Thinking of getting a LMB

[tarunteam]

Thinking of getting a Lawnmower Blenny for my 12 gallon nano. Lately i've had a lot of GHA due to not cleaning out the HOB Skimmer. Finally did it this weekend and it's been pulling out a shit ton of gunk. But there is still a lot of hair algae everywhere and i would love a fish with a big personality. Either that or a fw molly. I've heard they love algae.

Currently I have:

 

-A emerald crab (somewhere, i haven't seen him leave his favorite rock in a while)

-Two fire shrimp

-Big nass snal

-Two clown fish.

[tarunteam]

bump

[G-villeDel]

If you do get a lawnmower blenny I recommend you get a really small one because they need space. They are really good at getting that algae. I also recommend Mexican turbo snails and blue/red leg hermit crabs. They are great for hair algae

[Tamberav]

Lawnmowers eat algae but they also poop it out and get a pretty decent size with a decent sized bioload for a 12g. I don't think its really the answer to the problem.

 

My go to for pest algae is a tuxedo urchin.

[tarunteam]

Lawnmowers eat algae but they also poop it out and get a pretty decent size with a decent sized bioload for a 12g. I don't think its really the answer to the problem.

 

My go to for pest algae is a tuxedo urchin.

Urchin would be too big. The tank is open top and i'm afraid he might climb into one of the mp10s or out of the tank. :/

[Mariaface]

Keep in mind that lawnmowers have really big appetites. I had to return mine to the store when I had one a couple of years ago - once it had eaten the hair algae, it decided 'anything green will do' between feedings. I saw it nipping at my trumpet, hammer, etc. Not outright biting them, but certainly scraping their flesh for what the fish must have thought was film algae. To keep up with feeding them, you'd bring up the bioload in your tank significantly. Maybe your filtration is up for it, but you'd have to keep that in mind.

 

I say pick up a small hermit. They're tiny, and annoying but not a danger to anyone but snails. Just one of them will work on the problem slowly while you work on getting nutrients under control.

[tarunteam]

Keep in mind that lawnmowers have really big appetites. I had to return mine to the store when I had one a couple of years ago - once it had eaten the hair algae, it decided 'anything green will do' between feedings. I saw it nipping at my trumpet, hammer, etc. Not outright biting them, but certainly scraping their flesh for what the fish must have thought was film algae. To keep up with feeding them, you'd bring up the bioload in your tank significantly. Maybe your filtration is up for it, but you'd have to keep that in mind.

 

I say pick up a small hermit. They're tiny, and annoying but not a danger to anyone but snails. Just one of them will work on the problem slowly while you work on getting nutrients under control.

Any particular type that would specifically target GHA? I also read people using FW mollies to eat GHA. What do you think?

[Mariaface]

Any particular type that would specifically target GHA? I also read people using FW mollies to eat GHA. What do you think?

 

 

My blue leg was more than happy to attack small patches of hair algae (if it grew), filamentous algae, tougher ones that had been weakened with peroxide, etc. I had two in a 16gal, and they seemed to be enough while nutrients got handled.

 

I think a fish in general is too much bioload for algae control in a 12g, really. The ones notorious for devouring algae have huge appetites that would be difficult to keep up with. On the other hand: assuming you have enough swimming-room (probably not in a cube, but in a 12 long), you could take a page out of Metrokat's book and just export nutrients frantically. She has the filtration capacity to feed five times a day; it's kind of awesome. Take a look at that thread?

 

Plus, your clowns are so not going to like another fish...

[tarunteam]

Bioload wise i'm not worried I have a skimmer rated for 100 gallons attached so i do abuse food somewhat. It also is a 12 long so tons of swimming room! You wanna link me to her thread?

[Mariaface]

Kat's thread? Fair warning, Ben had fun posting Kate Upton photos in there..

 

Also it's long. Scary long. Constant party in there. But she recently went over how she's readjusting the tank to lower nutrient levels, the media/husbandry, etc.

[tarunteam]

lololol ok. I'll keep a eye out

[tarunteam]

holy shit 543 pages.

[Mariaface]

Like a fun novel? With pictures?

[Tamberav]

Urchin would be too big. The tank is open top and i'm afraid he might climb into one of the mp10s or out of the tank. :/

 

Tuxedos are pretty small urchins, they max out at 3 inches so smaller than a lawnmower. I can't image one climbing out of the tank or in a MP10, mine never did either of those, they know their limits. Once they reach the top they turn around.

 

In my experience, blennies are jumpers, its weird but the fish that sit on the bottom seem to jump the most, gobies, blennies, dragnets, jawfish, ect.

 

BTW sailfin mollies get huge, 6 inches, a fat bodied 6 inches. Maybe you could trade them into the pet store for smaller ones, I don't think they eat algae enough to solve your problem though.

 

 

I would just manually remove the GHA and use peroxide, the tank is so small, it should be manageable. You could probably starve it out with chemical media too.

[tarunteam]

I tried peroxide but it only seemed to work when i did rock dips. I've been removing some from rocks with a brush but some of it is between or on zoa's and i already killed one zoa trying to liberate it of hair algae. I figure once he eats most/all of the algae, i'll just give him to someone with a fw tank.