Suggestions for algae eating fish in 40G Frag tank

R

Raoul5Duke

Active member
I'm looking for some suggestions on a fish that will help control algae in my 40G frag tank that is plumbed into a system including a 360G display tank and 80G sump. I currently run GFO, Carbon and an algae scrubber but I still get algae growth in the frag tank. I have a Foxface Lo in my 360G that keeps it spotless but obviously that won't work for a 40G frag tank. I also have several snails in there but am not a huge fan of the turbos knocking small frags over. Currently I move my frag racks to the main tank for a day or two to let the Foxface clean them up but I would prefer not to keep doing this. Any suggestions other than an algae blenny?
 
a juvenile one spot foxface would be ok in there for a while. only problem is you are sticking your hands in and out and the possibilities of getting stung are pretty good. cerith snails would be a good idea too. even the dwarfs. you could load it with those and because they are so small, they wont knock over anything. turbos are a pain when it comes to knocking over frags. I would try contacting reef cleaners and see what they say.
 
I had great success with hermit crabs and turbo snails to suppress hairy algae. They kept my tank free of all hairy algae they could reach. Yes, the knocking over of corals is a problem, but I got that largely fixed buy spacing the corals further apart.
Another good snail that doesn't cause problems is stromatella. They even have the added benefit that they reproduce in your system, so no need of restocking them.

All hairy algae went away when the coralline took over and outcompeted them.

Fish are in my opinion much less efficient and in most cases just keep algae short.
 
I find the best snail for algae are Trocus snails. They are large like turbo snails but don't knock things over. I've had one for 3+ years he is huge now and still doesn't move coral.

golferbud101691 said:
I would try contacting reef cleaners and see what they say.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't recommend reef cleaners. The last two times I ordered from them I had a bunch of problems. First time they sent on the wrong day after we emailed back and forth about it so by the time I got home and realized they had shipped already most of the snails were dead. The second time they didn't send all of the snails I requested (yet still charged me) and half showed up dead.

They also push nerites which are the worst snails. I would never buy them again they all end up on the floor (this is with a screen top) and even if they stay in the tank they don't really eat much.
 
nerite snails are carnivores and scavangers and not algae grazers. They can actually be bad if you want to maintain copepods and other beneficial microorganisms in your sand as they will hunt them down.
I feel they are only useful if you have a lot of leftover food falling on the ground and nobody else in your tank to clean it up.
 
Mollies are great at eating algae and can easily be converted to SW and you can't beat the price. Then you have the addition of live birth to feed to your tank. IMO its a win win.
 
I'll have to look into the mollies or maybe just get another algae blenny. Not being critical & I appreciate the suggestions, but I find it funny how many people suggested snails after I already said I have plenty in there and I was looking for fish suggestions...
 
Raoul5Duke said:
Dkuhlmann, the more I look into the mollies the more I like. Thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...

No problem I'm always happy to help.

I just bought a pair of black mollies yesterday and when I put them in my DT my Cherub Angel tried to kill them> I have a thread on it below this one. They are now in my sump and have lots to eat there with algae and pods.

Ya I noticed the people suggesting snails when you clearly asked for a fish LOL It's because people don't read the whole first post before answering.

Best part about mollies the nice ones are about $2.50 each :thumbsup:
 
When I had mollies 15 years ago I found that they got picked on by most saltwater fish. They are an easy target I guess. My clowns would harass them alot.

I wonder how they would do in high flow tanks.
 
Hey I came here with the same question as the OP, I'll try adding to it a bit here and see if the bump works. Has anyone tried a court jester goby or one of the similar species? So far as I know, they will not eat corals as some blennies will, even after they run low on algae. I don't have a big algae problem in there, just unsightly and annoying, so a small fish could well wipe it out quickly. Like many people, the biggest problem I seem to have is with new frags, many tend to be covered in algae within a few days, even if the rest of the tank is mostly clean. My display has a court jester, its a good character and picks at algae growing in tight spots quite gently. Also, how about a smaller blenny like a tail spot? I have them and I've not seen them pick at corals the way sailfins can, but.....
I def learned something new here. I've seen pics of frag tanks with mollies, and wondered... Is someone growing food for some big fish? I might consider them, but first I want to think about the two ideas above as I like the looks and character of those fish.

Any suggestions appreciated. I have snails that keep the glass clean and a couple of small scarlet hermits that get the detritus and leftover food quite well. Neither seems to touch the hair much.
 
scooter31707 said:
Maybe a Lawnmower Blenny. Mines eat anything.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, you hit it right on the head tho. My first one was a model citizen for several years. My second ate a hammer, a good part of the mantle of a 3.5" maxima, and was working on an open brain before I caught it. This was over just a couple of days, it worked fast. No doubt it ate lots of algae, they are great at that, but I'd be hesitant to put one in a frag tank. One LFS has one in their frag tank, it does well..... Fattest blenny I've ever seen, but the corals are all whole.
 
A tiny tang is an intersting idea...

A tiny tang is an intersting idea...

Might try that, I'm still waffling back and forth. A LFS has a little sailfin and a little yellow, less than an inch each.
 
Tiny tanks become large tangs rather soon and then you have a problem. Plus tangs are not the most efficient algae fighters - I see that at stores around here all the times.

I think for algae grazing fish the mollies might actually be the best approach they stay small and can reach places tangs can't. The other advantage of them is that you can easily make sure that they are clear of most parasitic infections.

Combine them with small snail (stromatella, mini limpits - the tiny ones you sometimes get with rocks) and small hermits to complete the clean up crew. The hermits worked especially well for me.

If it was me, I would also add a few pipefish for bug control.
 
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