sea-cucumber

[hayes_101]

I have a small hair algae problem starting on my sand and on some of my rocks and I am looking into a sea hair, I am dealing with my phosphate and light problem and the stuff just won't go away.
so this is what I have for life in my tank, 4 hermit crabs (electric blue knuckle), 1 red crab very small, a few snails, 2 yellow tail damsels, 3 scissor tail chromas, 1 peppermint shrimp, a starry blenny and one true clown. this is a 55 gal tank with a 1" 1/2 sand bed would this be ok for a sea-cucumber?

 

[rayn]

Depends on the type of sea cucumber. I have a sea hair and a sea cucumber in my 55 with I believe 3" of sand. The sea hair munches on the algea, while the BLACK sea cucumber cleans the top layer of my sand. He never, never goes below sand level. There are different types of sea cucumbers, so make sure the one you get does the job you need. The sea hair(nudibranch) is the one that eats hair algea and hair algea alone. When it is gone they starve.

On the opposite side, you need ot figure out where your phosphate and nitrate problems are coming from and get them under control.

 

[hayes_101]

well the only way I can git RO water is from a self serve water bottle place down the road. it is RO but where it is used every day but a few people I don't think I am getting perfect water. I will be picking up a RODI unit when I get the $ but I need a good skimmer 1st. I am ordering some phosphate remover from e-bay to put in my canister filter.
and thanks for straitening me out on the sea-cucumber and hair thing I thought they were the same. I was researching the black cucumber to clean my sand bed and picking up a sea-urchin for cleaning off the rocks.
Am I on the right track?

 

[mscarpena]

If you are having issues due to the water I would get an RO/DI unit first. A skimmer will do nothing to help you control this. I would just do s few more water changes and hold off on the skimmer. Also make sure you are rinsing and draining your food a lot of phosphates come from frozen foods. Also make sure you are using ferric oxide and not some other cheaper chemical.

 

[Elysia]

Sea cucumbers are more closely related to starfish than they are to sea hares (which are more closely related to snails.) While we are trying to clear things up, sea hares are not nudibranchs; however, they are sea slugs (as are nudibranchs.) "Sea slug" is a more generalized term for these animals, while "nudibranch" refers to a specific order of sea slugs (all of which are carnivores.-- the nudibranch, that is.)

Not all urchins (also related to starfish) are good herbivores, so do some research before purchasing one.

 

[hayes_101]

o well I did know that about the urchins I think I have one picked out. and over the last day and a 1/2 I have been moving my turbos to the problem rock and wow what a difference they made. thanks for all the info so for a ro unit what do you prefer? and the ones I have seen in action seam to be really really slow is there something that can be done to speed them up?

 

[rayn]

BRS has great ro/di units. There are booster pumps that are available to increase pressure and output too.

Sorry about the nudibranch confusion too.

 

[Dave71]

+1 Sea hare is generally a bad choice for an aquarium...although it looks like you have already figured this out. Sea hare is better owned by a club which can lend it out so it does not starve.

+1 Sea cucumber definitely different types...black cucumber good for sand...I have not really heard so much about them cleaning hair algae..but my experience is limited on them.

Personally I would avoid urchin...tend to bulldoze rock and eat coraline algae.

+1 on RO/DI or KATI ANI over skimmer. Unless you are leaving out the SPS corals in your list of tank inhabitants....don't see a need for a skimmer at all.

Not sure I added much other then validating others feedback.

Other source for RO/DI or KATI ANI is "The Filter Guys".