Foxface rabbitfish and algae

[JJGeisler]

I have been battling hair algae in my reef tank for over three months now and have not been sucessful in finding anything to eat the stuff. I'm getting pretty tired of harvesting the stuff by hand each week and want something to munch on it naturaly. The LFS nearly had me talked into a Foxface Rabbitfish but I wanted to check out more info first. One source of info I just read says they are not reef safe and will nip at coral polyps. Does anyone else have any experience with this fish?

I have a small yellow tank that is particular which algae it eats, wont eat the hair algae. Have a Lawnmower Blenny, doesn't seem to be making a difference. 3-4 different types of crabs, 3 different types of snails, the algae is still winning. Any other recomendations for herbivors for the tank?
JJ

[Brooke]

JJ!! I was just about to put out a missing person's report for you. How have you been??

Well, unfortunately you are going to have to find the cause for the hair algae. Source water is the first culprit usually. What are you using for purifying? Is your bioload too high, feeding too much, skimming insufficient? My guess is source water which seems to be the bane of many minnesota reefers.

I've never seen a foxface eat hair algae, but I guess there is always the chance they will. They are nice, active fish that can get fairly large. You could always sell it back later. I think the big problem is going to be with the yellow tang. There's a very large chance that the tang will cause the foxface to hide and not do anything.

I think you need to get to the source. Set up a caulerpa refugium or some other way to export nutrients. Get your water tested by the city for phosphates, nitrates, silicates, etc.

Glad to see you around!
Brooke

[JJGeisler]

Hi Brooke,
Been great, just quiet on the board...
As to source water, All RO. My water changes are hauled in 28-35g at a time from LFS (Something Fishy for the locals) I finaly got my kalkwasser reactor online about three weeks ago. 5 stage RO system (all new filters and membrane) connected to 5g holding tank with float valve shut-off. This supplies the Kalk reactor which is then connected to a Kangaroo 324 peristolic dosing pump to the display tank.

My Salifert kit can't detect any PO4. Perameters still consistantly read all zero for NN&A. Calcium at 500+, alk at 7.7-8.0 dKH. I am suspicious that the Spirulina I feed the fish is also feeding the algae!

I guess I'm going to have to damaged the plastic again and order my uncured Fiji algae rock from Paragon?? The 55g sump/refugium is reeeaaal close to completed but I don't want to connect it to the main tank until I finish curing the live rock. The idea is to grow macro algea with reverse lighting and hopefuly eliminate some of the stuff in the display tank.

Thanks for the info on the Foxface. stillwondering what will munch on the hair algae till I get the refugium online. Anyone else have recommendations?
JJ

(Another thread) Lots of luck with the tank this weekend, Brooke. Really wish I could volenteer to help but between golf tourn on Sat, RenFest with friends Sun and rewiring part of my circuit breaker box this weekend, already pretty booked.....Planning on makinging it to the TCMAS meeting Tuesday 9/11, hope to see ya there.....

[Doug1]

hm a foxface and its cousin the tang will prolly start WWIII
I have had better luck with my sailfin cleaning algae FWIW

[dark horge]

To Doug's caution regarding territorial issues, I would add the venomous hazard: that Siganid's spines are capable of delivering a very painful sting.

Also, while I have seen sizeable groups of these fishes patrolling coral heads and rubble for algae to graze on, I don't recall soft green "hair" algae as being among them.

[Wrasse Man]

Hey JJ! I was about to put out a missing person's report also!

I have succesfully kept a sailfin and foxface in the same 75. I never saw either try to chase or harrase the other. When I traded them away, I started getting quite a bit of hair growing on the rocks and glass. I added a yellow tang, and cut back on feeding the tank. He didn't like the hair, but if he was hungry enough he would eat it, but only the spots where I had pulled it off. He doesn't seem to like the old stuff. I found this out because I did an experiment, and left a patch of hair on the back of a rock- all the algae that I cut back is grazed off, except for the rock that I didn't trim. The hair on it is now 3-4" inches long, and the tang won't touch it.

Just some thoughts.

Good to 'see' you back here!

[dgosho]

I introduced hair algae into my tank via a live rock that had "pretty" grassy stuff all over it
It eventually covered most of my live rock and I was freakin' out when I went to Seahorse and asked Woody what to do. He sold me a bunch of hermits and snails (variety) - about one for every 1.5 galons of tank. The hair was gone within a few days.

[JJGeisler]

Hey all,
Thanks for the info...
Doug, which flavor of Sailfin? Sailfin Blenny or something else? I picked up a Black Sailfin Blenny about six weeks ago, guy motored around for a couple days then disapeared...? Not long enough ta see if he would do any good at harvesting. Since I have the Lawnmower at the moment, any conflicts?

Hey Scott, since when do you have algae???? All I remember seeing was gorgous rock and corals! The Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens)? is picky about it's algae. Doesn't seem to touch the hair but I had a patch of courser stuff around the base of one of the corals that was completly gone in about three days after he was added.

Hey Alice, I have a call into Paragon Aquatics for a case of uncured Fiji plant rock for the refugium. Owner was out, waiting for a return call. Planning on loading the refugium part of the 55g and hopfully transfere part of it when I add the 90g this fall (if the bank account holds up). It will still take a minimum of three weeks before the refugium can go online though so still hoping to add some hair muchers in the mean time.

Gee.... I didn't know I was missed! Been pretty busy and in "lurk mode" when I get the chance, just haven't been posting much. I feel like the prodigal son returning!

Any more good stuff to toss in?
JJ

[Alice]

Hey JJ!

Good luck with the hair algae battle, ugh. "Plant rocks" are expensive; maybe you could ask some of the friendly folks at the next club meeting if they have some caulerpa starts they can give you. Most people are happy to get rid of some