Tang for 75g semi aggressive reef.

[TampaReefer79]

So you have a nitrate problem, hair algae problem, and don't like doing regular maintenance? And the answer to these problems is adding an eating/pooping MACHINE like a tang?

As others have said, maybe you could spend some time doing maintenance and get the nitrates and algae problem under control on your own...and then decide on a new fish. I think you'd be adding to your nitrate/algae issues with the path you're going down. Then the hobby just isn't fun. If you make a weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly, and yearly 'To Do' list for maintenance it makes it 1000x easier. Maintenance gives you a chance to inspect your equipment and animals and make sure everything is up to speed.

Good luck.

 

[Everyones Hero]

Thanks Tampa. Weekly I do 20g water changes. Once a month I change my carbon & bi-monthly I change my Rowa Phos.

Last week I cleaned all of my pumps & yesterday I cleaned my protein skimmer.

It isn't exactly a hair algae problem, more like 2 or 3 patches growing in the tank. My nitrates test zero, but I only assume that's because it's been absorbed by the algae growing in the tank.

 

[Everyones Hero]

Here's the hair algae:

And the rest of the tank:

 

[palmer373]

do you have algae (cheato) growing in your sump? after i put some in mine my tank cleared up. i like my yellow tang in my 75. he does good work on the nusiance algae, and is personable lol.

 

[Everyones Hero]

Yes, I have cheato growing in the sump. I'm getting a new sump setup soon so I'm going to try to incorporate an algae turf scrubber into it.

 

[Cerebral Fish]

If you have good water parameters there are plenty of inverts that the predators will ignore. An urchin perhaps?

 

[Everyones Hero]

Hmm. I can't get shrimp or crabs but an urchin might be a good choice & it would look really cool. More research.

 

[2006]

From the sticky:

Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).

Adding a tang will just increase your bio-load making the situation worse. IME tangs don't do much as far eliminating hair algae once it is established. I don't know if they don't like the taste or if it is too tough to eat. I would get rid of the lion and eel, increase the bio-filtration capacity (vodka, bio pellets, refugium...), or learn to live with hair algae.

 

[anbosu]

Hmm. I can't get shrimp or crabs but an urchin might be a good choice & it would look really cool. More research.

Urchins can sometimes pick up small frags and carry them around the tank, but they mow down algae. Most urchins will eat coralline algae as well, FYI.

You could try a lawnmower blenny. There is a chance the lionfish would eat it, but they are pretty cheap and pretty hardy fish. Really based on your pictures your algae problem isn't that bad. If you added a tang it would get worse though.

 

[palmer373]

ive had a pencil urchin for like 5 months. mine has knocked over a few rocks with one landing on the glass but it didnt break it. i just removed the rock and made sure it was very secure. my pencil mows down the corraline a lot but i have enough growing it will grow back very fast.

 

[CorkPullerPHL]

I don't think that is hair algae. Looks brown and snotty with bubbles in it: that would be dinoflagellates.

What type of water do you use? If it's rodi, have you changed your filter's and Di resin recently? My experience is that Dino's are usually a problem with exhausted DI. Many people believe Silicates are the limiting factor for Dino growth in a home aquarium.

Good Luck