I use tangs as janitors… and snails and blue legged hermits . The hair algae disappeared almost immediately upon introduction of the tangs (just a few days). I now keep kale or fresh broccoli on a lettuce clip inside the tank for grazing by the tangs. Had a major case of uglies growing on the rocks and sand in the aquarium several times, especially in the first six months. All sorts of crud growing on the rocks that I periodically removed with a toothbrush and vacuuming during water changes. I never brush the coral or red digis.
Interestingly, for many months before adding fish, even with the slime and hair algae, my aquarium had zero nitrate zero phosphate. I ultimately had to dose phosphate and nitrate to keep the coral alive, and so the coral would grow. I now have a pretty high fish load and everything is doing so much better. Just finished my first anniversary.
