Hair Algae

[violent^j]

Well im gettin quite a bit of hair algae lately and im wondering if anyone knows a good fish or crab that eats hair algae.

I bought a yellow eye tang, and a yellow tang, and a lawnmower blenny, and 15 blue leg hermit crabs and 15 cerith snails and the yellow eye and the yellow tang dont even touch the stuff...

It seems like nothing eats the stuff...

Anyone have a sugestion.

Thank You in advance

 

[SquishyFish]

The only things I have seen that will consistantly mow down the stuff are Mexican Turbo snails and Urchins.

Mexican Turbo's are cold water snails and in general, I dont think they should be sold. Because we keep our tanks so warm (80* or so) they dont live more than a few months at most. So..if you buy them, consider them a bandaide. They will mow down the hair algae, but not live very long. And...the alge will come back unless you fix the problem that caused it in the first place.

Urchins....great for hair algae, but they can be a bit of a bull in a china shop when it comes to corals. Also..some people dont like the fact that they eat coralline algae..I presonally like that about them. Its like a bird that eats a berry and poops out the seed miles away...it spreads the coralline spore. 8)

 

[tiredfish]

my hair algea got so bad i pulled it out manually in clumps ...i also have a yellow tang that has been eating a little bit of it..and a pile of turbosnails...i didnt do water change when i was suppose to and it got outta control...i recommend water change when needed..and those snails. kole tangs are really good to have to...just dont feed them any foods and they have no choice but to eat the hair algea(just kidding)

 

[scuba_steve]

in the last aquarium fish magazine they stated that rabbitfish will eat the stuff that tangs wont