What are the best tangs for cleaning up algae?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

What are your favorite tangs for algae cleaning? Particularly turf algae. Which ones do you find grazing the most in your tank?

 

[old salt reefer]

In my experience you want the tangs in before the algae starts growing and they will keep it mowed down as it tries to grow.

 

[Derrick0580]

Yeah, if you wait till the algae is there to add the tangs then it’s too late. I have a regal blue, purple, and tomini tang and none of them eat algae unless its attached to a clip on the glass…worthless fish!! Lol

 

[Glenner’sreef]

So I’m on the tail end of beating my turf style algae down to zero. I had dosed Fenbendazole back in February to rid the tank once and for all of invasive blue clove polyps. It worked. But mossy algae grew exactly where the polyps once were. Crazy huh? Either way it was time to attack this stuff. During this process I have noticed that of my 3 Tangs, my B H Tang Van Gogh picks at nothing. My Sailfin, Joe picks at it and Yellow Tang, Sunny as well. So 6 months later the moss is gone but a lighter green algae is still present. Just introduced 25 snails lol onward!!!

 

[shakacuz]

Yeah, if you wait till the algae is there to add the tangs then it’s too late. I have a regal blue, purple, and tomini tang and none of them eat algae unless its attached to a clip on the glass…worthless fish!! Lol

my tomini didn't ever touch the nori clip until one day chunks where floating around because of my cleaner shrimp and noticed the tomini eating it.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

So no tangs are really all that useful for algae. This is interesting because it seems to counter the common hobby perception that these fish are good for algae grazing, but so far no one in here has found that to be true.

 

[Enderg60]

Bristletooth, white tail, tomini, convict, and similar tangs will destroy algae.(Big lips)

Yellow, purple, scopas and other similar tangs will help keep things clean.(small lips)

Naso and vlamigi tangs are great for large algae fields.(Big mouth)

 

[Waters]

I agree with everyone else.....if you are adding tangs (or any other CUC) to beat an algae infestation, it usually won't be successful. I think the key is to have these all in place from the beginning.

 

[MichaelReefer]

My yellow barely eats algae at all and wont touch Nori sheets. Unfortunately he is too aggressive to add another tang, he will most definitely kill him. He killed my Foxface I added previously.

 

[Dbichler]

My yellow eyed kole eats algae but I never had a bad case of algae either though

 

[Zach B]

My yellow eye kole & yellow tang are constantly grazing. The kole usually starts and the yellow follows all day

 

[Aspect]

My Scopas and Sailfin are grazing whenever I'm not feeding them. The rest don't really do much.

 

[Gtinnel]

My tomini is constantly eating algae from the rocks and glass, but it just seems to be the film he is eating and nothing like turf algae. My purple tang doesn’t really help with algae.

 

[3429810]

my tomini didn't ever touch the nori clip until one day chunks where floating around because of my cleaner shrimp and noticed the tomini eating it.

My blue tang is very similar. It will eat off the clip sometimes but prefers to just chase down pieces flying around the tank as it breaks up.

 

[doubleshot00]

Yeah, if you wait till the algae is there to add the tangs then it’s too late. I have a regal blue, purple, and tomini tang and none of them eat algae unless its attached to a clip on the glass…worthless fish!! Lol

I thought the same thing until they didn’t get nori for a few days. Now they always pecking away.

I think the best is any Zebrasoma then a bristletooth second.

 

[airedwin]

My Scopas tang does not eat algae, does not eat the seaweed either.

 

[katonge]

My yellow is probably the best algae ever. If one of the frags in another tank is showing algae growth I will put it in the tang tank & it gets cleaned up within a day or 2.

 

[Michael ross1]

To mecit sounds like some fish eat algae so it just means getting lucky.... May after being captaive they dont like the algae we have in our tanks.... Idk but sounds oike a gamble when buying some eat it some don't

 

[Toob]

+1 to bristletooth and tomini. My tomini was actively picking at the rocks, and my whitetail bristletooth is even better. She doesn't eat anything else, in fact, and is always busy at work. Her belly gets fatter by the day and she doesn't touch frozen or nori.

 

[katonge]

To mecit sounds like some fish eat algae so it just means getting lucky.... May after being captaive they dont like the algae we have in our tanks.... Idk but sounds oike a gamble when buying some eat it some don't

I think in my tank I am learning that there is a fine line between feeding well to keep everyone healthy & happy & overfeeding which means they are less likely to pick at the algae and other leftovers.