what's your favorite algae eater?

gio28

gio28

Active Member
my tank is covered in algae...and i've already been through the whole talk about my params, ro or tap, etc etc etc...so anyways what your favorite algae eater that does a real good job? im just looking for opinions cause my CUC isnt complete yet anyways so while i fix other reasons why i might have algae in the mean time i might as well get a real good algae eater(s). thanks. (i have algae sheets to make sure they are fed in the long term)
 
S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Wow, there are a lot that I love, but my favorite would have to be Lawnmower Blenny.
 
reefer34

reefer34

New Member
sea hares are pretty cool, but im also a big fan of red moon snails (dont do so hot in really temperate reef tanks)
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Originally Posted by Shrimpy Brains
http:///forum/post/3150554
Wow, there are a lot that I love, but my favorite would have to be Lawnmower Blenny.

+1
Great fish w/ lots of personality
If it's bubble algae, get an Emerald Crab.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3150538
my tank is covered in algae...and i've already been through the whole talk about my params, ro or tap, etc etc etc...so anyways what your favorite algae eater that does a real good job? im just looking for opinions cause my CUC isnt complete yet anyways so while i fix other reasons why i might have algae in the mean time i might as well get a real good algae eater(s). thanks. (i have algae sheets to make sure they are fed in the long term)

The best algae eater, if your tank is large enough would be the Kole tang. For a big tank overgrown with algae...a combo of lawnmower blenny, emerald crabs and a Kole tang would clear it in no time.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
my tank is only 36 gallons so i cant really get a tang. i do have emerald crabs that keep the bubble in check. its mainly the brown algae i have. its so bad that i cant even see the back of my tank, the brown is overpowering everything.
 
lietz06

lietz06

Member
Originally Posted by Shrimpy Brains
http:///forum/post/3150554
Wow, there are a lot that I love, but my favorite would have to be Lawnmower Blenny.

+ 1. I had one and he did a great job of cleaning the aglae...but they have an awesome personality as well. He was soo cute! They leave lil kiss marks on your glass from where they clean:)
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Gotta say my lawnmower blennie is my favorite too...
BUT those sallylightfoot crabs......they never stop.....
I have Emeralds too, but they hide a lot
 
oceandude

oceandude

Member
Gotta love the LMB. Mine was actually named, (rarely do I name anything anymore), Muncher. Left the crate/net off one night and... :(
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
i had a LMB before, he was great. but then he stopped eating all of a sudden and starved himself despite all the algae i had in my tank at the time. are they hard to take care of or something? i might try getting another one again. mine only ate some hair algae (that i dont have anymore) and cleaned the back glass. do they also eat it off the rocks and sand?
 
asharp13

asharp13

Member
personally i like hermit crabs. they do work and you can get a whole bunch of exotic looking ones that will grow quite large. my number one algae killer however would be your lighting system. turn em off for a couple days and give the critters a head start. ive seen Lawnmower Blennys at my LFS too. very cool i must admit!!!
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
my hermits are great as well, but they always try and kill my snails for their shells even though i put a bunch of empty ones in.
i might get a mexican turbo snail once SWF has them in stock. and also some dedicated algae eating only snails. nerite snails seem like a good choice since they only eat algae. and the 2 that i have now are always on the move and are much quicker than my turbos and ceriths, so i might get 10 more of those guys.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3150628
my tank is only 36 gallons so i cant really get a tang. i do have emerald crabs that keep the bubble in check. its mainly the brown algae i have. its so bad that i cant even see the back of my tank, the brown is overpowering everything.

Hermit crabs eat the brown algae...in a 36g..you need about 20
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Originally Posted by asharp13
http:///forum/post/3150852
personally i like hermit crabs. they do work and you can get a whole bunch of exotic looking ones that will grow quite large. my number one algae killer however would be your lighting system. turn em off for a couple days and give the critters a head start. ive seen Lawnmower Blennys at my LFS too. very cool i must admit!!!

Big hermits are BAD NEWS...get only the red legged, scarlet and blue legged...+1 on extra shells or they will kill the snails for theirs. with extra shells they won't bother anyting but brown algae.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Lawnmowers are supposed to be an easy fish to take care of, but they do often "starve" themselves. I've noticed that even if you have a lot of algae in your tank for them, you should add an algae sheet at least once a week. They do eat off the rocks and glass, but don't eat off the sand very much.
I had a dragon goby that acted as a sand sifter and algae eater, he'd keep the sand clean and the rocks, great fish and I can't wait until my LFS has them again.
Even the scarlet and blue knuckle hermits can get very big if you offer big enough shells. I have two blue knuckles that started out very small, then they killed two large turbo snails I had and now they're HUGE. I'm ready to take them out and put them in the sump, they knock over everything in my tank.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
i wish i had gone bigger to get a tang...maybe in the future. are sea hares poisonous? are there any bad things about them at all? i would like to get one cause i've been hearing they are great additions to clean up algae.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3151611
i wish i had gone bigger to get a tang...maybe in the future. are sea hares poisonous? are there any bad things about them at all? i would like to get one cause i've been hearing they are great additions to clean up algae.
they let out some purplish stuff if they are threatened, or the stuff can come out when they die.....
I had a couple die, and took them out with no issues...
 
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