What are your must have utilitarian fish?

[Sink_or_Swim]

Diamond goby, hands down.

 

[TheBear78]

My step bother owns what is essentially my LFS although his main business is coral farming. He has Convict Tangs in most of his tanks for algae control and recommended that I do the same.
I've had mine for a couple of months and he's an algae eating machine and isn't the least bit aggressive towards anyone else. I know they're not the most impressive Tang to look at but he certainly does the business. My only problem is providing enough food!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

My step bother owns what is essentially my LFS although his main business is coral farming. He has Convict Tangs in most of his tanks for algae control and recommended that I do the same.
I've had mine for a couple of months and he's an algae eating machine and isn't the least bit aggressive towards anyone else. I know they're not the most impressive Tang to look at but he certainly does the business. My only problem is providing enough food!

I actually think convicts are beautiful tangs! I'd really like one, but will have to wait until I upgrade... again... lol (I'm sure it'll happen eventually!)

 

[doubleshot00]

Idk really… I guess I’m mostly worried about disease and aggression. (I swear I see a dead blue hippo at even the best LFS's.) And honestly every time I go looking for a tang I run into a wrasse or something I like better.
I get why people like them I’m sure they’re great, just not for me.

Well don’t get a blue hippo and imo they aren’t a tang. They suck at there job.

 

[_sludgefactory]

Not that I'd consider it utilitarian but I got a green mandarin for the massive amount of brown flat worms I had and she pretty much wiped them out. I did that instead of flat worm exit. Almost two years now and she's fat and there are barely any flat worms.

 

[eliza209]

What do you recommend for a 30 gallon tank? I currently have two clowns, one diamond goby, a coral banded shrimp and a scarlet legged crab. What might be next if anything? I do plan on adding corals eventually. My tank is about 2 months old and doing great so far!

 

[kevgib67]

What do you recommend for a 30 gallon tank? I currently have two clowns, one diamond goby, a coral banded shrimp and a scarlet legged crab. What might be next if anything? I do plan on adding corals eventually. My tank is about 2 months old and doing great so far!

Not sure what you are asking. Fish or inverts?

 

[eliza209]

Fish for now, please. So many I see listed as great for CUC are not good in a small tank.

 

[cdnco2004]

Saltwater Acclimated Molies are my main utility fish. They spend all day eating algae and detritus none stop. Plus a free source of live feed.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

A bristle tooth tang is almost always needed. Fox face second, then a good pest picking wrasse. Fill in the rest with similar algae and pest pickers to keep the tank good and clean.

 

[Uncle99]

This guy.
A one man ( or women) rock cleaning professional.

 

[cpbartak]

Fish for now, please. So many I see listed as great for CUC are not good in a small tank.

I'd replace the diamond goby with this guy in that small of a tank as the diamond will likely starve out eventually:

Buan's Sleeper Sand Goby

Amblygobius buanensis - We are excited to introduce a new species to both the aquarium trade and to aquaculture - an adorable sand-sifter type goby called Buan's Goby. It is closely related to the more well known "sleeper banded goby" aka "dragon" or "bullet" goby A. phalaena, but with a...

shop.thebiotagroup.com

Then, I'd go with a pink-streaked wrasse (because six line wrasses are evil) to help with pest control once you get coral and maybe add a goby-like fish known to help with algae, like a Rainford's goby or a Twin Spot blenny.

 

[cpbartak]

You know, there's one other type of fish that I consider utilitarian that I rarely see mentioned in these threads, fish that clean other fish: cleaner gobies and cleaner wrasses. Are they not considered utilitarian fish because no one ever mentions them?

 

[eliza209]

Thank you!

I'd replace the diamond goby with this guy in that small of a tank as the diamond will likely starve out eventually:

Buan's Sleeper Sand Goby

Amblygobius buanensis - We are excited to introduce a new species to both the aquarium trade and to aquaculture - an adorable sand-sifter type goby called Buan's Goby. It is closely related to the more well known "sleeper banded goby" aka "dragon" or "bullet" goby A. phalaena, but with a...

shop.thebiotagroup.com

Then, I'd go with a pink-streaked wrasse (because six line wrasses are evil) to help with pest control once you get coral and maybe add a goby-like fish known to help with algae, like a Rainford's goby or a Twin Spot blenny.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

You know, there's one other type of fish that I consider utilitarian that I rarely see mentioned in these threads, fish that clean other fish: cleaner gobies and cleaner wrasses. Are they not considered utilitarian fish because no one ever mentions them?

From what I understand, cleaner fish are better for larger tanks with many fish. I've heard they can "overclean" fish in smaller tanks since they don't have more filthy fish to go to.

 

[OrionN]

Tangs and more tangs. I consider the Fox face part of the Tang Gang