Algae eater utilitarian fish instead of tang

[kiswanson]

I'm about to set up my first reef tank. I have a Red Sea max e 170, which is 45 gallons. I've been watching the BRS videos and they emphasize adding utilitarian fish early to keep algae and other pests from being an issue. They usually mention clownfish as the first hardy fish to add to ensure the tank is ready, then adding a tang for algae control. Obviously, 45 gallons is not going to work for a tang, so I'm looking for a fish that would be more appropriately sized that would fulfill a similar role. I will also be getting invertebrates for this algae control task, but I'm looking for good algae eating fish.

 

[tbrown3589]

I'd like to tag along on this.

 

[DaneGer21]

My starry blenny is ALWAYS munching on film and small turf like algae. He’s a silly cool fish also. Also eats the nori for my tangs haha

 

[mdb_talon]

Lawnmower blenny is a popular one...though they are not the prettiest in color and dont move much.

 

[bobnicaragua]

Tail spot blenny

 

[DinoMagnet]

Lawnmower blenny. Just make sure you have good export of proteins. They are nasty fish.

 

[Alexreefer]

Almost any blenny as you can see will always be munching on algae on the glass or rocks, mine also has a very fun personality

 

[a hill]

I recently added a very very small Black Spine urchin. It does a very through job when it opens its mouth but its very random across the tank when doing so. Some love them, some hate them, some try play catch with them. Your results may vary when playing catch.

I'm talking 15g tanks here, lawnmowers are a bit large for me. Blennies sometimes jump, so I am waiting on a better lid..

-Andrew

 

[kiswanson]

My starry blenny is ALWAYS munching on film and small turf like algae. He’s a silly cool fish also. Also eats the nori for my tangs haha

That’s one I haven’t looked into before. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[Salt Creep01]

In the past I’ve used mollies converted over to salt in my nano. They LOVE to eat algae and are super cheap

 

[a hill]

That’s one I haven’t looked into before. Thanks for the suggestion

Just make sure you understand the growth and fact that they can sting you. Mine is maybe softball size with spines all out, but the animal body is 1.5cm or so diameter. They get pretty large, and this one will be moved when it outgrows the tank.

It seems to love using the spines to catch flake food and frozen food in the water column in front of the powerhead. Really wild creatures.

-Andrew

 

[Tamberav]

I don’t have any algae eating fish in my 80g and no algae issues. Just snails and hermits and a female emerald crab.

I don’t know why this gets pushed so much. If you like those fish then that’s great (and blennies are fun!) but inverts do just as well if you would rather stock something else.

 

[austibella]

My urchins do a great job, and cool to watch

 

[hikermike]

My Lawnmower blenny did fine in my 6 gallon nano tank. Now he's in a 30 gal tank and swins all over the place. Why is everyone so afraid of stocking their tanks? just do it Slowly! And yes, He'll eat all the hair algae in 30 gals in 2 or 3 days.