karimwassef
Active member
So... My best hair algae eater is my juvenile sailfin, followed by my rabbit and purple tang. Is the sailfin's mouth more adapted to feeding off hair algae?
Picky eater - Naso tang
- Thread starter karimwassef
- Start date
Stevenliu9
New member
One interesting observation is when you are at a LFS or aquarium next time, observe their grazing behavior, most of them have a specific preference based on their mouth's adaptation. But I would also say that each fish have their own "taste" for what they like, just like us, some prefer beef over chicken even though we can eat both! Some tangs just have a taste for certain type of algae and some others won't even touch it! (I have a Desjardini and a Chevron in the same tank, and their algae preference is very different).
karimwassef
Active member
Ok. Come to think of it, the condition of my hair algae also changed after getting the Naso. I got him on a Friday and the hair was long and flowing in the current (4" to 5"). This was when he was pulling on it. On Saturday, I went through a weeding and pulled all the long glowing hair leaving a shorter fuzz cut (1/2" to 1"). He tried a couple of times and gave up.
Even with the nori, he likes it when I cut it into 6" long but thin strands. He gobbles it up like spaghetti.
This didn't really click until now. Thanks.
I'll take a rock of fuzzy hair to my LFSs and see if they can put it into their tang tanks... Let's see of they really value my patronage
Even with the nori, he likes it when I cut it into 6" long but thin strands. He gobbles it up like spaghetti.
This didn't really click until now. Thanks.
I'll take a rock of fuzzy hair to my LFSs and see if they can put it into their tang tanks... Let's see of they really value my patronage
karimwassef
Active member
Even my sailfin. He likes the short stuff (<1/2") and won't really go after the 1" unless no new "shoots" are available.
Interesting because that has not been my experience. Bristletooth tangs, for me, at least, have been good detritovores and consumers of slime algae (though not cyano), but generally poor at removing GHA. Best success for GHA has been with zebrasomas, particularly yellow and scopas. Sailfin is OK, but usually has to be 'shown' by the other tangs. Acanthurus are OK too. My current Achilles does a good job cleaning the rocks, though the GHA has to already be cropped before it really contributes all that much.
Stevenliu9
New member
Agree with that, My yellow tang and fox face nips on gha but they wouldn't touch it if it's too "long", only if it's stubby. and my bristle tooth guys would "comb" through the rock and trim the "golf lawn" size algae.
