RE: Planted tank algae, big mis-id'ed "eater" Quite a bit of string algae building up in one of my tanks and the outdoor pots. The pH on these guys seems to always creep up as well. <Related events.... the algae is rapidly photosynthesizing, using up alkaline reserve, in the meanwhile poisoning/outcompeting its "higher" kin the vascular plants. Neat eh?> No string algae in the fireplace tank. The fireplace tank has a pH that is constantly falling <Use a little baking soda here> and a large Siamese Algae eater. <Large? This species doesn't get that large... are you sure you have the REAL thing? Check here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/saesagb.htm Thought you had a stinky Chinese Algae Eater? Time to trade that bad boy in> Question: is the string algae related to the increasing pH?  <Yes> Note I don't see the SAE eating it. <It won't... likely a blue green, likely not a true SAE> I have a bacterial product that is supposed to get rid of it called String Algae Treatment, S.A.T., do you think it would help? <Worth trying. Pls report back to me your results. Bob Fenner>

E. Kalopterus longevity? (Lifespans of captive aquatics) Hello Robert, Sorry to bother you but I just read your article on SAE "Will the Real SAE Please Swim Forward?" and I have a question that you might be able to answer. I have a Flying Fox, E. Kalopterus, that I bought in -93 or -94 (not sure which). That makes him 8 years or so. Do you know how old these fish can get? <Know of ones near a decade... bet some of the Public Aquariums in Europe have had Flying Foxes this long or longer...> He is now about 14cm (5.5 inches) and he hasn't grown much in years as far as I can tell. Thanks for your time, Steve Danielsson Stockholm <Thank you for your input. As I say, many Public Aquariums do keep, even post longevity records on their stocks. You might want to try perusing some of their sites (links on the WWM Links Page) for more here. Bob Fenner>