Good algae eating fish

[RyanSweet]

Looking for opinions on what a good (dare I say "best"?) algae eating fish is for a small tank. No tangs unless I wan the tang police cuffing me and hauling me off.

 

[Waters]

Define small tank? If it is too small for even a Kole Tang, I have had good luck with Algae blennies....he never stops moving, constantly picking at the rocks.

 

[dc4]

Lawnmower blenny, got mine last week and he made short work of the algae in my rock and is now working on my back glass.

 

[RyanSweet]

Define small tank? If it is too small for even a Kole Tang, I have had good luck with Algae blennies....he never stops moving, constantly picking at the rocks.

40gal. Definitely too small for a kole, or any other tang.

 

[Tahoe61]

Depends on the algae type. Have you considered an Urchin, Chiton or different snail type?

 

[RyanSweet]

Depends on the algae type. Have you considered an Urchin, Chiton or different snail type?

Diatoms on glass (normal amount that I clean with a mag float), small patches of hair algae on rocks. Honestly nothing that's a real issue, just wanting to have a fish that performs maintenance.

 

[Hammer100]

foxface?

 

[RyanSweet]

foxface?

Would a foxface work long term in a 40gal? Seems like it would outgrow the tank pretty quickly.

 

[stevo01]

I like the lawnmower blenny option. Does the lawnmower eat Bryopsis?

 

[Joey waid]

Lawnmower blenny. They make short work of algae...

 

[ngvu1]

Lawnmower does not seem to eat the green hairy algae for me. For my case , he was just mowing the lawn once in a while but never really eat the "grass" :-)

A tang is a lot better but which tang. Maybe take it out when it is too big for the tank.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Bullet gobies eat hair algae. Turbo snails and seahares are some of thw best algae eaters.

 

[Scenna]

A lawnmower blenny is the best! I have had tangs and they never seemed to work out in 40 gal,either they were not interested in my algae or they acted like they needed more room.then I got Joe the lawnmower and my tank is clean and he is a happy guy I supplement with algae wafers now.

 

[Jbryan243]

Do not use this fish; I'll put a Sargent Major up against any fish/snail out there, they'll eat anything. GHA, bubble, as a matter of fact I don't think there is an algae they don't/won't eat. I have two in individual sumps, cleanest part of the two systems!

 

[stevieduk]

my yellow tang eats algae of my rocks and back and side glasses but never eats it of the front glass. So frustrating

 

[Knapp870]

I like the lawnmower blenny option. Does the lawnmower eat Bryopsis?

Nothing eats Bryopsis to my knowledge. There are only two ways I have found of getting rid of it picking out by hand while using kent tech m to raise the mag or hitting it with some peroxide.

 

[Jbryan243]

I'm not putting Bryopsis in to test it but I wonder what a S/Major would do with?