Hair algea eaters

[trini2debone]

Hi,
I have a 20 gallon high tank. There are 2 corals, a duncan and a zoanthid, and dragons breath macro algea, and a cleaner shrimp, that's all that's in there are there any fish, invertebrates, or anything that controls it. I get you can pull it out of the sand, but when it's in the rocks it's very hard to get out. So any eaters or anything that gets rid of it, thanks.

tuxedo urchin

 

[trini2debone]

Hi,
I have a 20 gallon high tank. There are 2 corals, a duncan and a zoanthid, and dragons breath macro algea, and a cleaner shrimp, that's all that's in there are there any fish, invertebrates, or anything that controls it. I get you can pull it out of the sand, but when it's in the rocks it's very hard to get out. So any eaters or anything that gets rid of it, thanks.

As for fish lawnmore blenny but then might out grow your tank I think.

 

[DaprDon]

Pincushion urchin and Tiger conch have cleaned my HA! However they are both huge rearrangers of the corals. Even glued down!

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

As for fish lawnmore blenny but then might out grow your tank I think.

Yeah, I heard that a bicolor bleeny will do a great job, and it's smaller. Also, I don't know if it could because I only have a little bit of coral in there and a cleaner shrimp, and that it

 

[Mickle]

Yeah, I heard that a bicolor bleeny will do a great job, and it's smaller. Also, I don't know if it could because I only have a little bit of coral in there and a cleaner shrimp, and that it

Alot of the recommendations here (urchins, emerald crab, mexican turbo snail) will eat your dragon's breath, for some reason no one took that into consideration

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Alot of the recommendations here (urchins, emerald crab, mexican turbo snail) will eat your dragon's breath, for some reason no one took that into consideration

And emerald crabs eat coral I'm pretty sure also

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Alot of the recommendations here (urchins, emerald crab, mexican turbo snail) will eat your dragon's breath, for some reason no one took that into consideration

Do you think a bicolor blenny would be good?

 

[Mickle]

Do you think a bicolor blenny would be good?

Ye, Bicolor or tailspot should be safe with macroalgae, no guarantee it will have a taste for hair algae though. Maybe try a small conch species or dove snails

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Ye, Bicolor or tailspot should be safe with macroalgae, no guarantee it will have a taste for hair algae though. Maybe try a small conch species or dove snails

Okay thank you, and thank you all

 

[nickng]

Going to try a Sea Hare. Told only invert that will eat long GHA. Not in the mood to pull out the tooth brush. Kind of defeats the reason for a clean up crew.

Had an urchin but didn't eat the long stuff and ultimately died. No clue why but could be it starved.

Thought Turbos also only graze on the short stuff along with every other snail.

Sea Hare seems to be the only valid option but it too will starve unless fed or just allow algae to grow and encourage it. Seems win win since it doesn't necessarily need much from us to succeed.

Might also try Lettuce Nudibranch as mentioned. Although I can capture both in the keys on the way home from a fishing trip. Can always give to another reefer if feeding not worth it. Could also just setup as small tank and let algae bloom and have that as a staging area as I plan for Berghia Nudibranches. Perhaps one tank solves both

No luck with urchins for me. Tuxedos, pin cushion urchins rather eat my coralline algae instead of GHA. Lettuce nudibranch sucks the clorophyll from the green hair algae, the algae will turn white and disintegrate.

 

[nickng]

And emerald crabs eat coral I'm pretty sure also

emerald crabs don't normally eat corals. I had one that turn rogue and decided my purple monster zoa are delicious and I caught it picking it off the rock and eating it. Banished the crab to the sump

 

[Ghostyboythedog]

Oh, well thank you!

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Use a brush to turn it into stubble

CUC is not really going to eat it when it's all long and wavy

And I disagree with tbaum. Get the smallest turbos you can get. They will be too big for your tank soon enough

Wire brush
Tooth brush

Especially a waterproof toothbrush. They are 10 bucks and worth every penny

I agree. I have 4 right now, they are about the size of a small apple now. I’m worried that when they croak the spike will be intense.

 

[Solo McReefer]

I agree. I have 4 right now, they are about the size of a small apple now. I’m worried that when they croak the spike will be intense.

Two of my bulldozer have gone to visit their terrestrial cousins since I wrote in this thread

I still have 2 or 3 frags on the bottom of the tank each morning

Almost knocked my Lil Red Ferrari into my RBT last week. I need to get my sticks into a new tank