Help me pick a tang

[iamwhatiam52]

I need advice on which tang to get for my 180gal. Part of the reason I want one is to control the red algae in this pic. It's taking over!

I am concerned about how large tangs get. I do not want a large fish in the tank. Are there any that stay small, or at least grow slower?

 

[reefgeek67]

i would reccomend a yellow tang. though they are quite common, they seem to get along well with others, and they dont get as large as some of the more sought after tangs.......the atlantic blue is a good fish as well, and maybe a purple tang....

 

[yoboyjdizz]

not sure if it will take care of your algae problems but i hear kole tangs do great work grazing...there one of few smaller tangs.

 

[ksanfranfan]

tangs are fish that feed mostly on green algae. They are herbivores or omnivores. I dont know that by putting a tang in your aquarium will get rid of your red algae. A tang will help control your green algae blooms if you have any. Most tangs sold in the lfs grow from 6 to 10 inches in most aquariums depending on the size of the aquarium and other facters. You have a 180g aquarium so a tang wouldnt be a problem in your tank. Red algae is said to be beneficial algae on live rocks. It really isnt a nuisance algae. In one book that Ive read it says that red algae is almost more important that the corals that inhbit the reefs. I have coralline algae growing every where in my tank also except on the front and sides of my glass. Worry more about the green and brown algae build up rather than the red algae. Tangs love green algae, so that would be a good reason to get a tang.

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

The smallest tangs are the yellows, purple, scopas, all of the bristletooth tangs, the convict and mimic. All of these fish would do great in your 180.

 

[thor32766]

yes ksanfranfran is correct. a tang wouldnt eat that red algea.

 

[chinaman4u]

That looks like the red algea i am battling... here's a link to the thread

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=850388

I sent a few frags of this to a fellow reefer and he told me,

"Here's what eat's the algae so far
moorish idol ( seems to think it's candy It found it within 5 seconds of adding it to the tank. If your tank is big enough a juvie moorish idol is probably your best bet.

Other tangs, Kole expressed interest and grazed a bit, yellow and naso had minimal reaction.

green caribbean urchin ( went after it within a few minutes of having it in the tank. Not the same response I get from it for dandelion greens but definately a stronger response than ulva or kelp.

What didn't respond to it.
Any snail ( stromatella, turbo, astrea )
Any hermit crab ( caribbean blues & reds )

-thank's for the zoos as well, it was a nice surprise.

I'm going to try a few different herbivores, see how it goes. Right now it really seems the tangs with wide scraping mouths are the most interested. I don't have access to one right now but I bet a grazing blenny would do a number on the stuff as well. "

Hope this helps.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

The Algae I have is different.... no liquid filled swellings on it, but it IS getting out of hand. It covers about 1/3 of my rock, and smothers corals if I don't cut it back.

So far only my Diadema urchin eats it, but not fast enough.

 

[BlueNWhite]

Maybe it's a coincidence, but I found that since I upgraded my skimmer, I couldn't grow any micro algae if I tried. Back when I had a 4" Sohal Tang, I wished that I had some algae on the glass and rocks because that was all it looked like the Sohal was willing to eat. It never took to anything that I fed it. So when there was no algae for him to pick on, it eventually perished.

 

[emilese]

What about trying a Foxface / Rabbit Fish?

 

[maddyfish]

can't beat a yellow tang

 

[McCrary]

Powder Blue tangs are one of my favorites, but for something different see if you can get a gemmatum or rostratum.

 

[coralcats]

yellow eye tang

 

[asmujica]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7662538#post7662538 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coralcats
yellow eye tang

[welcome]

 

[moga]

I had foxface..in my 37gallon..
and he ate them all in 2 weeks............wow!

 

[fishes2889]

I vote kole(bristletooth) tang...

Steve

 

[yoboyjdizz]

So have you pick your tang yet?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Nope. But I have lots of advice to sift through. Now I'm even more confused thinking maybe A rabbit fish would be better.
For looks I'de like a yellow or a sailfin, but it sounds like a kole may be a better grazer.
Since some are saying they won't eat the red stuff in my tank, I may just bring some to a store and see which tang eats it.

 

[old salty]

I have a Powder Brown Tang which is pretty cool and not as common as others. Really nice colors; better than a powder blue (I think.)

 

[PuffersKick]

That red looks like cyanobacteria and no fish will eat it. The only way to get rid of it is weekly water change and adding a refugium if you don't already have one. That stuff is a nightmare! You also may have a problem if you don't have enough flow in the tank.