The Krib Fish/Animals	[E-mail]

[F] Siamensis?

by mattk-at-netnews.usl.com (Kaufman M.E.)
Date: 23 Aug 1994
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria

Cathy Byland (CCCATHY-at-mizzou1.missouri.edu) wrote:
: >
: >Proposed Solution:
: >Get a real algae eater, a siamensis!

Get a *real* algae eater, Ameca splendens, a smallish (platy sized)
very hardy fish that eats hair algae, green spot algae and (get this
net.sufferers,) blue-green algae.

I put a colony of 6 into a 20L that had the surface covered in
thick, robust green hair algae. The algae was threatening to engulf
the few killies and the hornwort I had in there. Result? 1 month
later, absolutely no algae in the tank, *no duckweed* (they eat that
too) but a 20L *filled* with hornwort - imagine a hornwort ball
30" long, 1 ft. high, 1ft deep and you'll be on target. The
tank is very brightly lit with a shoplite with a 4' vitalite (hornwort
seems to like that as well) and an agro-light.

The splendens, not a really glamorous fish, is a goodeid, so its a livebearer
with funny reproductive geometry that gives birth to few, but larger
(1/3-1/2" long) young. Any fish that'll eat blue-green algae has a place
in my fishroom.
:  
: You have a very similar setup to mine (38 gal, lots of valisneria
: and amazon swords), and a similar situation:  LOTS of green hair
: algae.  I added a Chinese Algae Eater and two black mollies.
: 10 days later I come back from vacation to find a tank *completely*
: overgrown w/ algae.  I added 4 more mollies and two Pl*costomus.
: They (the pl*cos did most of the work) cleaned up the tank completely
: within 3 weeks.  I don't even have to clean the glass anymore.
:  
: Add another small pl*co, and get some black mollies.

I wouldn't do that; chinese algae eaters are more trouble than they're
worth, and the water conditions described are too soft and acidic for
thriving black mollies. Find the splendens, you'll be much better off.

Or, clean the algae by hand, if you only have 1 tank to worry about,
its not a big imposition. Lower the fish load, too.


Matt
--
It is, indisputably,|copyright 1994, mattk-at-summit.novell.com. All rights
a fact.             |reserved. Permission for reproduction by USENET and like
                    |free facilities explicitly allowed. No other reproduction
                    |rights are granted or implied.

[F] Siamensis?

by booth-at-lvld.hp.com (George Booth)
Date: 23 Aug 1994
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria

Kaufman M.E. (mattk-at-netnews.usl.com) wrote:
> Get a *real* algae eater, Ameca splendens, a smallish (platy sized)
> very hardy fish that eats hair algae, green spot algae and (get this
> net.sufferers,) blue-green algae.

How are they about tender, juicy, delicate, expensive plants?  Sometimes
it seem like the best algae eaters can tell the difference between 
algae (bad stuff) and plants (good stuff). 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Booth                         "The power of accurate observation is 
booth-at-hplvec.lvld.hp.com              commonly called cynicism by those who 
Freshwater Plant Tank Technology      have not got it" - George Bernard Shaw.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[F] Siamensis?

by mattk-at-netnews.usl.com (Kaufman M.E.)
Date: 23 Aug 1994
Newsgroup: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria

George Booth (booth-at-lvld.hp.com) wrote:
: Kaufman M.E. (mattk-at-netnews.usl.com) wrote:
: > Get a *real* algae eater, Ameca splendens, a smallish (platy sized)
: > very hardy fish that eats hair algae, green spot algae and (get this
: > net.sufferers,) blue-green algae.

: How are they about tender, juicy, delicate, expensive plants?  Sometimes
: it seem like the best algae eaters can tell the difference between 
: algae (bad stuff) and plants (good stuff). 


Honestly haven't had them in a tank with other than Hornwort, Philodendron
roots, java moss and some Hygrophila corymbosa. They don't look
equipped to do serious plant damage, but I dunno... I'm about to catch
about 1/2 dozen youngsters from the hornwort tank and put them in JJ's
discus tank, which has scads of crypts and hygro and water sprite and other
plants, we'll
see what they do there. I don't know if they will like the warm temperature
that tank is at, but I expect they'll adjust as long as the discus don't
eat them.

Oleg may know more - he's the one who pointed these fish out to me and
fed them bluegreen algae while I watched (pulled a lump off of some
leaves in another tank and threw it in, chomp, slurp, gone.) I think he's
had them in with echinodorus and some other stuff.

They even defecate green. Pretty amazing little algaevores.

Matt
--
It is, indisputably,|copyright 1994, mattk-at-summit.novell.com. All rights
a fact.             |reserved. Permission for reproduction by USENET and like
                    |free facilities explicitly allowed. No other reproduction
                    |rights are granted or implied.

Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #212

by mattk-at-novell.com
Date: Sun, 30 Jul 1995

Hoho! Someone wants to know more about Ameca splendends.

I never received a note from David Whittaker, but our e-mail has
been profoundly unreliable over the last few months, this probably is
why.

As far as the splendens goes, I've seen them in pet shops, they're
not that uncommon. You can see a small group of them on display
at the Steinhart aquarium, if you ever get out that way.

I saw Liisa's note where she claims Oleg has reneged on his statement
that they don't eat BGA. Well, Oleg was at my house and peeled some
BGA off of a plant, wadded it up into a small ball and threw it into
the splendens tank. It didn't even reach the bottom - munch!


George Booth asked me if they will eat other plants, I've never tried
them in anything other than the hornwort tank, mostly because they're
fairly scrappy fish and, in larger tanks, get pretty big. Look around
your better pet shops for them - if they're not in stock the dealers usually
can order them.

Matt

Ameca splendens... yes it does eat filamentous green algae!

by Erik Olson <(e-mail)>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997

Some of you who are usenet old timers and/or readers of the Krib's algae
section may remember an article posted by Matt Kaufmann ages ago extoling
the virtues of Ameca splendens, an interesting livebearer that drops young
when they are 1/2 inch long... among other things, Matt claimed that they
actually eat filamentous green algae, the kind you have to remove with a
fork like spaghetti (not to be confused with tenacious brush algae, which
has to be removed with an SAE).  It's true.  They do eat it quite well.
I've had three juveniles in a 10-gallon high-light tank with algae-choked
plants such as Micranthemum for the past 3 months.  I don't feed them, yet
their bellies are always full.  The tank is now immaculate.

Another data point for the records.

  - Erik

- ---
Erik Olson                              
(e-mail)

Ameca splendens... yes it does eat filamentous green algae!

by "David W. Webb" <dwebb-at-ti.com>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997

I was in NY this weekend and hooked up with Matt for a tour of NYC.  We
visited several pet shops, and the ones with plants had a horrible beard
algae problem.  Matt recommended Ameca splendens for control of brush algae
too.  I'd never heard that, and have never tried it either, but it sounds
possible.  After all, platies and ghost shrimp will eat red or green algae
if you don't feed them.

David W. Webb           Texas Instruments
(972) 575-3443 (voice)  http://www.dallas.net/~dwebb
(214) 581-2380 (pager)  2145812380-at-alphapage.airtouch.com

Ameca splendins

by ac554/freenet.carleton.ca (David Whittaker)
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999

Chris Wells asked....

>I've been prodding my LFSs to get some Ameca splendins in to help with
>some hair algae problems.
>Has anyone seen this fish lately?  The common name was something like
>butterfly godigon.
>I read at the Krib site that this fish will eat about any type of algae
>- - what about plants??
>I don't want to make salad of them!
>Does anyone on the list keep these?

Ameca splendens, the Butterfly Goodeid, page 703 of Baensch
Aquarium Atlas II.

They do not eat black brush or green spot algae, but they do a
decent job on stringy hair algaes. They can be fed zucchini and
flake food. I haven't noticed them eating any plants yet. Last
week at auction three pairs went for Can$7, $6, and $1 respectively.
I guess nobody was aware of their algae-eating abilities. They
are a very tough fish, but don't let your pH get much below 6.5.

>By the way my 120G has 6 ottos, 6 SAEs and ~10 algae shrimp - nothing
>else but a few volunteer snails.
>Any other suggestions?  I was thinking of some Mollies but my PH is ~6.5
>and the water on the soft side.

I think that you have all of the angles covered.

- --
Dave Whittaker
Gloucester, Ontario
Canada
ac554@FreeNet.Carleton.ca

AW: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #890

by Ewald Maly <Ewald.Maly/InterServ.at>
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999

I keep 20 ameca splendens in my 1000 liter tank. 
I had an invasion of green hair algae. They ate it up in 3 days. 
And -that was new for me- they also eat black brush algae!!!
They do not touch plants!
I also keep Mollies in my 300 liter tank at PH 6.5 and KH 3.5
I have them since 1 year, they feel fine, and have a lot of offspring.
____________________________________
Mag. Ewald Maly
email: ewald.maly@lci.at
http://www.interconnect.at



> Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 17:57:57 -0500
> From: cwells <cdwells@concentric.net>
> Subject: Ameca splendins
> 
> I've been prodding my LFSs to get some Ameca splendins in to help with
> some hair algae problems.
> Has anyone seen this fish lately?  The common name was something like
> butterfly godigon.
> I read at the Krib site that this fish will eat about any type of algae
> - - what about plants??
> I don't want to make salad of them!
> Does anyone on the list keep these?
> 
> By the way my 120G has 6 ottos, 6 SAEs and ~10 algae shrimp - nothing
> else but a few volunteer snails.
> Any other suggestions?  I was thinking of some Mollies but my PH is ~6.5
> and the water on the soft side.
> 
> Chris Wells
> cdwells@concentric.net
> 
> 

Duckweed

by tconnors/webtv.net (Thomas Connors)
Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999

Going thru the archives looking for algae eating fish I noticed a live
bearer named Ameca splendens mentioned a few times. I've been looking
for them for months & finally found a pair at a club auction. Not only
do they work the algae but I put them in a duckweed infested 20G long. 2
weeks later, not a trace of duckweed. I hope they breed so I can
introduce them in my other planted tanks.

Tom Connors, Pittsburgh Pa. I wish I could be half the person our dog
"Jed" thinks I am!

Ameca Splendens

by "Christopher Newell" <newellcr/yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001

Ed wrote about Ameca Splendens.

Ed,

I have kept and raised Ameca Splendens before.  They are gluttonous pigs.
They eat anything and everything that fits into their mouths.  I have seen
them eat blue-green algae.  They are very active fish and can be
rambunctious.  I have not found them to be aggressive with larger fishes,
but most of my experience is with a single species tank.

A few years ago, our local clubs had a table sale event where I wound up
selling a bag of these fish to a Cichlid keeper.  He was pretty sure that
his Cichlids would make a quick lunch of anything I had to offer (which was
mainly livebearers).  I knew that he was probably right except for the Ameca
splendens.  I suggested them as dither fish for his Cichlids.  He scoffed
and told me that he'd bring back the beat up carcasses and give me an "I
told you so."

I'm still waiting.

Good luck, enjoy these interesting fish.  You will need to step up the
feeding in this tank once the algae is gone.

Cheers,

Chris
BTW: I don't have this species anymore and don't know where you might find
them.  I saw some on Aquabid not too long ago.

Ameca Splendens

by Ron Barter <mistnfrost/superaje.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001

> Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 07:52:36 -0800
> From: Ed Dumas <a4a48835@telus.net>
> Subject: Ameca Splendens

snip

> I have been battling a hair algae problem that is quickly turning into a
> source of delight. Thanks to Tom I have taken steps to seriously curtail
> it's growth, and it seems to be working very well. I have also purchased
> 8 Ameca Splendens (Butterfly Goodeid - sp?) because I had heard from
> this forum that they are impressive with hair algae. The store that I
> purchased them from had no knowledge of this, even they are one of the
> best stores around here.
> 
> Well, I have to tell you all that the Ameca Splendens are amazing to
> watch. If you have hair algae in your planted tank, you simply MUST
> order some of them. They continually graze, and have a huge appetite for
> such a small fish. They rip off pieces of hair algae up to about 6" long
> and slurp it up like spaghetti. They go after it like my kids go after
> candy in the local corner store!
> 
> So the question is, when they have thoroughly devoured every bit of
> algae in my tank, which I estimate to be about one week at the current
> rate, will they eat algae tabs as a substitute, or will they be happy
> without?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Ed Dumas
> from Rainy Maple Ridge, B.C.

Hi Ed,

    I too had great luck with Ameca splendens attacking hair algae with a
vengence. But a couple of questions and a warning: How big are they, and are
they housed with any other fish? As mine got older and larger, they got
extremely aggressive, taking chunks out of much larger and faster moving (I
thought!) fish like rainbows. And when the hair algae dissappeared, they
started in on some of the softer plants in the tank, particularily
Heteranthera zosterifolia and Aponogeton ulvaceous. I then had the
unenviable task of trying to capture them without decimating a 100 gallon
tank. (Hint: wait until the middle of the night, and stalk them down with a
net and flashlight)

    I know of other people who have had no problems with these guys, but
others still who have had them literally kill everything from corys to
tetras. 

    You can't help but be a little nervous of a livebearer born well over
half and inch long with an umbilical cord.... <g>

Ron Barter
Perth, Ontario

ameca splendens

by Wright Huntley <jwwiii/pacbell.net>
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002

> Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 05:03:33 -0500
> From: David Modine <modine@erols.com>
> Subject: ameca splendens
> 
> After reading good reports on these little fish, I went to several LFS's
> yesterday to inquire about availability.
> No one had heard of them.

Stores don't use (or even grasp) scientific names. They order only by
"common name" which is a huge problem with less common fish, such as killies
and Goodeids.

> I assume these fish are not too popular because they don't have much
> color.

Wrong. They are fairly gaudy, with irridescent sparkle scales on the male's
sides, and a brilliant yellow stripe around the outer caudal margin set off
by a black stripe. Females have an intricate black pattern on their
otherwise pale sides. They have little "sparkle."

Like *J. floridae* they need lots of veggies, so may look pretty poor in a
store that doesn't understand their needs.

> Has anyone in the Washington DC / Baltimore area ever seen them offered
> in a store in this area?
> Or are they available by mail order?
> David Modine

The "Butterfy Goodeid" (*Ameca splendens*) is not common in the trade. Here
in N. CA, Ocean Aquarium (SF) is the only store that usually seems to have
them. You might check with the local Livebearer clubs for when they will
have shows, as they do usually appear, there.

Be advised that they can be tough on tank mates under some conditions
(despite claims they are peaceful). These are not your usual peaceful
mollies, by any stretch. YMMV. Behaviour is more like pupfish, but without
as much territoriality between males. [They are way nicer to tankmates than
some other Goodeids, tho.]

Wright

- -- 
Wright Huntley -- 650 843-1240 -- 866 Clara Dr. Palo Alto CA 94303 
                    http://www.sfbaka.net.

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