best fish option for maintaining algae control..

[rgentry123]

im looking at either a gold spot rabbitfish or foxface, or a tang (either tomini or kole). i have had algae problems in the past and seem to have gotten in somewhat under control at this point and im trying to determine which fish would best help keep it under control. any input is appreciated. thanks!

 

[burbarry]

My kole eye eats like crazy. But i love my tuxedo urchin more for algea.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[reeferstace]

What kind of algae is it?

I rely more on inverts for algae control that fish. Seems they are more predictable.

 

[sbtdark]

Scopas Tang or Rabbit fish which may feast on Zoas.

 

[BeanMachine]

My rabbit fish was a glutten but it was great for algae including bubble... but they may nip at your corals.

How big is your tank? Sorry if I missed that. Yellows do a nice job as well but if you are limited to those on your list I would vote for the Kole.

 

[29reef]

GFO, GAC, good flow, and nutrient control.

NO new fish... Especially ones that get at least 5" long on the small side...

If the tank is new maybe it's just working itself out; if it's been up for over a year then you need to look at your maintence, water chemisty, and nutient removal techniques.

 

[jason2459]

I agree you should not get a fish to control some pest but because you really like it. There are many ways now that have been shared by many. Control can be attacked through better husbandry, proper feeding, manual pulling a little at a time, phosphate control, and in some cases chemically. Phosaphate control could be better feeding methods, GFO, skimming, Macro/micro algae harvesting, or some type of carbon dosing. Chemically should be a last resort like using Tech-M to raise magnesium to higher Mega levels, AlgaeFx, or really in sever cases of really high phosphates properly dosing LC.

 

[jason2459]

btw, adding a fish could make things worse and I don't know what size tank you have or how its currently stocked.

With all that said I love my Magnificent Foxface.

 

[fish042099]

Yellow tang is the best algae eater i know.

 

[NatureNerd]

All depends on what kind of algae you are dealing with. Most BT Tangs are better than yellows for the small stuff. Neither are any good at controlling most macroalgae.

I agree with Jason and 29reef that usually a fish is not the right answer. For my tank, I like herbivores as they can fend for themselves for short periods of time, at some level, by foraging. They do not control the algae.

 

[SimplyReefer]

i wouldnt add anymore fish. Work towards water quality

 

[rgentry123]

well, i had a bad hair algae problem before i moved my tank about 3 months ago and that was something that had originally started after i began using bio pellets. i stopped using the biopellets but the algae unfortunately stayed. unfortunately i lost all my fish in a my tank move so the tank has been empty for 3 months. since the crash i've been doing water changes every two weeks and siphoning out GHA but the crap still seems to be coming back, albeit much more slowly now than before but still coming back none the less. so it definately isnt an issue of overstocking or overfeeding. the tank btw is a 110 tall. sorry, i know i should have given a lot more of this info earlier on.

 

[dark taco]

Salfin tang or the best for controlling algy

 

[buddythelion]

My sea hair decimated all of the hair algae in my 400 gallon.

...ALL of it.

 

[rgentry123]

ive tried a sea hare on 2 different occasions, for whatever reason they dont last more than a few days in my tank.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

A tang with a diamond shaped mouth like a Kole or Chevron would be your best bet.

 

[29reef]

Sounds like you have some water quality issues that need to be taken care of before adding fish.

 

[Lavoisier]

I have had both a yellow and a sailfin. The yellow was probably a little more thorough.