What are the best tangs for cleaning up algae?

[BaliReefBox]

My Yellow died I think of stavation. Tried to get him to eat algae, nori, brine shrimp pellets and he ate nothing.... so much for BRS "the tang gang " for algae. There was enough algae to sustain him but he chose to leave it

 

[SCReef'n]

I hate the tang gang solution for algae. I’m my opinion it’s a huge contributor to why people have such a hard time with the more sensitive fish they want to keep. Tangs should be the very last fish. Buy a blenny

 

[Auquanut]

I gotta vote for the bristletooth tangs. My yellow eye kole was constantly pecking at either the glass or the rocks before a failure on my part led to his demise. A true workhorse. My yellow tang does a pretty good job but isn't as interested as he was when he was young.

My hippo tang, on the other hand is useless as far as algae control goes. She pretty much just waits until dinner time, and grabs everything she can.

I have drastically reduced feeding the tangs nori, as I depend on them to help me out in my algae control efforts, but it seems that the older they get, the lazier they get.

I will say that my one spot foxface still does a really good job. He's out and about all day long, picking at the rocks and is still the first at the trough at dinner time. Even eats out of my hand.

 

[Reefahholic]

Have two Tomini’s in my system, but I can tell you…my army of Astraea’s are far more effective turf algae eater’s. They can mow down a mat that is very thick and established. Saw this when Dino’s stunned them and then they woke up again. BTW…I had the most toxic Dino’s and none of them died as long as Carbon is online.

 

[Reefahholic]

I gotta vote for the bristletooth tangs. My yellow eye kole was constantly pecking at either the glass or the rocks before a failure on my part led to his demise. A true workhorse. My yellow tang does a pretty good job but isn't as interested as he was when he was young.

My hippo tang, on the other hand is useless as far as algae control goes. She pretty much just waits until dinner time, and grabs everything she can.

I have drastically reduced feeding the tangs nori, as I depend on them to help me out in my algae control efforts, but it seems that the older they get, the lazier they get.

I will say that my one spot foxface still does a really good job. He's out and about all day long, picking at the rocks and is still the first at the trough at dinner time. Even eats out of my hand.

My yellow eye Kole would constantly peck like my Tomini’s, but she also spit sand on top of all the darn corals. That was enough for me to get rid of her. The Tomini’s are great and do very well in a pair.

 

[Tamberav]

Trochus Snail Tangs
Urchin Tangs (I like Tuxedo Urchin Tangs but sometimes they carry frags around)
Emerald Crab Tangs (not always reef safe but the females stay smaller)

 

[Auquanut]

Urchin tangs (I like tuxedo urchin tangs but sometimes they carry frags around)

Two thumbs up on this one. Love my tuxedo urchin tangs. The pincushion urchin tangs are even better, but should be renamed bulldozer cushion urchin tangs.

 

[sghera64]

All this talk downgrading yellow tangs for their ability to rid major algae reduction might get Hawaii to lift its yellow tang ban.

 

[vabben]

My whitetail and yellow are grazing on the rocks all day. Though I do have to say my pincushion urchin is a powerhouse.

 

[RubyU235]

My chocolate tang and lawnmower blenny keep the rocks clean

 

[ReefRondo]

I’m really shocked at how many of you have not had luck with tangs eating algae. I have 10 or so tangs across 3 systems and with the exception of my vlamingi and regal they all graze my rocks and frag plugs all day. Is there a possibility they would be more eager if feeding regimes were less frequent?

 

[Koty]

My Scopas was 1 inch diameter when i got him and he eliminated all the brown hair algae that infested my tank. My tank will not survive without him. He also eats pieces of chaeto that escape from the refuge.. Does not touch bubble algea

 

[Khalilkaram]

Scopas tang and algae blenny is cleaning the algae like crazy in the frag tank

 

[Reefvision]

Bristletooth tangs are great - I have found that when you feed too much “free” food they all ( I have 6 Tangs in 210 G tank) will not clean rocks ect.., but I cut back a lot on the pellets, nori and boom!, tangs cleaning rocks so well now that I have zero gha in my tank. This tank had all kinds of issues with gha, cyano for first two years until finally getting where it’s now good ( 4years). I should add, that manual removal of long gha and cyano mat was also performed multiple times by siphon out into filter socks and adding large Uv sterilizer.

 

[Tjm23slo]

I have a bristle mouth, scopas, mimic and a Foxface all of the pick and eat algae up to a certain length. They prefer new shorter growth vs an taller stand of algae.

 

[Acroguy]

All three of my tangs ( tomini, scopas and pyroferus) are lawnmovers.

 

[katonge]

I should also mention my Emperor Angel follows me around the tank when I clean the glass & gobbles up the green stringy algae that comes off the glass. ‍

 

[mandarin417]

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)

I had an outbreak of Ulva that hitchhiked on a small rock. Resident Tomini wouldn't touch it. A sea hare and a Naso wiped it out in 2 days. I love a Naso's but they get too big for most tanks. The Naso did his job and then was rehomed.

Tomini's to me to seem neurotic and never settle down.

I have a small foxface in a tank right now that eats any plant that is green.

 

[Jase4224]

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.

Not in my experience.. with No3 at 25 and Po4 at 0.25 my rocks are clean due to my sailfin and purple tangs constant grazing. Algae is trying to grow but constantly being cropped. If I took out my tangs my tank would look like a freshwater planted tank.

 

[Jase4224]

My Yellow died I think of stavation. Tried to get him to eat algae, nori, brine shrimp pellets and he ate nothing.... so much for BRS "the tang gang " for algae. There was enough algae to sustain him but he chose to leave it

Seems like your yellow tang was not well. Not sure what that has to do with BRS. In my experience a ‘tang gang’ to tackle algae works great. Tangs graze in the wild and will graze in an aquarium if whatever is growing on the rocks appeals to them and they are comfortable in their home.