Good fish for macro grazing?

Diana · #1 01-10-2007, 06:00 PM

We have an outbreak of this mossy macroalgae in one of our tanks. The moss looks just like terestrial moss and grows in clumps and really hangs on to the rock, it is difficult to remove.

Anyways, is there any fish that would be good at removing it aka grazing on it? What about inverts?

Thanks in advance

WWWD · #2 01-10-2007, 06:16 PM

You would need to figure out what it is first to find a suitable mate. What will you do when the algae is all gone?

Diana · #3 01-10-2007, 06:42 PM

when the algae is gone, we will remove the fish. I will try and find some pics of the stuff.

Diana · #4 01-10-2007, 06:50 PM

sorry for the bad pic but it was from a cell phone:

Delphinus · #5 01-10-2007, 07:46 PM

I've had that kind of algae before. I never found anything that ate it, although maybe a rabbitfish might?

With this one I let it grow because it wouldn't really spread. If it got too big I pulled it off the rock (came off all at once). I don't think it ever came back after I pruned it.

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #6 01-10-2007, 08:12 PM

Yeah, I had this type about 3 years ago. It also didn't get too bad & I would just rip off the "moss" ball when it got bigger. Don't know if an urchin would eat it.

Anthony

DanG · #7 01-10-2007, 08:25 PM

Looks similar to what I had in my tank a couple months afo. My sea hare mowed it down pretty quickly. My algae blenny picks at it every now and then, but my fox face never looks at it. Although who knows, if you get a fox face if yours will go to town on it.

adidas · #8 01-10-2007, 09:58 PM

sailfin tang or a rabbit.. my sailfin and golden rabbit are PIGS

Ruth · #9 01-10-2007, 10:19 PM

I have some of that, I have always called it "turf" algea in my 190g. I remove it manually.
My Naso tang, which will eat chaeto, calurpa and nori, won't touch this stuff.
I think I will probably try a sea hare on it in the near future.

Diana · #10 01-10-2007, 10:40 PM

Hmmm... this stuff is REALLY hard to remove. We have to yank it off the rock, and I get worried about knocking all the rockwork over. We prune it back once a month, and it just comes right back. Its very very thick stuff. I've never had macro that is so tough to get off the rock.

I was thinking of trying a sea hare, is that our best bet? (Its only a 30 gallon tank).

Thanks
-Diana