Game Changing Livestock

[vetteguy53081]

For my 125g, . . . 6 astrea snails and 4 trochus that took down some ugly diatoms in 4 days

 

[WallyB]

For sure!

I had a Aptasia Plage like never before. Every rock in the tank had them spouting up. Aptasia X or any spot treating was hopeless battle.

First I added a Few Aptasia Eatting Berghia Nudibrach's, and followed thru with a Copperband Butterfly.

Copperbands don't really control Large Apatasia, since they tend to like the little bit size aptasia.

That's where the Berghia came to the rescue, they eat any Aptasia big or small, but their downside is they die off when all aptasia are eatten, since that the only thing they eat.

I still see a few aptasia in my Sump, but the Copperband controls any that spout up in DT so I see none where it matters.

 

[Crustaceon]

THIS one inch long hitchhiking mantis shrimp is what caught my fiancés interest. Not the big tank full of coral. Not the clowns, this little muppet.

 

[Crashnt24]

I posted no for my current tank. Everything I have added to control something, they didn't..

Berghia: are they even still in there?
Tang: What algae? I'll eat frozen only please.
Foxface: same as above.

On my old tank, it would be my old copper banded fish. Ate all my aptasia, also ate frozen from the first couple days of adding him. He was one of my favorite fish. He had so much personality. He ended up carpet jerky because I was a noob and didn't have a lid. If I had the room in my new tank I would get another one.

 

[mpmrh]

Yellow tang, cleared all my green hair algae. That guy just ate it like there was no tomorrow.

 

[fragit]

Aptaisa eating File fish, no more aptaisa. Got some conchs and a couple cucumbers coming hope they do as good a job on my sand bed.

 

[myakuel]

Urchin. Good natural way to clear my ulva outbreak.

Pre Urchin

Post

Thanks!

that is legit, where did you get the helmets?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I’ve been having sand bed issues so I added a Diamond watchmen goby about a week ago. He’s almost got all the sand all spiffy already!

 

[waverider]

Diamond Goby. Sandbed is spotless and he is always on duty trucking through my sand. Astrea snails... cleaning up all my rock.

 

[Dark_Knightt]

I added a Sailfin and Foxface and all my algae was gone. I am always seeing them both eating algae off of my rocks and frag plugs up to off of my powerhead. It is definitely a game changer adding a herbivore fish.

Herbivore fish for 20g ? Blennies dont usually do much from what Ive heard...

 

[Dark_Knightt]

I’ve been having sand bed issues so I added a watchmen goby about a week ago. He’s almost got all the sand all spiffy already!

Do watchman gobies sift through the sand??

 

[Big C]

that is legit, where did you get the helmets?

@Porkenchop

Has a good selection of hats and colors.

 

[southerntnreefer]

3 prong approach for me in the new tank, all a level of wow.

1- proper cuc, and this i guess applies to all of this. astreas, ceriths, nerites, and turbos in my case.

2- added an urchin. It gave me a reason to watch my new tank as it further progressed, and he eats well.

3- herbivores for the win! Had the classic green hair as a tank cycles. Enter Foxface and bi color blenny. Often seen together working rocks like a team. They both pound frozen, and then get back to work on rocks. Ive seen drastic changes day to day to rock and sand.

-

 

[Billdogg]

A pair of Blue Star Leopard wrasses took out an unstoppable horde of flatworms for me in short order. Although one has since died. the male is still one of my favorite fishes - he spends his days cruising the reef looking for snacks.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Do watchman gobies sift through the sand??

ACK sorry I meant Diamond!

 

[stanleo]

Honestly not sure. I think the lawnmower blenny and the diamond goby do wonders for the turf algae and the sand bed but there could have been other factors to that as well.

 

[Treefer32]

A copperband was a game change for me. He's my favoritist fish. Comes up to me all the time, eats out of my hand, and extremely friendly fish. Follows me around the tank. He decimated my Aiptasia problem. I had it so bad that it was overtaking my entire 350 gallon tank. Large ones almost an inch in diameter as well as the sand bed covered. The CBB took 3-4 months to eat them all, they're all gone. Can't find a one now.

The other side of the coin, I have a Dragon Wrasse, awesome fish and beautiful. It's 1.5 years old, but it's been a game changer in the negative way. I must glue down every coral or it will be buried in the sand and surface later as a skeleton. I am forced to permanently place every coral. I've also had to get a frag rack with friction mounts for the frag plugs so he doesn't yank them out of the holder. I lost an elegance coral because of him, he kept on flipping it on its side and eventually it had touched sand too much that it got an infection and died. Just can't have nice things because of this guy...

 

[Sabregoalie]

Trochus and Strombus snails for algae and yellow wrasse for red planaria. Strombus also reproduce and feed the tank! Starry and lawnmower blennies also great!

 

[hans4811]

@revhtree, what type of sand are you using? I would love to add a Goby, but I am not sure if Special Grade sand will be to rough for it.

I have the Special Grade sand and I also have a yellow-headed sand sifting goby....YOU CAN HAVE HIM IF YOU CAN CATCH THE SUCKER !! Biggest pita in my tank...fairy dust ALL over my tank, not to mention the hills of sand I have to knock down once a week because of his excavation skills ! Rethink that one would be my suggestion....#seriouslypitb.

 

[saltyTroy]

Got a diamond goby, never seen an ounce of dirt or filth on my sand bed.
Got a Starry Blenny and I never have to clean my back glass now.
They are mortal enemies as well in my tank. Quite hilarious.

On the other end of the spectrum, I got a Target Mandarin and had to buy a copepod farm to keep it alive as well as train it to eat frozen.

How did you Train your goby, I have a Mandarin and have spent a small fortune to establish a pod population