RE: Re: !>>Note to Wright>>Note to R. Park

[huntley@ix.netcom.com (Wright Huntley )]

Bob wrote:

snip...
>
>The fact remains that Algae Eaters are not suitable tankmates for small fish,
>but the retail trade has a vested interest in perpetuating the myth of their
>compatibility.
>
Since my name is tagged to this thread, it's time to jump in and get this 
question off the list.

First, this is the Apisto list, not the suckermouthed ASS list.

Second, Bob, you are full of it up to your ears. Lumping all "Algae Eaters" 
into a single class and damning them all is utter hogwash of the most ignorant 
kind.

Third, the authors of the article cited by Dave are highly respected 
*hobbyists* who also do a bit of writing on subjects too technical for the 
trade hacks. I would suggest you take their stuff as engraved in stone. It's 
about as good as it ever gets in this hobby.

I currently have 8 (up to 6") SAEs sharing a small tank with fish such as 
Corydoras pygmaeus and neon tetras, and I don't worry about them one single 
bit. Oh, I have a couple of Otos in there, too.

Please get a good focus on the fact that "Algae Eater" is a store term, and 
doesn't even get applied to the real, best algae eaters, at all! [I refer to 
the pupfish of the genera Floridae and Cyprinodon.] A sucker mouth is 
indicative of a fish adapted to clinging to rocks in a swift current, and has 
almost nothing to do with diet. Disect and look at gut length if you want to 
know dietary preferences. All fish will eat meat, AFAIK, and the popular "algae 
eaters" are all primarily carnivores. Some will kill your Apistos, like the 
CAEs, and some won't, like SAEs. Don't lump when you don't know what you are 
talking about.

Please, lets get back to our little cichlid friends, for a change.

Wright


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Wright Huntley (510) 494-8679 Fremont, CA USA huntley@ix.netcom.com