Favorite algae eating fish for 30 gallon?

[SaltyB24]

Looking for the most colorful and fun personality since my space is limited!

 

[Bucs20fan]

Strictly fish? Probably a lawnmower blenny, although not guaranteed to eat algae and can be pretty aggressive towards other blennies or gobies. Best for size and color would be a pincushion or tuxedo urchin. In a tank that small youd be better off using inverts for algae control instead of a fish. Alot of the true and worth while algae eating fish, in my opinion get too large for a 30 gal, aka yellow tang, fox face and such.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I have heard that tailspot blennies are good with algae. I have not had one though. Just hearsay. I use snails in my smaller tanks.

 

[rmorris_14]

Strictly fish? Probably a lawnmower blenny, although not guaranteed to eat algae and can be pretty aggressive towards other blennies or gobies. Best for size and color would be a pincushion or tuxedo urchin. In a tank that small youd be better off using inverts for algae control instead of a fish.

Couldnt have said it better myself

 

[Nick Steele]

I will second a tailspot blenny!!!

From my experience they did a bang up job of eating tons of algae in my 20g Nuvo. Also had 4 trochus snails and 2 tuxedo urchins but blenny died recently and I’ve had a algae growth spurt after his death.

 

[720 Reefer]

I would say try a tail spot blenny or a court jester goby (aka rainford's goby). Both cool looking, don't need a large tank and supposed to be algae eaters.

 

[SaltyB24]

Thanks guys!

I have a CUC and things are going great haven't had any major issues with algae issues the snails and our weekly cleaning regimen haven't been able to combat I was just kinda browbeat by another reefer saying I had to have something in the tank fish wise that eats algae or my tank would never thrive

 

[Bucs20fan]

You seem like you are on the exact right track. Any reefer telling you or beating you up telling you that you are doing it wrong by not having a fish to control an issue in the tank, versus you taking necessary steps to control the issue is so dead wrong in my book. How old is your tank if you dont mind me asking, you might just be going through the uglies phase. We may have fish to help supplement our efforts, such as wrasses to eat pests or shrimp or filefish for aiptasia, but we are the one responsible for controlling the tank issues, so I will apologize on that persons behalf for saying those things to you.

 

[GardenofZoas20]

I currently am having success with a CB Court Jester goby. All he does is constently pick at algae in my 20 cube - completly peaceful with a molly miller bleeny, mollies, and inverts. However, I'm not sure it makes much of a dent compared to the tuxedo urchins I have in my tanks for eating algae. But certianly a great colorful addition that seems to only be helping!

 

[Dburr1014]

You seem like you are on the exact right track. Any reefer telling you or beating you up telling you that you are doing it wrong by not having a fish to control an issue in the tank, versus you taking necessary steps to control the issue is so dead wrong in my book. How old is your tank if you dont mind me asking, you might just be going through the uglies phase. We may have fish to help supplement our efforts, such as wrasses to eat pests or shrimp or filefish for aiptasia, but we are the one responsible for controlling the tank issues, so I will apologize on that persons behalf for saying those things to you.

+1
How many ways to skin a cat? I don't know.
Smaller urchins would be great in your situation. My tuxedo is all over hair and I see my pincushion is doing the coraline.

Of topic, I had a lfs employee tell me I'm killing my coral for using instant ocean salt. I wanted to deck him right there, lol.
Do they look like there having any trouble?

 

[720 Reefer]

You seem like you are on the exact right track. Any reefer telling you or beating you up telling you that you are doing it wrong by not having a fish to control an issue in the tank, versus you taking necessary steps to control the issue is so dead wrong in my book. How old is your tank if you dont mind me asking, you might just be going through the uglies phase. We may have fish to help supplement our efforts, such as wrasses to eat pests or shrimp or filefish for aiptasia, but we are the one responsible for controlling the tank issues, so I will apologize on that persons behalf for saying those things to you.

Agreed. You absolutely don't need an algae eating fish if you are controlling it in other ways. Add a fish because you like it, not because of what others are telling you. If you find one you like that happens to eat algae, bonus!

 

[SaltyB24]

You seem like you are on the exact right track. Any reefer telling you or beating you up telling you that you are doing it wrong by not having a fish to control an issue in the tank, versus you taking necessary steps to control the issue is so dead wrong in my book. How old is your tank if you dont mind me asking, you might just be going through the uglies phase. We may have fish to help supplement our efforts, such as wrasses to eat pests or shrimp or filefish for aiptasia, but we are the one responsible for controlling the tank issues, so I will apologize on that persons behalf for saying those things to you.

Its been cycled for a few months now and already went through diatoms. I get a film on the glass the snails love and it wipes off real easy so no big deal. I take things super slow in my tanks so even though its been cycled with stable 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5 nitrates for close to two months now I just last week added the first fish. It was when I was in my LFS and telling them I wanted to be super picky with the fish in this tank due being limited on the space I got my behind chewed over it. I don't have an algae eater fish in my 70 gallon older tank and haven't had issues with algae control the CUC couldn't handle with a little help from me but this guy was insistent with it being a nano I needed to get one.

 

[SaltyB24]

I currently am having success with a CB Court Jester goby. All he does is constently pick at algae in my 20 cube - completly peaceful with a molly miller bleeny, mollies, and inverts. However, I'm not sure it makes much of a dent compared to the tuxedo urchins I have in my tanks for eating algae. But certianly a great colorful addition that seems to only be helping!

I want an urchin so bad but I am waiting until the coralline spreads! We paid a pretty penny for all our aquacultered rocks and if we put an urchin in that started eating it I would probably cry lol

 

[Dburr1014]

I want an urchin so bad but I am waiting until the coralline spreads! We paid a pretty penny for all our aquacultered rocks and if we put an urchin in that started eating it I would probably cry lol

The thing with urchins, they eat it and it spreads all over the tank more. You will have patches of coraline everywhere.

 

[SaltyB24]

Oh really? We had a lot of die off on the coralline in transit. We cured the rocks for a month before we added it to the tank and it is finally starting to perk back up. I will probably get one next month just to give it a touch more time lol

 

[Bucs20fan]

+1
How many ways to skin a cat? I don't know.
Smaller urchins would be great in your situation. My tuxedo is all over hair and I see my pincushion is doing the coraline.

Of topic, I had a lfs employee tell me I'm killing my coral for using instant ocean salt. I wanted to deck him right there, lol.
Do they look like there having any trouble?

+1 to Reef crystals. Never had an issue and you can find it anywhere.

+1+1+1 to the urchins. Youll love the investment in an urchin. Truly beautiful creatures and boy if they arent dang good at their job. Trust me its a great invert to add to any tank....well any that doesnt have a trigger to munch on it!

 

[SaltyB24]

Agreed. You absolutely don't need an algae eating fish if you are controlling it in other ways. Add a fish because you like it, not because of what others are telling you. If you find one you like that happens to eat algae, bonus!

Thank goodness!! I was so sad because most of the ones they recommended weren't ones I wanted which would mean I would have to take the ones I wanted off my list and talk about depressing lol

 

[SaltyB24]

+1
How many ways to skin a cat? I don't know.
Smaller urchins would be great in your situation. My tuxedo is all over hair and I see my pincushion is doing the coraline.

Of topic, I had a lfs employee tell me I'm killing my coral for using instant ocean salt. I wanted to deck him right there, lol.
Do they look like there having any trouble?

Beautiful tank!

Some of these people are crazy!

 

[Bucs20fan]

Never feel like you are doing it wrong if you have algae, every single one of us has algae that comes and goes. Sometimes its a little, and sometimes its alot. We all have a never ending give and take battle with algae. So my take is, love your reef, nurture your little slice of the ocean and have fun!