Gamarus are that small. In a planted tank though they hide in the gravel and
in the plants and the bows don't eat them all. I suppose if you didn't feed
them for long enough they might get them. I think that the bows just aren't
made for eating critters in the rocks, they like bugs falling down on the
surface of the water.
I have them in a lot of my tanks. I also have them in 2, 5 gallon buckets
that I use to culture them for my bumble bee gobies. I've also started using
the bumble bees as little eradicators. When I get sick of the gammarus in
one of the tanks, I add the bumble bees and watch them dissapear.
Hair algae is a planted tanks worst nightmare. I'm always trying to find
ways to get rid of it. Another good trick to use when you do get an algae
invasion is to keep the tank in total darkness until it clears up. You have
to do lots of water changes when you do that though and it works out better
to try to avoid them in the first place.<g>
On the mollies I keep a couple different kinds and they may pick at the
algae, but I think gammarus or ghost shrimp do a better job. Ghost shrimp
are feeders too, but they are big enough that the bows will be able to see
them and they'll get masacred. I use them with livebearers (including the
mollies<g>) though and they work out well.
Rhonda
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/RhondaWilson/
American Livebearer Association
http://petsforum.com/ala/
Pets Forum Group Inc.
http://petsforum.com
On Tue, 15 Apr 1997, Jim Priest <cat at lascruces.com> wrote:
>Hey Rhonda, Jim again...
>
>I suppose I should read all my mail before shooting our replys. I found
>out these gammarus are shrimp? A local pet shop here can get then for me
>but say they are feeders and are only 3-5mm long. How big are the ones
>you have or how big do they have to be before my bows won't eat them
>all? Could I just put them in a tank alone and let them grow out there?
>Hmmm? You have me excited now about this hair algae...never thought
>that would happen!
>
>Jim
>
>