Bad SAEs (56K warning)

[footbeat]

So after 45 minutes, the first bottle caught the smallest one, I believe a male. The other females were too big for the bottle. They would go in, and as soon as they realized they couldn't turn around easily, they would panic and swim out. I used a bigger bottle. Over two days, I caught one more female. Two remained. They wouldn't swim inside, and if they did, they swam right back out before I could yank the bottle out.

On the third day of trying I gave up. But that night, I was out late. When I came in during the middle of the night and turned the light on in my room, I saw the two lying on my Java fern leaves motionless. I remembered what Rev2eight said, that they sleep after the lights are off for 2 to 3 hours. I thought it is worth a try. I grabbed the net, my heart began to race, I dipped the net in and scooped up one of them, and pulled her out of the tank. She hardly moved. By that time, the other one began to stir and I couldn't catch her.

The next day, with the lights on, I saw the one last remaining SAE sitting in a corner near my Riccia rocks. I took the net, cornered her, and out she goes. I scooped her up without a fight. Maybe she became depressed about being alone and wanted to be with the others in the hospital tank.

I'm thinking that now that I have 4 SAEs and two juvenile platys in my hospital tank, that I might convert into another planted tank. That will hold me over until I can set up the 90 sitting in the basement. I don't think that I'm ready to give up the SAEs yet. Their tenacity earned them some respect in my book.

[@marko@]

they are very fast and extremely intelligent fish. it took hours to get a growing sae out of an eclipse 6 to a 20L. he was tricked into a net once, the moment the net goes in the tank he hides in the stem plants, he does not forget. they are the smartest fish ive kept.

[Kooka]

I have the same problem with my SAE. It likes to "browse" on my Hygro's, destroys my Ceratophyllum and it totally wiped out the java moss in my 10 gallon low-light. Currently it is fat from over-eating but I bought some algae wafers and it seems satisfied with them. I still think that its usefulness in combating BBA far outweighs its plant-eating habits.

[frozenbarb]

SAE are bad! They been munching on my Tonina, Arthraxons, Limnophila Aromatica, Rotala Macdrandra.

[newshound]

personally I love my SAE's!!!!!
but yep they will eat java moss and soft leafed plants.
I keep loaches so hardy plants are a must.
the person who was blaming the SAE on your clown loaches hiding needs to look for another solution to the hiding clowns.
do they have enough hiding spots?
are the loaches in a large group etc...
how to tell if you have a real SAE
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/cyprinid.html