# SAE's eating my java moss?!



## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

I just watched the strangest thing, both of my SAE's were munching away at a patch of java moss, they cleaned off all of the green part and left behind some wispy stems that look a lot like the "roots" on a java fern. I have never seen them do that before.

Before you ask yes they are true SAE's, they have been in the same tank for over a year and are fully grown (4 inches each). A lot of people have complained that SAE's stop eating algae when they mature, but mine are *always* grazing on whatever little bits they can find, all I can say is that I must really have my algae under control for them to have to resort to java moss...

Anybody else ever seen this type of behavior?


----------



## NoSvOrAx (Nov 11, 2006)

Mine ate all of my xmas moss.


----------



## V.PooH (Apr 25, 2008)

Never seen them eating moss, but they love dwarf hair grass, ate it all in couple weeks.


----------



## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I've seen mine grazing through my mosses, but I thought they were just eating the algae and other stuff in the moss. I'll have to take a closer look. 
I have some spirulina tablets that I only occassionally put in there. I wonder if supplementing their algae consumption with the spirulina would keep them away from the moss. I'll let you know what I discover.

-Dave


----------



## Jeff.:P:. (Nov 20, 2007)

Heres a good article, I had the same experience.
http://www.aquamoss.net/Articles/Siamese-Algae-Eater-And-Aquatic-Moss.htm


----------



## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Jeff.:P:. said:


> Heres a good article, I had the same experience.
> http://www.aquamoss.net/Articles/Siamese-Algae-Eater-And-Aquatic-Moss.htm


Thanks for the article link. So much for my 'algae team'. How many Otocinclus do you think it would take to replace 5 SAE's (that are still small...about 2.5")? 

Logan'sDaddy, what are your thoughts on this? (SAE's good or bad? Still worth keeping around after they've grown up?)


----------



## Logan's Daddy (May 3, 2008)

davemonkey said:


> Logan'sDaddy, what are your thoughts on this? (SAE's good or bad? Still worth keeping around after they've grown up?)


I plan to keep them in place for now, they have been in the same tank with the same moss for over 1 year, and this is the first time I've noticed anything.

They haven't completely destroyed anything, the moss in this tank is mostly a light amount creeping over the driftwood... matter of fact now that I think about it I almost never have to thin out that moss, and in my other tank it takes over in a heartbeat, maybe they've been keeping it mowed down for me all this time.

I'll have to take a closer look and will try to post some pics later...


----------



## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I noticed when I took a close look this evening where mine had been eating at the moss, but they haven't destroyed it. I suppose it's just one of the many foods they enjoy along with the hair/beard algae. 

I've decided that as long as I can still see some growth on my moss (I'm still at a point where I need it to thicken up in spots) I'll let it slide. But if they start doing some real damage, I'll scoop them out and take them to the LFS for a trade. 

Once the moss fills in the way I'd like, I don't think it would bother me too much. Like you said, they may just be keeping it 'mowed'.


----------

