Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!halo
From: halo@cognos.uucp (Hal O'Connell)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Feeding Chinese Algea Eaters
Message-ID: <2088@cognos.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jan 88 17:06:28 GMT
Article-I.D.: cognos.2088
Posted: Mon Jan 18 12:06:28 1988
References: <399c04a8.c998@apollo.uucp>
Reply-To: halo@cognos.UUCP (Hal)
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 33

In article <399c04a8.c998@apollo.uucp> henry_k@apollo.UUCP (Keith E. Henry) writes:
>What would all you experienced aquaria owners recommend feeding
>a Chinese algea eater once all the algea is gone?  Mine never
>seem to eat the flake food I feed all the other fish and usually
>die in short order.

Chinese algae eaters are a fish I seem to do well with. The first fish
I ever bought was an algae eater, and it lived for just over ten years
(no joke, 1973-1983).

I have found that they are happy if the tank is reasonably well planted 
and lit. Algae is not always obvious, but with plants it's generally
always there. If you cannot keep plants alive, as well as algae eaters,
increase the lighting in the tank.

And my algae eaters due consume flake food, but they seem quite
selective. They do prefer (it seems) the vegetable portion, so if
your flake food contains vegetable matter it can be used. (Mollie's
have similar requirements, so if you are successful with them, algae eaters
are easy...). Another possibility is lettuce, or boiled spinach,
but you will probably have infusoria "flowerings", or other problems.
I wouldn't recommend it.

Are you sure they are dying of malnutrition? Mind you, mine
have been so hardy that it doesn't seem likely that they would 
succumb faster than other fish. So I suspect you are right.


-- 
Hal O'Connell		decvax!utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!halo
Cognos Incorporated	P.O. Box 9707
(613) 738-1440          3755 Riverside Dr. 
			Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA, K1G 3Z4