What is the Best Tang (surgeonfish) for eating nuisance algae?

[revhtree]

In your experience what is the Best Tang (surgeonfish) for eating nuisance algae?

Want to compile a nice list!

 

[rayn]

Kole tang. They seems to do a great job at it.

 

[Rob Top1]

The whole ctenochaetus family is good, specifically I like the blue eye kole the best, but only because I like blue over yellow as a color. Also the lavender tang and flame tail are good. I have had a yellow make short work of biopsies but that is an exception.

 

[saltyhog]

I don't know about the rest of the ctenochaetus family but a white tail bristletooth (at least mine) eats zero macroalgae except for nori. He only seems to eat invisible film algae from the rocks and glass. He avoids pecking at any portion of the rocks that has visible algae and focuses on the spots that only have coralline visible.

 

[TJ's Reef]

From my experiences only, the best Tangs for particular Algae are the Kole Tang for eating most Red/Brown Turf Algae, Yellow's for eating Valonia/Bubble algae and Hepatus/Hippo for eating Hair Algae. All my Tangs both present and past have eaten most any Algae available to them.



Cheers, Todd

 

[revhtree]

Great advice and suggestions so far! TJ I like how you broke it down for algae!

 

[camelcruiser]

I've had a couple desjardini and they eat just about any kind of algae.

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

My black tang ate sawblade calurpa and all types of valonia. Hes a beast and my MVP.... or MVF

 

[Rybren]

In the 5 years that I've had him, I've never seen my Yellow Tang touch any algae in my tank (and I've had a lot of it)

I have no experience with Scopas, but according to Chuck's Addiction, it is the best for eating algae. I'd be interested in hearing what others think.

 

[Reefinny]

I have a bristletooth in my frag tank. got it about a week ago, I had some pretty bad hair algae, it is almost undetectable now. Cool looking fish a little skiddish when I come near the tank though.

 

[AAE]

Any of the Ctenochaetus family, in particular Kole and Chevron Tangs.
And within Zebrasoma Family, Sailfin and Desjardini tangs do a great job with algae.

 

[Aquaph8]

I don't know about the rest of the ctenochaetus family but a white tail bristletooth (at least mine) eats zero macroalgae except for nori. He only seems to eat invisible film algae from the rocks and glass. He avoids pecking at any portion of the rocks that has visible algae and focuses on the spots that only have coralline visible.

My experience with ctenochaetus has been about the same, my lavender on the other hand eats algae off the rocks all day. My hippo was great for a while but got spoiled with nori and now that's all he wants.

 

[tigerdragon]

My yellow, sailfin, and kole do a great job

 

[Tab28]

I think it depends on the algae. I have tried several tangs and even a fox face to eat bryopsis and hair algae. None would touch it. Emerald crabs and sea hares would eat it like candy though.

 

[Triggreef]

I have 11 tangs in 2 systems. They all continuously pick at the rocks, but I couldn't say which eat specific types of algae. Fairly sure my hippo & mata tangs do not eat any algae besides Nori. My sailfin is always picking at rocks, but so is my powder blue. The kole tang picks at everything including the glass, but I do think his focus is film algae.

I've tried to think about which I would get rid of to lighten my bio load, but I like them all. Gave up on the idea of getting rid of any of them. I've spoiled myself with tangs, in the fact that any time I add a frag with any type of algae, they flock to it like candy & the algae is gone in minutes.

I did go with a tiny kole tang in my frag tank. I'm getting some very hard bristle like algae in there, I believe bryopsis. Kole tang not touching it. I'd bet my sail fin would if given the chance though.

 

[Kworker]

It's kind of difficult to dictate one tang as being better than any others.. Someone mentions their hippo won't eat anything but nori whereas mine occasionally eats bubble algae. Even my achilles eats Bubble algae every now and than. The best overall I would have to say is bristle tooth tangs, merely for the fact they stay on the smaller side and always picking than they can be used by more people than say Acanthurus tangs due to how active they are. I do however have a Powder blue and Yellow in my frag tank and they do a okay job.

 

[van7271]

My yellow tang makes short work of any algae that is present in my tank. He does not discriminate between types.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

My purple tang eats algae all day salfin not as much juv orange shoulder loves it he stays on the rocks

 

[mayanreefer71]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Buy 2 Tangs this weekend!

 

[Jesterrace]

I think it depends on the algae. I have tried several tangs and even a fox face to eat bryopsis and hair algae. None would touch it. Emerald crabs and sea hares would eat it like candy though.

Same. Fluconazole was what I had to use to get rid of the hair algae in my tank. It's the only thing that worked. My Foxface will eat bubble algae though.