Algae Eating Fish Recommendations

orlandobrian

orlandobrian

New member
I need a good algae eating fish recommendation for my 46 gallon bowfront. I have it pretty full of sps, lps, a clam, and hope to add two little zoos (you da man swirlygig :) ). Anybody know of a fish that: 1. Stays small. 2. Is VERY peaceful. 3. Will NOT disturb rockwork. 4. Will happily eat algae off of the rocks. Oh, and 5. Isn't an ugly little brown blenny with a great "personality" like a little pet dog or something. I'm sorry, I'm in it for the looks. Yes, I am that shallow - looks are everything for my tank! The more color the better. Hey, that's why I married my wife! Her wonderful personality was a bonus!!!!! LOL. I'm just joking..... she doesn't have much of a personality.... no seriously.... she's perfect - make sure you tell her I said so. Anyway, back on topic... any recommendations for a fish that fits that criteria?
 
some blennies are actually very attractive fish! The bi-color blennie will eat algae like crazy. A yellow tang is a good grazer also. Between those two fish in my 125g I have barely any algae.
 
How big does a bi-color blennie get? I cant go yellow tang becuase its 46 gallons half full of rock/coral. Not much room for a fish "tang" size. The only fish I have now is a Mandrin.

I bought a small emerald crab too. It took care of ALL of my bubble algae on its own! But I'm getting plant looking algea both red and green.
 
Bicolor Blenny
The Bicolor Blenny has an elongated body with the anterior colored in dark purple and the posterior in yellow to orange. They have long straight cirri. These little fish have tons of personality and love to find a favorite spot in the aquarium to call home. They will often use rock crevices, caves, and empty barnacles to hide their body and allow their head to poke out to keep an eye on what's going on. They love to graze on algae throughout the aquarium and will often experience "pale patches" on their face and body when lights are first turned on. The Bicolor Blenny should not be mixed with other Blennies in small tanks. They are great for reef tanks and will accept most fish foods.

The Blenny Family is commonly confused with the Goby family. The Blennies are distinguished by their single continuous dorsal fin and habit of resting on the bottom with their body curved. These fish will usually have tiny appendages on the top of their heads called "cirri". Some Blennies inhabit tidal pools where the water is warm and shallow. They have incredible jumping ability and are known to jump from pool to pool, which lends to the other name they are known as: "Rock Skipper". Other Blennies are found hiding in crevices and caves at coral reefs. These fish have blunt heads and their teeth are combed, giving them the ability to scrape algae -- their primary food source -- from rock surfaces.
Size: 2 inches
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Bold
Diet: Pellet, Flake, Brine, Algae
Origin: Indian Ocean
Acclimation Time: 3+ hours
Minimum Tank Size: 10 Gallons
Coral Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes
 
What about a pygmy angel? They aren't strict herbivores but mine does its fair share picking at stuff on the rocks/glass. They can be touch and go with corals but I have a cherub and he hasn't bothered anything in over a year.
 
I've had bad luck with pygmy's over the years: 2 Potter's, Flame, Cherub, Rusty and a Flameback. I've thougth about that, and almost traded for a Flame, but the more I thought... The last Cherub I had was a good fish (no picking), but every other time the angels start out fine (sometimes even for years) then eventually get a taste of some particular coral they like and chow down. Ocean Blue claims to have a pygmy that is always reef safe. Its a little white/black angel (I dont know the name). But its not very colorfull.... and kinda looks like a damsel. Isnt there an angelfish with a forked tail that is reef safe? Any one know of an angelfish that is 100% reef safe and not a 50/50 chance?
 
Go get a small Foxface. He will have your tank cleanned out in no time, and they are slow growers, so you will be able to keep him around for a long time. He won't nip at any of your corals and will be a model citizen. They are the best aglae eaters you can get.
 
A foxface will get too large for a small tank. I had a bicolor before and he would knock the rockwork. But you are right about the algae control! Any other ideas?
 
There are some reef safe angels like watanabe and bellus. I'm not sure if they are also pickers, though.

I agree a small foxface can fix a problem, but they grow pretty fast and are a pain in the butt to catch. Also, you'll need to be aware of the fish when working in the tank to not get pricked by its spines if it gets spooked.

The best thing you could do is find out why you are getting algae in the first place. Overfeeding/overstocked, old lights, phosphates, nitrates, etc.

Other than that you could look into a colorful blenny like an ember blenny or maybe look into inverts to control the problem. There are some snails/crabs/slugs that can be really cool and helpful to the tank.
 
Its not "bad" algae like you are probably thinking, i.e.: hair, encrusting, etc. Its more like little plants. A few green stalks here and a leafy maroon plant thingy there. One rock has a grass-like thing growing on it, but its not ugly or hairy. Nothing bad - its not even unpleasant to look at. Just a good food source for a hungry herbivore. Besides, I only have the mandrin, 1 VERY small emerald crab, and three large peppermint shrimp. I think its time for a swimming, moving fish. Nothing stressful, or large, or aggressive. Just a small, pretty fish that I don't have to do anything with (except feed). And one that doesn't **** me off by moving my sps frags into the chalice or something like that. I would LOVE a tang, but a 46 gallon is a bit small for a tang don't you think? I would LOVE a pygmy angel, but I would hate to try and catch it (if the fish decides to nip my corals/clam). What's the smallest tang available? Is there any options here? Are Blennies my only option?
 
For a tank that small I'd definitely avoid a tang. they grow quickly and would spoil the water quickly. They are poopin machines!

I know you don't want a blenny but have you looked at them all? There are so many! Here's the one I mentioned

ember-blenny.jpg


Peacock
PeacockBlenny.JPG


Leopard
blenny.jpg


If those are boring to you, I'm not sure what to tell you :(


There is one other fish I could think of that could be considered a picker. I've read about them going after pods as well as some filamentous algae that would do well for that size and its a Hector's Goby

hector.jpg
 
I don't "hate" blennies, I'm actually leaning toward the bicolor. Or the tailspot. Thanks for the photos! Those are definitely not boring!

Its just that I would prefer a angelfish or tang... I guess I'm just missing my big tank :( .

But on a brighter note, my corals never looked better and I really looooooovvvvvveee the corals! So a blenny looks like it might be my only option outside of inverts huh?
 
I'd still give a cherub angel a try. You never know each fish's individual quirks until you try unfortunately
 
Do you know if the LFS have any of these? Or a flameback? I was at aquarius studios yesterday. They have a great selection of corals and clowns - but not much in angels. Tell vin he needs to stock up :) !
 
How about a small tomini tang, they stay the smallest out of almots all tangs (6") and they grow slow. I've had one for 4 years and he is still less than 4" He was around 3" when I got him and has always been fat from all the algae grazing he does.
185580DSC01978-med.jpg
 
Unfortunately the trimma goby doesn't really eat algae. He'd always dart out to get a piece of mysis or two. I think my pistol shrimp slowly picked off my tiny gobies.. that or the YWG at them. They were barely 1" and I had a few of them. Next time I'm thinking *just* tiny fish no shrimp! I have a few ideas for when I setup a tank next. If I get my wish and get out to seattle anytime soon I'm going to do a cold water tank and collect from Puget Sound.

I'd say you could definitely do a small tomini - but again, it will be a fish you know you eventually take out and trade/find a home for. I had some viscious nuisance caulerpa I used a tang to get rid of but I did so knowing I had a few friends/neighbors who would adopt him.

When that would happen? Your fish would show listlessness, aggression, possibly ich breakouts due to stress. You'd pretty much know when the time is right. Unfortunately I don't believe in the long term health of tangs in smaller tanks. At least yours is still relatively big. You may be able to get away with it for even a few years but depending on the individual some tominis get a little larger, some stay smaller. They're one of my favorite tangs though ;p
 
I really liked that leopard blenny photo chrisstie, but I read this:

"A 50 gallon or larger reef aquarium with small-polyped stony corals as a food source is ideal. It is territorial over its food source, and will usually find a crevice close by to defend its food source from members of its own species or other food competitors.

It is difficult to entice the Leopard Blenny to eat in an aquarium, and therefore, should only be kept by very experienced aquarists who can supply its special diet of stony coral polyps."

I dont want that!!!

Think I'm going to skip the tang... I dont know how long I'll have the smaller tank running. This leaves me with a blenny or a flameback or cherub angel... any stores in town with one or all of the above to choose from? I'm leaning to a really young flameblack, my 2nd choice is a tailspot blenny, 3rd is a bicolor blenny, lastly cherub. Let me know if you've seen/have them.

Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

OrionN
Naso elegans, the Blonde Naso
Replies
1
Views
220
OrionN
OrionN
E
Wave maker recommendations?
Replies
12
Views
2K
ExitTrauma
E
P
Clownfish is lethargic and not eating
Replies
11
Views
2K
Dustin07
D
K
Mandarin acting strange
Replies
4
Views
1K
OrionN
OrionN
C
Help with fish illness diagnosis
Replies
4
Views
572
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
Back
Top