best algae eaters
- Thread starter tito3054
- Start date
texasmetal
Active Member
There's never any gurantee any fish or invert for that matter will eliminate an algae problem.
Depending on the size of your tank I would suggest a rabbitfish. Most herbivorous fish will outgrow anything smaller than a 75 gallon, so for a smaller tank I would go with large turbo snails. A dozen of them completely knocked out a hair algae problem that had taken over my entire 30 gallon, in about 4 days.
Also, herbivorous fish graze constantly, so they poop constantly, and the poop is a source of food for the algae, so it can end up just creating a never ending cycle of algae growth if you don't maintain a really clean tank.
Main thing though is to make sure your lighting period isn't too long, feed lightly. Test for phosphates and nitrates and make sure they are minimal, otherwise it will just grow back.
Depending on the size of your tank I would suggest a rabbitfish. Most herbivorous fish will outgrow anything smaller than a 75 gallon, so for a smaller tank I would go with large turbo snails. A dozen of them completely knocked out a hair algae problem that had taken over my entire 30 gallon, in about 4 days.
Also, herbivorous fish graze constantly, so they poop constantly, and the poop is a source of food for the algae, so it can end up just creating a never ending cycle of algae growth if you don't maintain a really clean tank.
Main thing though is to make sure your lighting period isn't too long, feed lightly. Test for phosphates and nitrates and make sure they are minimal, otherwise it will just grow back.
nano reefer
Active Member
a fuzzy chiton. they are beasts.
bizzmoneyb
Member
ive read that mexican turbo snails are great for eating it up. im gonna grab a few myself as soon as they have some available here!
rushprop
Member
My mexican turbo's destroyed nearly all the algae in the tank.(except where there large shells wouldnt fit) actually just yesterday I had one on my outflow tube for my pump so now one side of the Y is spotless(looks like brand new) and the other side is covered in algae. Im going to assume he is coming back for the leftovers later.
boat guy
New Member
hermit crabs.blue and scarlet. swf sells ,janitor packes with mixes or custom order took about 3 weeks to get my tank looking ok .cut back on the lights and haven't had a bloom since. i hope that stays tru.and i did use a little alagfix by api .iwent with half of what it said.i still have small amounts but thats ok keeps my clean up crew feed.and i have a flame scalop in thier.
bizzmoneyb
Member
Originally Posted by boat guy
http:///forum/post/2696856
hermit crabs.blue and scarlet.
i dont think hermit crabs do much for algae.. at least mine dont.
http:///forum/post/2696856
hermit crabs.blue and scarlet.
i dont think hermit crabs do much for algae.. at least mine dont.