I'm pretty diligent about keeping up with my filter socks. Herbivores (two tangs, foxface, and lawnmower blenny) do a good job on my rocks, and two sand sifting starfish and one small horseshoe crab keep my sandbed looking very clean. No urchins or snails here. Not sure if it helps with algae, but I feed copepods daily to keep my mandarin population fat and happy.