Who to Choose? Best (looking) pest control fish?

[snwmnky007]

With everyone trying their hardest to QT, dip, and keep parameters perfect, it still can happen.
Pests!
Maybe bristle worms, Aiptasia, flatworms, or hair algae.
The question what do YOU use for that unexpected nuisance? there are a lot of short term cures but what would you want to put and KEEP in your tank, for pest control and beauty?

What are the best fish/inverts for the most annoying of our problems?

 

[CNDReef]

I’m getting a ( maybe a pair )Molly Miller
Diet is algae and aptasia, kill 2 birds with one stone

 

[snwmnky007]

Great combo! Where is the best place to get them?

 

[Tom Blevins]

http://miniwaters.fish/product/scartella-cristata-molly-miller-blenny/

 

[BestMomEver]

Six line wrasse for bugs, peppermint shrimp for aptasia, lawnmower/molly Miller for hair algae.

 

[CNDReef]

These guys ave them too
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/162756220490

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Got a bubble algae problem just got a juvenile black spot foxface to help me out with that also have an aiptasia issue so I got a juvenile copperband to deal with them he’s also in qt and eating after day one.

 

[snwmnky007]

Six line wrasse for bugs, peppermint shrimp for aptasia, lawnmower/molly Miller for hair algae.

Peppermint shrimp have worked well for me in the past but it seems like there has been a lot of debate on the best place to get actual Aiptasia eating peppermint shrimp.

Learn how to distinguish between the different species of Peppermint Shrimp and guarantee you're getting the right one for your application!! L. Wurdemanni will devour aptasia as aptasia are part of that particular species' regular diet!!

 

[mcarroll]

Only plan on keeping a fish for a problem IF you plan on keeping the problem. Otherwise, you have a feeding issue once they have become successful in eliminating their target.

The other problem is that most "pest control fish" simply fail to perform as reputed – fish and inverts quickly become spoiled by foods we add to the tank, or starve due to lack of their real target food items.

IMO you're better off dealing with things like aiptasia manually – but you have to hit them early and with gusto. If you allow them to establish a population, then it can get out of your control – so don't do that.

The bonus is that you don't have "extra" fish in your tank with "special needs".

Peppermint shrimp have worked well for me in the past but it seems like there has been a lot of debate on the best place to get actual Aiptasia eating peppermint shrimp.

Learn how to distinguish between the different species of Peppermint Shrimp and guarantee you're getting the right one for your application!! L. Wurdemanni will devour aptasia as aptasia are part of that particular species' regular diet!!

Excellent chart.

Seems like it would be impossible to confirm ID before buying though...how would this happen in practice?

And do retailers really know what they're carrying down to the species?? My recollection is that wholesalers don't even know beyond "peppermint shrimp"....but it's been a while for me.

Also, this article seems to imply that L. Wurdemani is a species complex vs one specific animal:
A western Atlantic peppermint shrimp complex: redescription of Lysmata wurdemanni, description of four new species, and remarks on Lysmata rathbunae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Hippolytidae)

That seems very complete, but is from 2006 and could be dated....do you know of something more recent? Here's their pic of the complex and a map of their range:
(free PDF, so click and get the full size hi-res photos rather than these clips)

 

[mcarroll]

@snwmnky007 I forgot to add: Do you happen to know by region which member of the complex you're referring to?

 

[Sunny Goold]

Great discussion. I think there are a lot of beautiful or at least interesting fish you can have to control certain pests. You can almost make a tank up with them. Six line (or the 4 or pink), Copperband Butterfly, Urchin, Cleaner Shrimp, Cleaner Goby, Gold Head (or similar goby to clean the sand) are some of the common animals I hear about that are beautiful. Plus there are also certain pipe fish that eat pests (like the dragon face), clams to filter your water etc. are all. Many of the tangs (like the yellow) also are a positive. So I think you can certainly build a tank around these beneficial animals that are beautiful and add supplement with blennies, snails and crabs to cover all of your bases plus I think have a sustainable pod population.

Some of these animals are more difficult to keep I know but I think it makes sense to create a livestock list based on beneficial creatures and add in a couple of other animals that you just have to have. That's what I will be doing so I hope more people contribute here.

 

[rhastareefer]

6 lines are evil. True pure evil. Hoeven's Wrasses are great for many pests but not algae. Lawnmower Blennies are great for hair algaes, as are emerald crabs but they're not much to look at and some don't trust them.

 

[Sunny Goold]

6 lines are evil. True pure evil. Hoeven's Wrasses are great for many pests but not algae. Lawnmower Blennies are great for hair algaes, as are emerald crabs but they're not much to look at and some don't trust them.

True - I have read a lot of people say they are evil - others say they have no issues - but I'm sure you are taking an unnecessary risk with them especially when there are others who would do a similar job on pests - along with the Hoeven's I've heard four lined and pink streaked are good alternatives.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Best pest control wrasse that I ever had in the pass was a Formosa wrasse only he would turn anything not glued down over. My new pest control is a bluestar and ornate leopard will be getting a few more leopards to help out.

 

[Genesis 1:10]

Tuxedo urchin is a Roomba for the tank. Great for keeping rock clean of algae.

 

[Dburr1014]

I’m getting a ( maybe a pair )Molly Miller
Diet is algae and aptasia, kill 2 birds with one stone

From where? I have been looking locally but no luck. Next step is online.
Never mind, read more of the thread. [emoji849]

 

[van7271]

Six line wrasse for bugs, peppermint shrimp for aptasia, lawnmower/molly Miller for hair algae.

Totally agree

 

[shred5]

Best thing to do is quarantine everything before it goes in your tank before you have issue and dip..

Problem with most things that eat pest is they do not stop there or starve to death after they eat what you put them in their for.
example Lawnmower blenies love eating corals.
Sixlines are horrible and impossible to catch once in your tank.

If I had to pick something it would be a neon goby. They have little impact on a aquarium and are hardy. They clean parasites, dead tissue etc. even though again you should quarantine first.

 

[rhastareefer]

Best thing to do is quarantine everything before it goes in your tank before you have issue and dip..

Problem with most things that eat pest is they do not stop there or starve to death after they eat what you put them in their for.
example Lawnmower blenies love eating corals.
Sixlines are horrible and impossible to catch once in your tank.

If I had to pick something it would be a neon goby. They have little impact on a aquarium and are hardy. They clean parasites, dead tissue etc. even though again you should quarantine first.

I caught mine after a couple months of trying. Just fed pellet only and floated them in the top corner of the tank. The first time he decided he was hungry enough for some pellets I scooped him out and couldn't believe it actually happened lol. NEVER will I EVER put a 6 line in another tank of mine (at least that has any other fish that I give a dam about...)

 

[Injoynit]

I have 2 peppermint shrimp for aptasia and 1 diamond goby for sand cleaning so far.
Going to add cleaner shrimp for pest on fish and tang for algae followed up by a six line wrasse for worms unless I find something better than a six line.