Re: Man-eating and Shy SAEs

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Man-eating and Shy SAEs
From: Liisa Sarakontu <lsarakon at hila_hut.fi>
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 20:18:41 +0300 (EET DST)
In-Reply-To: <199606100739.DAA05616 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: Ellistonk at aol_com
> Subject: Man-eating SAEs
> 
> Does anyone else experience this? My SAEs see me coming from clear across the
> room, and can't wait for me to stick my arm in the tank, which I do quite
> frequently of course. The second I stick my hand in, they attach themselves
> to my arm and start nibbling away. They're really pretty voracious about it,

Kent,
my SAEs don't do that (I wish they would.  It sounds so cute.) but I've
heard many cases when SAEs or other species do it.  I guess that they just
are so used to your arm in the tank that they take it as another piece of
driftwood.  Perhaps the salt makes it so tasty?  (you sure you don't have
lice or other bugs...:-)

> From: Plants FIDO-Gate <Plants.FIDO-Gate at f78_n480.z2.fidonet.org>
> Subject: Shy SAE-s
> 
> I'd like to share an interesting observation. I've been
> keeping SAE-s for some time now, in two tanks, and I was
> often wondering why are the SAE-s in one of the tanks
...
> loaches like hiding, and lots of plants, it seems that SAE-s
> are not happy unless they have an open space where they can
> swim freely, and that cramped space with lots of plants, and

Tomasz,
thank you for sharing that interesting observation with us!  Now, when
I start to think, my SAEs, especially the younger ones, really like to 
hang in the open areas of the tank.  SAEs are strong and fast swimmers,
and they seem to enjoy a good chase every now and then across the tank.
Yes, I should really trim that 150 liter tank soon to make room for the
two big SAEs.  I just have to wait until the mean old male bristlenose 
brings the new babies out of his cave before I dare to touch his half of 
the tank... 

Liisa Sarakontu
from very sunny and warm Finland, where most of the trees have at least
half-grown leaves already and the last migrating birds are starting to
build nests- and it's not too late to collect mosquito larva for fish!