Best tang for the job...

[X-Treme]

Just wondering.....Is there any tang that is better at eating algae than others? I have a grape caulerpa and GHA problem and need a tangs assistance.

[Myka]

Is this for your 38? You better find a REALLY small tang...and have a home ready for it when it grows. Yellow tangs are good for algae, and you'd likely be able to find a small one.

[Skimmin]

For tangs a minimum of 75gal is typically the recommended starting point for tank size. As for the algae eating end of things I believe all tangs are considered herbivores or omnivores so most do a fine job of eating algae. The other thing with tangs is... What goes in must come out. So in a smaller tank, if the fish (especially a tang) is eating lots it's going to be excreting lots. Up the bio load BIG TIME. In my experiance many people including myself tend to call the tangs the 'pigs' or 'dump trucks' of the tank...:smile: If the rock that you have has hair algae you may want to consider taking the rock out and scrubbing it in a pail of saltwater. Thing is once you have the rock clean try changing something in your tank whether it's flow, lighting, ro,phosban,etc... If you don't make a change of some sort you may find you will end up with the same end result again(more hair algae). Anyways just my 2 or 3 cents.

[Myka]

I was assuming the tang would be a temporary inhabitant...only long enough to eat the algae...? Otherwise I would never recommend a tang in a tank smaller than 75 gallons either.

I also agree that it is best to find the cause of the algae. If you buy a creature to eat the algae, when the creature is gone the algae will come back.

[Snappy]

Naso tang is a good algae eater. Maybe a rabbit fish might suit your tank better?

[X-Treme]

I've been using phosban for a month or more. I have HUGE flow 1640GPH. I only feed every 2nd day and only have 4 small fish. I don't know where to go next.....was gonna try a smaller tang next. And not to worry, would definately only be temporary.

I have had a few people tell me to try a rabbit, but how are they REALLY with lps, sps, clams, inverts and other smaller fish?

[i have crabs]

i just bought a foxface and he ate up all the caulerpa in my tank

[X-Treme]

Could it have anything to do with my lighting.......it's a 250MH sitting about 8inches over a 20 inch deep tank. Photoperiod is 10hrs of MH lighting and about 13 hours of actinic.

[Myka]

Photoperiods are usually 8 hours MH, and 12 hours actinic. Considering you have hair algae, cutting that down may help a little.

How old is your tank? Got pics? How are you running the PhosBan? How much of it? How often do you change it? What are your calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, nitrates and phosphates testing at? How old are your bulbs? What spectrum? What water temp? What kind of source water do you use (grocery store, your own made, RO, DI, etc)? If you make your own water, what is the TDS of your product water?

[X-Treme]

Tank is 8 1/2 months old (signature), running about 1/3 cup phosban passively in the return chamber from my remora skimmer. Haven't changed it yet, cause it's only 1-2 months old. I don't have ANY test kits YET, (let the flaming begin) so I don't know readings. MH bulb is same age as the tank and it's a giessmann 13k. Water temp is a DEAD-STEADY 78. I use RO water from a bottling company. Been using this since day 1.

[midgetwaiter]

I use RO water from a bottling company. Been using this since day 1.

Probably phosphate.

If the source water the bottling company is using has any phosphate in it RO won't remove it. You need a DI system to do that and they wouldn't bother with DI on drinking water. Even supposing that the phosphate level is low like .25ppm (EG local tap water) you are constantly adding it though top ups so it builds fast.

You're kind of on the right track with the phosban but any product like that isn't going to work well in a bag. You really need a fluidized reactor to get results. Get a phosphate test kit and check it out. In your situation something that binds phosphate rather than removing it may be a better choice like Blue Life Phosphate Control. For control of this stuff think about a pencil or globe urchin. Little ones eat like mad and aren't as much trouble as larger ones.

[dsaundry]

You havent said what all is in your tank right now. Rather than a tang you may want to try a "sea hare" I have one in my tank..ugly but great algae eater. Invest in a test kit right away. You need to monitor your phosphate level. It should be zero. I would also suggest watch your feeding of tank. You may be overdosing it a bit with food which would raise your phosphates as well. How often do you do water changes. In a tank of that size you should be doing a partial change every week. 10 per cent. Good luck:smile:

[Myka]

Tank is 8 1/2 months old (signature), running about 1/3 cup phosban passively in the return chamber from my remora skimmer. Haven't changed it yet, cause it's only 1-2 months old. I don't have ANY test kits YET, (let the flaming begin) so I don't know readings. MH bulb is same age as the tank and it's a giessmann 13k. Water temp is a DEAD-STEADY 78. I use RO water from a bottling company. Been using this since day 1.

I have come to the conclusion that a reef tank is only as good as the amount of money you can put into it. It's a depressing thought really, but it's the truth. Every tank I get has a little more money into equipment, and is a little better than the last. Every time I spend more on a new piece of equipment my tank gets a little better.

Start with the cheapest thing you can do...take your water in to a fish store and a get all those parameters I mentioned tested for you. When you do buy test kits buy Salifert or Elios. Don't bother with other test kits as they aren't so accurate, and are a waste of money.

Next, ask your bottling company the TDS of their water, and the method of purification that they use. When you can afford it buy your own RO/DI unit. You should be able to find one for $140-240. Source water is really important. If you start with something less than optimal, you're starting with one foot in the algae bed! :p

Also, do you have an old AquaClear power filter, or something similar? If you do, use it to run your phosphate media. Turn it down as low as you can. Use two sponges, and put the phosphate media in a bag spread evenly in between the two sponges. If you don't have a power filter like that, you can buy an AquaClear 20 (mini) for less than $25. It is a perfect size and flow rate (when turned down as low as possible ~150 gph) for running phosphate media. :)