Sea Hare

[greenhorn reefer]

Looking for a sea hare in Western MA.

 

[40B Knasty]

Closest place and only place that I know of that has them in all of MA is Tropic Isle in Framingham. $30. Right off route 9. On Pierce street. Return it in a week or 2 and get $10 off a purchase of marine live stock only. I doubt you want to keep it any longer.

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

Keep an eye out for a blue dot sea hare

 

[40B Knasty]

Keep an eye out for a blue dot sea hare

Why?

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

Why?

They've got some real nice patterns on them... they're darker in coloration and have small blue spots scattered on their backs along with tassels

(found this online)

 

[40B Knasty]

Do they excrete the same purple dye like a normal sea hare?
If it does. Then when it is done plowing your tank in a week or two. You now have a bigger issue. It will starve and bomb your tank. You need to bring them back and let someone else use it. I going to say looks mean nothing for them since they are not made to be kept. They buff clean a 120g in 2 weeks.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

Do they excrete the same purple dye like a normal sea hare?
If it does. Then when it is done plowing your tank in a week or two. You now have a bigger issue. It will starve and bomb your tank. You need to bring them back and let someone else use it. I going to say looks mean nothing for them since they are not made to be kept. They buff clean a 120g in 2 weeks.

Is the purple dye released when threatened or dying?

 

[40B Knasty]

Is the purple dye released when threatened or dying?

Yes and they die fast. Pretty much eat all day. They do stop to sleep. 100% reef safe. I seen it wrap its mouth around my rasta polyp. I was like NOOOOOOOO!! Then when his mouth came off it. Complete buffed in one shot polyp opened right up. After hair algae free. He cleaned my tank out in 6 days and I came home from a vacation to a roommate leaving the lights on for 14hrs feeding three times a day heavy. What a bloom! Gone all in 6 days.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

Cool

 

[40B Knasty]

Cool

Do you have a bad hair algae bloom?

 

[greenhorn reefer]

I have some small patches. Changed s couple of things and it should stop but still have the patches. Plus, I have a ten gallon nano that is almost fully covered. The ten gallon is my main concern. Also, my coral qt has a slight amount. I really neglected it while I was between coral pick ups.

 

[40B Knasty]

I have some small patches. Changed s couple of things and it should stop but still have the patches. Plus, I have a ten gallon nano that is almost fully covered. The ten gallon is my main concern. Also, my coral qt has a slight amount. I really neglected it while I was between coral pick ups.

I am not one to be so gentle with this and that, but these I highly recommend being gentle. Let it crawl onto your hand like a caterpillar. It will take a bit or slowly pick up from its sides. Don't rip them off like a band aid. 3 acclimations might be rough on the guy, but at least the trips into each tank are right there. It will not take long that is for sure. A week tops in each tank.

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

You'll want at least a 125 with minimal cuc to house a sea hare long term... you can always grab a few margarita/turbo Mexican/ astreas snails... they'll do some work on hair algae. Also hermits and emerald crabs. Other than that, it's best to always figure out the source of your nutrients (may that be feedings or lack of nutrient export) and fix it via that route

 

[billwill]

I highly recommend an abalone instead. Sea hares don't live but a month or I. My lfs recommended the abalone and it keeps things just as clean and I've had it for probably two years or more.