Mr. Zee wrote:
Hi Elaine:

Thanks for all the info. (Thanks to the other group members too.) I
have a lot of alge on my plants. I bought a Clown Pelco thinking he would
take care of it but he just hangs out in the driftwood. So last week I
bought 2 1" Chinese Algae Eaters. They are busy little guys, cleaning thing
up. Are two enough for a 55 gallon? I'd like to buy a couple more but
don't want to starve them.

Chinese algae eaters?!? You might want to read this - those are pretty
nasty fish when they grow up. http://www.thekrib.com/Fish/Algae-Eaters/
I've found Ancistrus spp. to be better algae eaters than Peckoltia
spp. I also like Farlowella spp. and otocinclus.

When I had a planted 55, it was home to 1 Ancistrus, 1 Farlowella, 6
otocinclus, and 3 siamese algae eaters. You could add any of those fish
to your tank in preference to more CAE.

Also, I had bought a nice 12" long Ludwiga but after a few days it
started to lose all it leaves. I took it out, cut it back to a small 4"
strand or two and replanted it. I hadn't gotten the extra lighting when I
bought it so perhaps that's why it died? I have soft water, pH 6.7, 81F.

By the way, a few friends came over yesterday. Everyone said 'ohh ahh are
those REAL plants?' It's a nice feeling yes? So nice to have beautiful
green planst in the aquarium.

That is a lot of fun.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com