Best herbivore for 20 gallon cube

[tinyfellows]

I’m looking for a good herbivore for my 20 gallon cube that will have a sand bed with 2 clowns, anemone, and a couple corals. What do you guys recommend?

 

[i cant think]

I’m looking for a good herbivore for my 20 gallon cube that will have a sand bed with 2 clowns, anemone, and a couple corals. What do you guys recommend?

Although not completely herbivorous they do eat some stuff in the sand so may I recommend the genus Koumansetta. They’re often found as Court Jester Gobies, the one I own is pictures below (Koumansetta hectori)

 

[reeferguy3303]

bi color Blenny !

 

[GoReefin]

Tail spot blenny

 

[tinyfellows]

Although not completely herbivorous they do eat some stuff in the sand so may I recommend the genus Koumansetta. They’re often found as Court Jester Gobies, the one I own is pictures below (Koumansetta hectori)

Do the court jesters pair with a shrimp?

 

[Pistondog]

I have both tailspot and court jester in same tank. Tailspot is out and about more, picking and perching on rocks. The court jester distributes the gravel all over the place, making his dugout under rocks.

 

[i cant think]

Do the court jesters pair with a shrimp?

No, however they can be kept with other gobies, I have mine in with two other gobies (Stonogobiops yasha and Gobiiodon strangulatus).

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Does it have to be a fish?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Really.loved my high comb tooth blenny but I'm gonna go with pencil urchins.
D

 

[damsels are not mean]

Court jester gobies eat cyano not sure how good they are with GHA as I haven't seen any video evidence that they control it. They are cool fish but will go after what's in the sandbed moreso than graze like a tang or blenny would. If you do get one, make it a captive bred one. Wild ones don't survive as well as they don't always accept prepared foods like tank raised ones do.

 

[ClownSchool]

I’m surprised no one suggested the lawnmower blenny. They’re inexpensive, entertaining and voracious.

 

[i cant think]

Court jester gobies eat cyano not sure how good they are with GHA as I haven't seen any video evidence that they control it. They are cool fish but will go after what's in the sandbed moreso than graze like a tang or blenny would. If you do get one, make it a captive bred one. Wild ones don't survive as well as they don't always accept prepared foods like tank raised ones do.

I agree with this, my LFS almost never gets in CB fish unless it’s a YT or a PT. They get some CB gobies but not Koumansetta. I’m pretty sure mine is a WC K. hectori (Hectors/Court Jester Goby), in the LFS he was sifting sand quite happily but in my tank he doesn’t seem to do it yet. I have a feeling they need to be established in the tank before going crazy with the sand sifting.

 

[damsels are not mean]

I agree with this, my LFS almost never gets in CB fish unless it’s a YT or a PT. They get some CB gobies but not Koumansetta. I’m pretty sure mine is a WC K. hectori (Hectors/Court Jester Goby), in the LFS he was sifting sand quite happily but in my tank he doesn’t seem to do it yet. I have a feeling they need to be established in the tank before going crazy with the sand sifting.

FYI The Hector's court jester is a different species than the more common Rainford's court jester but I don't think they behave any differently. Only visual difference is colors so I would be surprised if they did anything else.

 

[tinyfellows]

Does it have to be a fish?

No it doesn’t I’ve seen some people say beginners should stay away from urchins any thoughts on that?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Ya id give it a little bit. They are like stars and are sensible to ph and Salinity.
In that case too crown snails. Like a turbo but better imo.
Prettier too.
D

 

[i cant think]

No it doesn’t I’ve seen some people say beginners should stay away from urchins any thoughts on that?

I’ve never heard of this, I’ve had my urchins since the first week of my tank going through the algae phases. Which were about three weeks after the cycle (The instant the cycle was over I added a foxface to my 4’ tank) all of them are still thriving. I have the pincushion urchins but they’re nightmares in smaller tanks. One of mine ate a possum wrasse in a 15g tank…

 

[damsels are not mean]

Don't see why you'd need to wait on an urchin. They are not particularly sensitive to any of the "new tank" issues. I worry there is not enough in a tank that size for them to graze if anything. Also will knock frags down a lot or pick them up if it's a tuxedo.

 

[i cant think]

I also think it’s better to get urchins in the tank sooner so they have that algae to feed on whereas an established tank won’t have the algae an urchin might need. Yes coralline is there but even then only some urchins eat coralline algae.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Tail spot blenny :