Sea hares?

mcsassy

mcsassy

professional fool
Jan 28, 2008
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Anybody have any experience with these guys? They are like little slugs or something and I hear that they rampage and feast on hair algae like there is no tomorrow. I told my LFS to order me a blue spotted one, but now I'm thinking if they are so good at eating the algae, what will happen if it runs out? Do they eat other things? Any tips or advice? Thanks.
 
The problem I have seen with sea hares is the same with harlequin shrimp.. ya, they will mow down hair algae problems quickly, but when they run out they usually starve to death slowly and when they do die, they make a BIG mess in your tank if you don't get them out quick enough. Lots of flesh on those things.

FWIW, there is also a smaller version of the Sea Hare called a Sea Bunny... they are not baby sea hares, more like their dwarf cousins. Harder to find, my LFS has only gotten the bunnies in twice, but IMO they are a little safer because of their size. I am sure that isn't the correct name for the "Bunny", my LFS just calls them that because they look like dwarf versions of the Sea Hare.

Google Images
Sea Hare
hare.jpg


Sea Bunny (this is the shape and size of the ones I have seen, definately not bright orange like this though)
2098505116_807725edd5.jpg
 
I like the second one! Looks kind of like this...
katiexo6.png


So Ace, would you advise me to just not get the sea hare or get it and try to take it out and return it when it's done feasting?
 
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Oh and btw, I found what the orange one is.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=acanlute

My tank is a 72...I have a bunch of trochus snails and some hermits that munch at the hair and keep it manageable, so since I have no experience...I want to know if I should give one of these guys a shot. Do they release ink into the tank or anything like that? Would one offset a tank myself that badly if it were to die? Here is a pic of my tank from a little big ago before I got hair algae...still same rock set up and all.

tanksump.jpg
 
I had a sea hare for a short time. It was truly amazing how well it rid my tank of hair algae. I had become overcome with the stuff and my lfs suggested the hare. I put it in my 75gal. with about 90 lbs live rock plastered in algae. Within 2 weeks of putting him in the rock was entirely clean. The problem is once the tank is clean they are very difficult to supplement feed and they will starve. I actually ended up finding him a new very hairy home so he could continue to eat well. He was passed to several other tanks but he still passed away from starvation eventually as the last person tried to keep him after their tank was clean.
Probably not the best captive kept critter.

Ladygwen
 
Try to get smaller ones, as their nutritional requirements are less. These guys wash up on shore in the summer months around here and can be bigger than your hand. Cool looking, though.
 
I've decided to just not mess with it and leave it to the ocean to handle its business...I will just get a few more hermits and a couple more trochus I guess.
 
What are your current water parameters? While it is good to have herbivores, it may help to try to get at the root of the problem instead of buying more herbivores. Remember that once algal population wanes, so do the herbivores unless you are willing to feed them everything they need. I'd either keep what you have, with possibly a few extra trochus (I'd skip on the extra hermits) and attempt to lower nutrient levels. It would probably be worthwhile to use some ferric oxide hydroxide-based phosphate remover (if you don't already), even if you don't detect phosphate. A refugium can also go a long way, along with water changes.
 
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