Who owns a sea hare?

[Miami Reef]

Does anyone in this forum keep a sea hare either as a pet or as part of their CUC?

 

[littlefoxx]

I do!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ive had more than one, both dollabella - best algae eater and blue dot. When algae was completely gone, I rehomed and blue dot traded back to LFS

 

[Miami Reef]

I do!

How long have you had it for?

What do you feed it?

 

[Miami Reef]

Ive had more than one, both dollabella - best algae eater and blue dot. When algae was completely gone, I rehomed and blue dot traded back to LFS

Thank you for the feedback. I bought 2 this week, but they aren’t eating my hair algae nor the nori I offered. I bought them 4 days apart because I thought the first one was an odd case.

 

[littlefoxx]

How long have you had it for?

What do you feed it?

10 months. I have an algae problem so he eats that. Dudes grown a lot. Once a week I will leave a clip of nori in the sand bed in front of him. He devours the nori. Dude eats anything green I swear! Love him, his name is Frank!

 

[littlefoxx]

Thank you for the feedback. I bought 2 this week, but they aren’t eating my hair algae nor the nori I offered. I bought them 4 days apart because I thought the first one was an odd case.

Are you sure they are not eating? Best way to tell if they are eating is to see if they poop. They poop like once a minute or something, it’s a lot! Maybe they just haven’t found the algae yet

 

[Miami Reef]

10 months. I have an algae problem so he eats that. Dudes grown a lot. Once a week I will leave a clip of nori in the sand bed in front of him. He devours the nori. Dude eats anything green I swear! Love him, his name is Frank!

Thank you.

Can you tell me exactly what nori you offered?

I’m thinking my sea hares might be too malnourished to eat the hair algae. I want to get them fed with something in case they haven’t eaten at the LFS. I’m offering a nori that looks red in color.

 

[Miami Reef]

Are you sure they are not eating? Best way to tell if they are eating is to see if they poop. They poop like once a minute or something, it’s a lot! Maybe they just haven’t found the algae yet

Once a minute??? I’ve only ever seen them poop when I added them to the tank. I don’t recall seeing them poop after that.

 

[Miami Reef]

Dude eats anything green I swear!

Are they nocturnal eaters? Do you offer the food with the lights out? I appreciate you answering my questions. I want to be successful with the sea hare(s).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for the feedback. I bought 2 this week, but they aren’t eating my hair algae nor the nori I offered. I bought them 4 days apart because I thought the first one was an odd case.

Dolabella from California is the best for algae. If derbesia or bryopsis, they wont touch it

 

[Miami Reef]

Dolabella from California is the best for algae. If derbesia or bryopsis, they wont touch it

This is what it looks like (on the back wall).

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is what it looks like (on the back wall).

What a group of Chromis !! The sea hare seems to be going to work and a good sign on the glass versus the corner or along top rim often a sign of insufficient food source

 

[Garf]

This is what it looks like (on the back wall).

Where's the algae you are concerned about, in crevices in the rock?

 

[littlefoxx]

Once a minute??? I’ve only ever seen them poop when I added them to the tank. I don’t recall seeing them poop after that.

Yeah, I swear they poop like once submitted if you watch them because I was curious, I kind of timed it but I just feed them Nori that is sushi grade and I get it off of Amazon. It’s more green and color.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

10 months. I have an algae problem so he eats that. Dudes grown a lot. Once a week I will leave a clip of nori in the sand bed in front of him. He devours the nori. Dude eats anything green I swear! Love him, his name is Frank!

Just so you are prepared both emotionally and physically. The average life span of a sea hare is 1 year. Not trying to be bummer, but I don't want you to blow up your tank.

 

[Paul B]

I have not had this guy very long and I will give him back to the LFS soon. My tank turned into a produce stand after I eliminated invasive sponge so I added him mostly for the interest. I have kept them many times but always give them back when I get tired of looking at them or have nothing to feed them.

I rarely see him even though he is about 5" long. He cleans 5" X 5" swaths of encrusting algae mostly at night.

He is eating the short algae on the side glass here.

 

[Miami Reef]

Where's the algae you are concerned about, in crevices in the rock?

I guess I’m just more proactive than many reefers. I don’t like waiting for problems to become unmanageable.

The hair algae patches are across the entire tank, and they are growing by each day.

It seems the hair algae started after rehoming my yellow tang. I wanted to have the sea hare and supplement feedings with nori.

Anyway, I’m going to return both back to my LFS

 

[littlefoxx]

Just so you are prepared both emotionally and physically. The average life span of a sea hare is 1 year. Not trying to be bummer, but I don't want you to blow up your tank.

Yeah I had one in my other tank and he died and I got him out with no issue I wish they lived longer!

 

[ronsonb]

Thank you for the feedback. I bought 2 this week, but they aren’t eating my hair algae nor the nori I offered. I bought them 4 days apart because I thought the first one was an odd case.

Same. Mine doesn’t touch it. This is at its peak I have since 75% tamed it with a bit with manual labor and fluconazole. Dude would just slide right over it. You can see him there… not eating it. Even with nutrients under control it’s relentless.

If I would give it 3-4 days of not scrubbing/sucking it out the algae would come back something fierce. Tried natural remedies and finally gave in to the fluconazole so far around a week in it’s the best I’ve gotten the tank to look in months. If all the rock weren’t glued together I would take them out and h2o2 them