Picky Pleco

[A. Scott]

I havea Rubber-Lipped Pleco that I bought for abrown algae problem.
It took a day or two, but he quickly raced through it all. Now, I've
developed a green algae outbreak and he does not seem to have nay
interest. Is that typical of plecos? Do I need another kiind of
algae eater for the green strain, or is this one just finicky?

Thanks!

[NetMax]

"A. Scott" > wrote in message
...
> I havea Rubber-Lipped Pleco that I bought for abrown algae problem.
> It took a day or two, but he quickly raced through it all. Now, I've
> developed a green algae outbreak and he does not seem to have nay
> interest. Is that typical of plecos? Do I need another kiind of
> algae eater for the green strain, or is this one just finicky?
>
> Thanks!

If your tank was big enough, you could have a crew of algae eaters,
(shrimps, plecs, flagfish, CAEs, SAEs, Mollies, Otos, nerita snails ..
etc) and you wouldn't have to worry about algae again. Otherwise, each
of these creatures usually has a limited menu of algae they will consume.
Generally, it's very easy to determine what types they will not eat.
It's the type you're left with ;~).

You can sometimes coax them into eating their 2nd choice by holding off
on supplements a bit (zucchini, algae wafers etc), but watch their
colours don't go off, or their stomach goes concave (signs of
starvation). Otherwise, add another member of the algae crew (which one
depends on the size of the tank-mates).

NetMax

[RedForeman ©®]

> If your tank was big enough, you could have a crew of algae eaters,
> (shrimps, plecs, flagfish, CAEs, SAEs, Mollies, Otos, nerita snails ..
> etc) and you wouldn't have to worry about algae again. Otherwise,
> each of these creatures usually has a limited menu of algae they will
> consume. Generally, it's very easy to determine what types they will
> not eat. It's the type you're left with ;~).

NetMax, what's this snail you've been pushing the last few days? Nerita
Snail? Got any pics, info?

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1076 is
all I found

--
RedForeman ©® future fabricator and creator of a ratbike
streetfighter!!! ==========================
2003 TRX450ES
1992 TRX-350 XX (For Sale)
'98 Tacoma Ext Cab 4X4 Lifted....
==========================
ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø,¸¸¸,ø¤° `°¤ø,¸¸,ø¤°`°¤ø


is that better??

[NetMax]

"RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
...
> > If your tank was big enough, you could have a crew of algae eaters,
> > (shrimps, plecs, flagfish, CAEs, SAEs, Mollies, Otos, nerita snails
...
> > etc) and you wouldn't have to worry about algae again. Otherwise,
> > each of these creatures usually has a limited menu of algae they will
> > consume. Generally, it's very easy to determine what types they will
> > not eat. It's the type you're left with ;~).
>
> NetMax, what's this snail you've been pushing the last few days? Nerita
> Snail? Got any pics, info?
>
>
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1076
is
> all I found
> --
> RedForeman ©®
<snip>

Of course :o) I can see that you're in dire need of _much_ better links.
How about:
http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
and
http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm

Like a kid in a candy store, I order everything (includes weird stuff),
so when I saw a listing for Dwarf African Striped snails, I bought some.
They were somewhat unimpressive, very small compared to Apple snails,
pretty shells, but they were always hunkered down in their shell, even
when moving. Another weird habit is they park out of water for long
periods of time. They slowly sold as a novelty until a fellow comes in,
notices my last 6, informs me that I'm the only store in Ottawa that has
had them in 10 years, and buys them all. Apparently these snails do not
eat plant matter but they do eat algae. I was not about to argue with
someone with deeply held convictions, so I later ordered more.

The same pattern repeats (novelty sales) until a fellow who keeps African
cichlids comes in, notices them and buys all I have left (6 or 7, iirc).
He tells me that they are immune from cichlid attacks because they don't
come out of their shell, and they are good scavengers (uneaten food &
algae).

Now I'm getting more interested.. (you don't have to hit me on the head
more than twice to get my attention ;~), a snail which works in planted
tanks AND in African tanks, which doesn't eat plants, doesn't get eaten,
doesn't seem to multiply, is a bottom scavenger and eats algae! Could
this be the snail for aquarium nirvana? It's still kind of ugly, odd
and does weird things, but for such good behaviour, I can overlook all
that.

NetMax (never a short answer that you can't string along ;~)

[Tracy Bass]

You left out the link to the store where you purchased them. Tracy


"NetMax" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> "RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
> ...
> > > If your tank was big enough, you could have a crew of algae eaters,
> > > (shrimps, plecs, flagfish, CAEs, SAEs, Mollies, Otos, nerita snails
> ..
> > > etc) and you wouldn't have to worry about algae again. Otherwise,
> > > each of these creatures usually has a limited menu of algae they will
> > > consume. Generally, it's very easy to determine what types they will
> > > not eat. It's the type you're left with ;~).
> >
> > NetMax, what's this snail you've been pushing the last few days? Nerita
> > Snail? Got any pics, info?
> >
> >
> http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1076
> is
> > all I found
> > --
> > RedForeman ©®
> <snip>
>
> Of course :o) I can see that you're in dire need of _much_ better links.
> How about:
> http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
> and
> http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
>
> Like a kid in a candy store, I order everything (includes weird stuff),
> so when I saw a listing for Dwarf African Striped snails, I bought some.
> They were somewhat unimpressive, very small compared to Apple snails,
> pretty shells, but they were always hunkered down in their shell, even
> when moving. Another weird habit is they park out of water for long
> periods of time. They slowly sold as a novelty until a fellow comes in,
> notices my last 6, informs me that I'm the only store in Ottawa that has
> had them in 10 years, and buys them all. Apparently these snails do not
> eat plant matter but they do eat algae. I was not about to argue with
> someone with deeply held convictions, so I later ordered more.
>
> The same pattern repeats (novelty sales) until a fellow who keeps African
> cichlids comes in, notices them and buys all I have left (6 or 7, iirc).
> He tells me that they are immune from cichlid attacks because they don't
> come out of their shell, and they are good scavengers (uneaten food &
> algae).
>
> Now I'm getting more interested.. (you don't have to hit me on the head
> more than twice to get my attention ;~), a snail which works in planted
> tanks AND in African tanks, which doesn't eat plants, doesn't get eaten,
> doesn't seem to multiply, is a bottom scavenger and eats algae! Could
> this be the snail for aquarium nirvana? It's still kind of ugly, odd
> and does weird things, but for such good behaviour, I can overlook all
> that.
>
> NetMax (never a short answer that you can't string along ;~)
>
>

[NetMax]

"Tracy Bass" > wrote in message
...
> You left out the link to the store where you purchased them. Tracy

I purchase them for the LFS I work for (and we don't sell on-line), and I
get them from Singapore through a trans-shipper (who doesn't sell to the
public), so I don't have a link which would help you.

Should I start selling stuff on-line? Snails & plants would be easy,
anywhere across Canada, but crossing the borders, or selling fish would
make me nervous.

In any case, with the common name (Striped African snail) or the latin
name (in the subject bar) you might be able to locate them locally to
you.

An odd characteristic, they almost always have chipped shells (another
annoying feature) but a regular customer tells me that they heal over, so
if you see chips, just pick one with the least damage. I'm not sure what
their ideal water parameters are. They are listed as African riverine
(soft acidic water) but they are freshwater adapted marine invaders (hard
alkaline water), so no clues there.

NetMax

<big snip>

[NetMax]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> "Tracy Bass" > wrote in message
> ...
> > You left out the link to the store where you purchased them. Tracy
>
> I purchase them for the LFS I work for (and we don't sell on-line), and
I
> get them from Singapore through a trans-shipper (who doesn't sell to
the
> public), so I don't have a link which would help you.
>
> Should I start selling stuff on-line? Snails & plants would be easy,
> anywhere across Canada, but crossing the borders, or selling fish would
> make me nervous.
>
> In any case, with the common name (Striped African snail) or the latin
> name (in the subject bar) you might be able to locate them locally to
> you.
>
> An odd characteristic, they almost always have chipped shells (another
> annoying feature) but a regular customer tells me that they heal over,
so
> if you see chips, just pick one with the least damage. I'm not sure
what
> their ideal water parameters are. They are listed as African riverine
> (soft acidic water) but they are freshwater adapted marine invaders
(hard
> alkaline water), so no clues there.
>
> NetMax

Sorry to post on myself, but if someone knows German, this site had a bit
of info on them. Similar snails from the Neritas Genus (from a post from
Mean_Chlorine earlier this month), were quoted as preferring harder water
(14gH), but those I could translate.
http://www.wirbellose.de/arten.cgi?action=show&artNo=085

NetMax

[Mean_Chlorine]

"NetMax" > wrote in message >...

> Sorry to post on myself, but if someone knows German, this site had a bit
> of info on them. Similar snails from the Neritas Genus (from a post from
> Mean_Chlorine earlier this month), were quoted as preferring harder water
> (14gH), but those I could translate.
> http://www.wirbellose.de/arten.cgi?action=show&artNo=085

Neritids are primarily marine snails, although some species are found
in brackish or even fresh water. Also, they have thick shells, and
thick-shelled snails tend to live in water where there's plenty of
calcium.

The species I have, the european Theodoxus fluviatilis, is one of the
relatively few real freshwater species in the family, and even it
prefers hard, alkaline, water, preferrably with a little salt in it.
(I'm currently writing a text about my experiences with T.
fluviatilis, I'll post a link here when I've finished.)

Regarding N. natalensis I have no personal experience with it, but the
author of the species fact-sheet at www.wirbellose.de says he rotates
his snails between a brackish and a freshwater aquarium.

[RedForeman ©®]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
> "RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
> > NetMax, what's this snail you've been pushing the last few days? Nerita
> > Snail? Got any pics, info?
> http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=1076
> is
> > all I found
> > --
> > RedForeman ©®
> <snip>
>
> Of course :o) I can see that you're in dire need of _much_ better links.
> How about:
> http://members.aol.com/Mkohl2/Neritidae.html
> and
> http://perso.infonie.be/pomacea/neritina_natalensis_uk.htm
>
> Like a kid in a candy store, I order everything (includes weird stuff),
> so when I saw a listing for Dwarf African Striped snails, I bought some.
> They were somewhat unimpressive, very small compared to Apple snails,
> pretty shells, but they were always hunkered down in their shell, even
> when moving. Another weird habit is they park out of water for long
> periods of time. They slowly sold as a novelty until a fellow comes in,
> notices my last 6, informs me that I'm the only store in Ottawa that has
> had them in 10 years, and buys them all. Apparently these snails do not
> eat plant matter but they do eat algae. I was not about to argue with
> someone with deeply held convictions, so I later ordered more.
>
> The same pattern repeats (novelty sales) until a fellow who keeps African
> cichlids comes in, notices them and buys all I have left (6 or 7, iirc).
> He tells me that they are immune from cichlid attacks because they don't
> come out of their shell, and they are good scavengers (uneaten food &
> algae).
>
> Now I'm getting more interested.. (you don't have to hit me on the head
> more than twice to get my attention ;~), a snail which works in planted
> tanks AND in African tanks, which doesn't eat plants, doesn't get eaten,
> doesn't seem to multiply, is a bottom scavenger and eats algae! Could
> this be the snail for aquarium nirvana? It's still kind of ugly, odd
> and does weird things, but for such good behaviour, I can overlook all
> that.
>
> NetMax (never a short answer that you can't string along ;~)

you ARE da man... but you already know that huh? Thanks....

[Tracy Bass]

> Should I start selling stuff on-line? Snails & plants would be easy,
> anywhere across Canada, but crossing the borders, or selling fish would
> make me nervous.

I can understand not wanting to sell fish mail order. Even if you stayed in
canada but whay not plants and snails internationaly?? Tracy

[NetMax]

"Tracy Bass" > wrote in message
...
>
> > Should I start selling stuff on-line? Snails & plants would be easy,
> > anywhere across Canada, but crossing the borders, or selling fish
would
> > make me nervous.
>
> I can understand not wanting to sell fish mail order. Even if you
stayed in
> canada but whay not plants and snails internationaly?? Tracy

The honest answer is that I've never thought about going into the
mail-order business, and never looked into it. When crossing borders
with live goods, I imagine there is extra paperwork needed to verify the
product and associated inspections. Many items which are legal in Canada
and the northern US are classified as invasive elsewhere. Is the onus on
the buyer or the seller to be aware of local regional statutes?

NetMax

[Graham Broadbridge]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...

> The honest answer is that I've never thought about going into the
> mail-order business, and never looked into it. When crossing borders
> with live goods, I imagine there is extra paperwork needed to verify the
> product and associated inspections. Many items which are legal in Canada
> and the northern US are classified as invasive elsewhere. Is the onus on
> the buyer or the seller to be aware of local regional statutes?

I can just imagine trying to get a fish or plant from Canada in through the
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service :-)

I'm not even alowed to import an Apple or a Grapefruit from a neighbouring
state without a certificate. Bringing a live cat from the USA to Australia
mandates 6 month quarantine for the kitty.


Graham.

[Happy'Cam'per]

"NetMax" > wrote in message news:Izlhc.51095.
Many items which are legal in Canada
> and the northern US are classified as invasive elsewhere. Is the onus on
> the buyer or the seller to be aware of local regional statutes?

Wetmax :)

Usually what happens is that you apply to your local Department of Trade and
industry for an importers license, wether its plants or animals etc etc.
There is usually a small fee involved but its pretty cheap, over here anyway
:o

They'll ask you "exactly" what plants you want to import (latin names), you
send them your list and then they approve or dissaprove certain species.
Once this list is approved you are granted your import license aswell as
some other technical documents regarding importing non-indigenous species.
These get sent to the supplier along with a copy of the Import License. So
the buyer does all the paper work really but the responsibility of reading
that particular country's botanical import rules is up to the supplier as he
will be the one who allows it to leave his shop. For example, in South
Africa we're "not allowed to" import Java Moss or Riccia but you do see it
if you go through the right channels! Tipping off the import inspector etc
etc nudge nudge.

So I suppose the short answer would be the onus is on the buyer to do the
proper research and not waste money on ordering illegal plants, but also on
the supplier to not send requested banned botanicals as per the country's
import laws. hth
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**