Need Herbivore suggestions???

fishnfst

fishnfst

New member
Hello all I'm looking for some suggestions for a non agressive herbivore for my 20L.. My lfs told me to get a yellow tang. I told him I only have a 20L and he said that the fish would grow only as big as the tnak would allow... Needless to say I passed..

I have hair algae, bubble algae and caulepra growing in the tank currently.. Hoping to find something that eats all of these things.. Someone else had mentioned a foxface as a good candidate..

I have 4 juvie perculas in the tank. Thats why I was hoping for something with minimal aggressions;
 
foxface would definately eat that stuff, however... they can get quite big as well, as such I wouldn't put it in that small of a tank any more than I would put a yellow tang.

I'd work on manual removal of the caulerpa & bubble algae (don't pop the bubbles), as to the hair algae, lower nutrients is a better place to start than any fish. Perhaps a tuxedo urchin or something non-fish like.
 
tripneustes gracilis---'hairy colored pincushion urchin' red and white striped. A lot easier to catch than a fish if you ever have to, and it doesn't harm corals.
 
I'd look into blue leg hermits. If you get them small they are quite non-destructive (except for wanting bigger shells already in use by snails) and some of the best hair algae eaters available. I agree w/ Mike about manual removal of valonia, just don't pop the algae in the tank. Of course all this is only treating symptoms, what you really want to shoot for is an overall reduction of the nutrient load in the system by whatever method you prefer. Personally, I do a lot of siphoning of detritus and water changes and overskimming but you should pick your own poison. HTH.-Jim
 
Thanks Jim.. I didn't even think of the hermit crabs.. I got some from you previously but they've been living in my fuge... Come to think of it the fuge is devoid of all algae but the chaeto morpha and a minimal amount of caulepra... I took them out of the main tank because they were tearing into things... I'm going to increase my water changes by 10% and let the skimmer run 24/7.. I had only been running it everyother day..
 
ever consider mollies for the hair algae ? although they wouldn't touch the valonia, not sure about the caulerpa. They stay smaller than the first 2 fish that come to mind (sailfin tang and foxface rabbitfish)
 
Hello Tom have you had good luck acclimating them to the full saltwater? I've seen some that were acclimated right after they were born that did quite well.. I use them in my planted tanks and they eat all hair algae really well.... I might try that as well...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8482783#post8482783 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
tripneustes gracilis---'hairy colored pincushion urchin' red and white striped. A lot easier to catch than a fish if you ever have to, and it doesn't harm corals.
Click to expand...

Problem with them is they like to grab rocks and such and run around the tank with them. If your using an acrylic tank, this can be very bad. They also like to knock over unsecured corals, move frags and generally cause havoc in a unsecured tank. Other then that. love the guys :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8483923#post8483923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishnfst
Hello Tom have you had good luck acclimating them to the full saltwater? I've seen some that were acclimated right after they were born that did quite well.. I use them in my planted tanks and they eat all hair algae really well.... I might try that as well...
Click to expand...

I had no problem acclimating mollies to saltwater by taking it the slow, patient route of gradual acclimation. As I recall, I did it over several days. My only problem was that they turned out to be carpet surfers! :( I suggest use of egg crate if you try the mollies!
 
Thats funny.. Was something chasing them.. I have 2-3 planted tanks all with open tops and have not had one commit suicide yet...
 
I have a similar problem in my 12 gallon Nano cube. Hair aglae and bubble algae all over the LR. This all started last summer during, as PG&E calls it, the heat storm. We lost power and I lost a Randell Gobie and numerous snails. The tank has not recovered. I have straed twice a week water changes and I'm thinking of adding more Emeral Crabs. The one I have is fat and happy and has so much to eat it doesn't move more than a few inches.

Would someone explain how to manually remove the bubble agae without bursting the bubbles. Do I scrub the rivck w/ a wire brush in the water change bucket, the one w/ the old water, give it a rinse in a clean bucket of water and return the rock to the tank??
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8484349#post8484349 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishnfst
Thats funny.. Was something chasing them.. I have 2-3 planted tanks all with open tops and have not had one commit suicide yet...
Click to expand...

It was a 10-gallon tank in the garage w/ just a pair of them (guess I should have called them cement surfers!)... I have no idea what could have spooked them. One went one night and the other one the next day before I got a chance to go buy some egg crate.
 
I just measured my nitrates and it was less than 5ppm looked pretty much like 0ppm with a hint of orange with my ap test kit.. calcium is 400ppm nitrites are 0 and ammonia is 0.. I don't have a phosphate test kit.. I rinsed out my chaeto the other day though.. There was alot of detritus stuck in it...
 
As for the mollies, All About Fish in Pleasant Hill had some sailfin mollies for sale (in their saltwater section), aparently eitehr pre-acclimated, or raised in saltwater. They told me the company that supplied them, but I don't remember the name. The one caveat they said was that the company only shipped males (which makes them useless for those of us that use them as "palnkton generators".

As for acclimating them, I read that 24 hours or so is about average, for a gradula acclimation. There are several threads here on RC on the topic, just do a search on mollies and acclimating (or saltwarer). :)
 
Right on Tom.. Thanks for the info.. I have some in my fw pt tanks so I might just pull a couple out and try it...
 
How about temp? The article mentioned 76 degrees. Does anyone have experience w/ Mollies at higher temperatures?

My planted FW tank is at 80 degrees and my SW Nano tends to run in the low eighties. It would be great if I could use mollies to help w/ the hair algae in my nano and then shift it to my planted tank to help w/ the algae there.

And, any thoughts on a Mollies chances w/ a pair of Ocellaris. They are still quite small, < 2", and beyond the odd scrap appear to get along fine w/ each other. Would they kill a Mollie if I added one to my gallon nano cube?
 
As I recall, I did it over several days. My only problem was that they turned out to be carpet surfers!
Click to expand...

The six-line wrasse is the only saltwater fish I've had that's a jumper. Two weeks ago, I heard a splash and a flop after the lights turned out. My six-line wrassed had jumped out and landed on the front bracing of my tank. Luckily, I was able to push him back into the tank with my finger, and he appears okay.

A school of sailfin mollies would me an interesting addition to a reeftank dominated with IndoPacific livestock :D
 
I just picked one of the saltwater mollies from all about fish. I will let you all know if it eats hair algea as I have a few patches.
 
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