How good are Convict Tang, Acanthurus triostegus, at eating algae?

[Reef AquaCult]

I have a convict tang and in my opinion an aggressive quarantine approach with ample food feeding 10x daily a variety of foods without competition is required to get them eating on prepared foods. Also because they are acanthurus they are prone to parasites so copper and de-worming a must. Mine feeds aggressively on all short algae (not long hair algae) and eats seaweed extreme pellets with vigor. Won’t touch mysis or any meat-based food. Will eat some other pellets too. Goes crazy for nori but this took some time. If you throw a new arrival into a display tank with aggressive eaters you will probably fail.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Great video. Looks like Hawaii to me. Was that Maui or Big Island?

Oops. Sorry for the late, late reply. That was in the lagoon at the Hilton in Moorea, French Polynesia.

Dennis

 

[Ben Pedersen]

I really like Convict tangs.. Mine never tops grazing. I've had this one for several years.

 

[X-37B]

I have had mine for over a year.
Super small and thin when I got it.
Now fat and the tank boss.
It keeps my 6 blue green chromis inline.
Does not eat much algae as I dont have any in my 120.
It will eat algae cubes and nori if I cut it into small pieces.
Both tangs, tomini and convict, are scared of the algae clip, lol.