, based on Liisa's excellent drawings) but are
now stocking "Algae Eating Sharks", which look a lot like real SAEs.
At least, they have the reticulated back I remember from Liisa's
article.

There was a previous posting here from someone somewhere whose
retailer started stocking "Algae Eating Sharks" as well, but I don't
remember what species they turned out to be.

Anyone care to wager whether it's the same importer?

In another vein, I think I have accidentally learned something about
the tricky balance between light, nutrients, and CO2. I have a very
poor substrate (5mm gravel, no organic substrate additions), light
fish load, yeast CO2, 120W of fluorescent lighting over a 55G tank
with various fast growing plants. Things were cruising quite nicely,
until I got lazy and didn't do a water change one weekend. Then
everything took off! I think perhaps with the fairly recent addition
of CO2 my plants are now blocked on nitrogen or perhaps phosphorus.
So I'll be investigating fertilization options, and reducing water
changes from 50% weekly to maybe 50% biweekly.

Naturally in the long run I will be replacing the substrate with
something that doesn't, well, suck. Next stop: iron!

 -matt

 PS For the geographically removed, the "Eastside" is the collection of
    suburbs east of Seattle across Lake Washington.