Algae Eating Fish?

[Aspect]

Scat fish is interesting. Where could a find one of those, never seen them for sale. Do they need to live in freshwater as a juvenile?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Have a fighting conch, need something for the top of the rocks and glass. All of those fish would be overnight lunch

Thats where my tang gang comes in but the fish if larger would be: sailfin tang, lemon peel angel and scats are great algae consumers - typical size 3-4 " at LFS

 

[Aspect]

Thats where my tang gang comes in but the fish if larger would be: sailfin tang, lemon peel angel and scats are great algae consumers - typical size 3-4 " at LFS

Scat fish is interesting. Can they live in full reef salinity and do you know who carries them?

 

[Aspect]

Thats where my tang gang comes in but the fish if larger would be: sailfin tang, lemon peel angel and scats are great algae consumers - typical size 3-4 " at LFS

Yeah I have every Zebrasoma but Black Tang (Soon to change) and none of them eat algae

 

[tbrown]

Scat fish is interesting. Can they live in full reef salinity and do you know who carries them?

They can. I've seen them at Petco occasionally but smaller.

 

[Tangs-A-Lot]

Ummm ….. Copepods ???

 

[Aspect]

Ummm ….. Copepods ???

Yes I have tons scurrying all over the place but they don't make a dent.

 

[vetteguy53081]

They can. I've seen them at Petco occasionally but smaller.

Yes- like mono fish, they are brackish and can be acclimated to full saltwater. I sold these at my LFS as both fresh and saltwater versions

 

[littlefoxx]

Rabbit fish may fit the bill.

Foxface is a rabbitfish!

 

[tbrown]

Foxface is a rabbitfish!

But not all Rabbitfish is a Foxface. There are other Rabbitfish that get larger and may be a better fit for what he's looking for.

 

[littlefoxx]

But not all Rabbitfish is a Foxface. There are other Rabbitfish that get larger and may be a better fit for what he's looking for.

Yes correct, I thought you were unsure if it was in the rabbit fish family

 

[LadAShark]

3 coral catsharks and a Grey Bamboo. Coral catsharks will eat slender fish (Gobies, Blennies, etc) up to 6". I also bought hundreds of Asterina that have all been eaten. Adult coral catsharks are voracious hunters. All hermit crabs and snails also dead. I do have some sort of sponge growing in my sump with what looks like the inside of an ant hill growing extremely fast. My xenia is growing like a weed so I think my best option is to just let that outcompete the algae over time.

Thankfully you don't have eppies or a horn shark. There's nothing that can stand to defend.

But yeah, seriously in that case I would get/diy an algae scrubber, and you'd resolve your issues handily. Get some purple non sulfur bacteria as well, as those do great at dealing with detritus and will also handle digesting dying algae as well. PNS bacteria do a good job of sequestering nutrients and being eaten by coral afterwards. Rhodopsuedomonas palustris also has anti vibrio effects which are being investigated in livestock.

There are also some polychaetes i've run into that graze like crazy. Can't remember their order/family/genus, but the few times I've seen them in my tanks they were demolishing algae. But for some of the smaller mouthed fishes out there they seem delectable, so they don't manage to reach high numbers in my reef (wrasses, tangs, foxface, triggerfish all will chomp one on sight).

And yeah, sponges are great as long as they're not growing on your corals. Keep in mind that that sponge may need silicates to be dosed in the long run.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have 14 tangs, 2 of which are bristletooth, and 4 foxfaces. None of them consistently eat algae. I'm looking for a different species now.

You're feeding them too much

 

[SrDudley]

Pics of the shark reef by chance?

 

[doubleshot00]

Don't feed them. When they get hungry enough, the will rediscover how yummy algae is.

This im so confused by the OP. He has tangs and foxfaces but they won’t eat algae? Ok stop feeding them. Or maybe you have algae they don’t like.

What kinda algae are we talking about?

 

[Aspect]

This im so confused by the OP. He has tangs and foxfaces but they won’t eat algae? Ok stop feeding them. Or maybe you have algae they don’t like.

What kinda algae are we talking about?

It's pretty simple don't overthink, don't want you to hurt yourself. I've already explained the reasoning why I won't stop feeding them.

 

[Aspect]

Thankfully you don't have eppies or a horn shark. There's nothing that can stand to defend.

But yeah, seriously in that case I would get/diy an algae scrubber, and you'd resolve your issues handily. Get some purple non sulfur bacteria as well, as those do great at dealing with detritus and will also handle digesting dying algae as well. PNS bacteria do a good job of sequestering nutrients and being eaten by coral afterwards. Rhodopsuedomonas palustris also has anti vibrio effects which are being investigated in livestock.

There are also some polychaetes i've run into that graze like crazy. Can't remember their order/family/genus, but the few times I've seen them in my tanks they were demolishing algae. But for some of the smaller mouthed fishes out there they seem delectable, so they don't manage to reach high numbers in my reef (wrasses, tangs, foxface, triggerfish all will chomp one on sight).

And yeah, sponges are great as long as they're not growing on your corals. Keep in mind that that sponge may need silicates to be dosed in the long run.

Eppies and Horn sharks don't compare to the hunting skills of Atelomycterus. I will look into that bacteria you suggested, thanks.

 

[LadAShark]

Eppies and Horn sharks don't compare to the hunting skills of Atelomycterus. I will look into that bacteria you suggested, thanks.

Yeah I mentioned them because due to their unique jaw structure, even fewer invertebrates can survive them, since they're invertebrate eaters in particular and are very good at crushing shells.

 

[Michael Adam]

Scribble rabbitfish. Mine always picking at the rocks.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I think it’s time to get some of those toothbrush, siphon hose and razor blade fish, but those require a little more work to keep in a tank with so many sharks….