Yellow Tang and Hair Algae

[amsirmans]

Will a yellow tang eat hair algae? And if so, would hair algae sustain it over time without additional feedings if there were enough of it in the tank? I'm thinking about purchasing one for my 90 gallon. Supplemental feeding is no problem but i was just curious if the HA is nutritional enough to keep the tang healthy if there was enough of it over a long period of time. I know the best bet is to find and eliminate the underlying problem for the HA to get rid of it, however if the tang keeps it in check, I don't mind having some in the tank as a food source.

Thanks!

 

[Jared J]

Sure it will. Will it eat the amount you are wanting it to?......probably not. Tangs will graze all day on the rock but you will find that most of them will not eat long hair algae. If you want something to mow down the HA, get a sea hare. Problem with them is they usually die of starvation after they clean all the algae, but that still wont help with the nutrient issue.