Will a bristletooth/tomini tang eat this algae?

[Devan Patel]

Will it eat this algae? If not what type of snails would eat this? My CUC died awhile ago and now I’m just getting to this

 

[Jekyl]

Looks like hair algae and I don't think anything will eat it once this size. Maybe a nudibranch out there will.

Best course of action is to ensure you have a proper CuC and manual removal.

 

[TX_REEF]

tangs may nibble at it. I recommend manual removal with a firm bristle brush and then add trochus snails who can keep it at bay when it's small.

 

[Biokabe]

Don't let your CUC die. And if you do, replace them ASAP. What killed them? And before adding a tang - how big is your tank?

A tang probably would eat that algae, but you shouldn't rely on them to do so. Every fish has different taste preferences, and algae eaters in general don't like to eat long strands. Your CUC - including any fish that eat algae, such as tangs - will prevent algae from getting to that size, but once it does the only thing that will reliably remove that type of algae is a H. sapiens sapiens. Fortunately they're not hard to find, but they can be expensive depending on the specimen.

Joking aside, the problem with removing that type of algae is that it often has holdfasts that are difficult to see and will prevent you from completely removing it. That's what your CUC is for - after you trim the algae down then they may decide to eat the shortened version of it.

To make removal easier, one thing you can do is spot-treat the tufts with hydrogen peroxide. Get a syringe and some blunt-tip luer loc needles. A little squirt at the base of each tuft is enough. Ideally, let it sit with all circulation off for 10-15 minutes or until you see the algae turn white. I use 12% food-grade H202, but if your tank is smaller you might need to use a weaker solution to prevent too much concentration from building up. Once it's sat for a bit, the algae will release from the rock much easier. Anecdotally, this also seems to make the algae more palatable to algae eaters. A day or so after treatment, I often see my CUC attacking pieces that they've previously refused to eat.

If you do this, only treat a bit at a time. I use a 3ml syringe, and I'll usually only empty it 3-4 times before calling it good for that session. H2O2 is relatively safe at low concentrations, but it can cause problems if you let it build up too fast. Over time it degrades back into water + oxygen so you don't have to worry about long-term buildup.

 

[Devan Patel]

Don't let your CUC die. And if you do, replace them ASAP. What killed them? And before adding a tang - how big is your tank?

A tang probably would eat that algae, but you shouldn't rely on them to do so. Every fish has different taste preferences, and algae eaters in general don't like to eat long strands. Your CUC - including any fish that eat algae, such as tangs - will prevent algae from getting to that size, but once it does the only thing that will reliably remove that type of algae is a H. sapiens sapiens. Fortunately they're not hard to find, but they can be expensive depending on the specimen.

Joking aside, the problem with removing that type of algae is that it often has holdfasts that are difficult to see and will prevent you from completely removing it. That's what your CUC is for - after you trim the algae down then they may decide to eat the shortened version of it.

To make removal easier, one thing you can do is spot-treat the tufts with hydrogen peroxide. Get a syringe and some blunt-tip luer loc needles. A little squirt at the base of each tuft is enough. Ideally, let it sit with all circulation off for 10-15 minutes or until you see the algae turn white. I use 12% food-grade H202, but if your tank is smaller you might need to use a weaker solution to prevent too much concentration from building up. Once it's sat for a bit, the algae will release from the rock much easier. Anecdotally, this also seems to make the algae more palatable to algae eaters. A day or so after treatment, I often see my CUC attacking pieces that they've previously refused to eat.

If you do this, only treat a bit at a time. I use a 3ml syringe, and I'll usually only empty it 3-4 times before calling it good for that session. H2O2 is relatively safe at low concentrations, but it can cause problems if you let it build up too fast. Over time it degrades back into water + oxygen so you don't have to worry about long-term buildup.

Thank you for the info, I will definitely try the peroxide. I had a huge crash awhile ago and my bristletooth died. But my clownfish survived then my cuc died after and for awhile the tank had zero algae going on at all. Then I left for vacation and suddenly they came so now I’m just getting back my cuc but lost all my knowledge for reef information now.

Also what snails would eat this algae once it’s broken down? I plan on going today to the LFS

My tank is a waterbox 50.3 aio.

I uploaded a picture when it was full of coral

 

[TX_REEF]

Thank you for the info, I will definitely try the peroxide. I had a huge crash awhile ago and my bristletooth died. But my clownfish survived then my cuc died after and for awhile the tank had zero algae going on at all. Then I left for vacation and suddenly they came so now I’m just getting back my cuc but lost all my knowledge for reef information now.

Also what snails would eat this algae once it’s broken down? I plan on going today to the LFS

My tank is a waterbox 50.3 aio.

I uploaded a picture when it was full of coral

trochus snails are algae beasts, and they breed in home aquariums

 

[Biokabe]

Nice-looking tank, hopefully you can get back to it!

A 3-foot tank is a little small for a tang, but should be workable for any of the smaller Ctenochaetus (bristletooth) tangs. Bristletooth isn't the name of the species, it's the name of the genus. Tomini is definitely one of the smaller ones and is probably the easiest to find reliably. Two others that tend to work in smaller tanks are C. truncatus (squaretail) and C. cyanocheilus (blue-lip). If you get a juvenile blue-lip, they actually look like mini yellow tangs until they grow into their adult coloration.

The previously-mentioned trochus snails are good options. Turbo and astrea are also good options - I personally have better luck with astrea than trochus, even though astrea can't figure out how to right themselves if they fall over. I've never had a trochus live for more than 6 months. I suspect they might be tastier than astrea, I do have some inhabitants that will happily eat a snail given the opportunity. Cerith, margarite and nerites snails are also good, cerith especially for the harder-to-reach nooks and crannies. Turbo snails can get fairly large, especially the zebra turbos. I have two that are somewhere between a baseball and a softball... they're beasts, but they're also bulldozers.

If you're comfortable with crabs, emerald crabs are very useful for these types of infestations and are some of the only critters that will (sometimes) attack longer strands. Blue-legged and scarlet hermits are also pretty reliable and tend to be less problematic than other hermits.

 

[BZOFIQ]

emerald crabs will pull on the tufts all day long.