Strange Sea Hare Safe?

[Tennyson]

I have been in desperate need of a Sea Hare, so i went to the LFS to see if they had any.

Well for a change, they did have sea hares, but they were black colored, with shiny blue spots. They were also much hairier than the average greenish brown sea hare and had a veracious appetite, much stronger than the ones I usually see.

I didn't buy them, because I thought they might have been unsafe with fish-meaning, they might release toxins when they die or when harmed, or just aren't reef safe.

Any ideas?
It looked somewhat like this, but with blue spots and many hairs

Any ideas as to what species it is or if they are safe would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[LeslieH]

Black and shaggy with blue spots? - that sounds like Bursatella leechi. If so, normally they feed on blue-green algae. Take a look at this page for information on the species http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=bursleac Sea hares are pretty benign overall.

 

[Tennyson]

Thanks Leslie!
Well, I was just at the store to buy them whether they were or weren't harmless. And they were sold out.

So it's all good I guess, I bought other things that will hopefully get rid of the algae.