PsychoKnight
New member
I think my Sea Hare is starving and am looking for solutions.
The tank is 4 months old, and I purchased this sea cucumber during month #2 on the advice of an LFS dealer who said it would take care of my algae bloom. It did a good job and kept it in check, with just a small amount visible. After that, I had a brown algae bloom, which the sea hare ignored, as well as the nassius, cerith, nerite, and various other creatures I bought to deal with it.
During this time, I implemented a refugium nearly as big as the display tank, and the cupful of chaeto has now grown to about 8 gallons worth. I no longer have a nitrate or phosphate problem, there's not a fiber of hair algae or brown algae, and the budding caulerpa fragments have died off. Even the glass in the refugium is devoid of any algae despite the 24hr light.
Everything looks great, a very efficient algae scrubber, if that's what its become. But my poor sea hare. Used to be everywhere chumping away happily, leaving lots of poop all over. He's (we'll just call it a boy for now) slowed down more and more until now he barely moves, not finding any food anywhere he goes. No more poop droppings to let me know where he's been. He's served his function, but I've become attached to this thing and don't want him to suffer. Looks so sad.
Algae wafers? Any inexpensive plants that he could feed on? Is my only option to drastically trim down my chaeto to a cup size again? I kind of like not having to scrub the display tank everyday like I used to, and also am now able to cut back on my water changes. It's going to be hard to choose between my chaeto-filter and my sea hare. Maybe loan him out to neighboring members, and take him back only when I need him? Is that even feasible?
Looking for ideas. Thanks.
PK
The tank is 4 months old, and I purchased this sea cucumber during month #2 on the advice of an LFS dealer who said it would take care of my algae bloom. It did a good job and kept it in check, with just a small amount visible. After that, I had a brown algae bloom, which the sea hare ignored, as well as the nassius, cerith, nerite, and various other creatures I bought to deal with it.
During this time, I implemented a refugium nearly as big as the display tank, and the cupful of chaeto has now grown to about 8 gallons worth. I no longer have a nitrate or phosphate problem, there's not a fiber of hair algae or brown algae, and the budding caulerpa fragments have died off. Even the glass in the refugium is devoid of any algae despite the 24hr light.
Everything looks great, a very efficient algae scrubber, if that's what its become. But my poor sea hare. Used to be everywhere chumping away happily, leaving lots of poop all over. He's (we'll just call it a boy for now) slowed down more and more until now he barely moves, not finding any food anywhere he goes. No more poop droppings to let me know where he's been. He's served his function, but I've become attached to this thing and don't want him to suffer. Looks so sad.
Algae wafers? Any inexpensive plants that he could feed on? Is my only option to drastically trim down my chaeto to a cup size again? I kind of like not having to scrub the display tank everyday like I used to, and also am now able to cut back on my water changes. It's going to be hard to choose between my chaeto-filter and my sea hare. Maybe loan him out to neighboring members, and take him back only when I need him? Is that even feasible?
Looking for ideas. Thanks.
PK
