Thinking About A Sea Hare

R

reefdude420

New member
Ok, so I'm having a problem right now in my 120 with hair algae, and have been thinking about getting a sea hare. I know that they can release toxins into the water that can kill your fish. So I wanted to have some opinions. I currently am having a problem with a Harrlequin Bass and a Coris Wrasse eating my invertebrates. I am in the process of setting up a fish only tank for them. I was wondering if the Sea Hare would be fine in the tank with them until I can remove them, or if I should just wait until I have them out and on there own.
 
Well if your harrlequin bass and Coris Wrasse are harmful to invertebrates, they will probably bother the sea hare and cause it to release it's toxins and kill everything. I would wait till you have a fish-only tank.

The sea hare might also eat all the algea and you might have to feed it every other day to keep it alive. You could try getting Emerald Crabs or tiny hermit crabs or an algea eating fish like a Lawnmower Blenny.
 
Fish like wrasses are really bad about picking on slugs. I wouldn't trust them with a sea hare. Also beware that there are at least 10 species of sea hare that make it into the hobby and not all of them will eat hair algae. The ones that do, like Dolabella tend to be the bigger species, so they eat it pretty quickly and then usually need supplemental feeding.

Sea hares aren't toxic though. If they've had red algae in their diets some species can make a purple ink that they use for defense. It's just a soup of amino acids though and isn't toxic.
 
My sea hare (Dolabella auricularia) is one of my favorites. Eats GHA like a machine and is very good tempered and very tolerant of the other reef inhabitants. My yellow tang occasionally picks at the papillae on his back, thinking that they are some sort of algae. :) The sea hare doesn't make anything of it. The LFS I got him from assures me that they will take him back in trade whenever he eats himself out of a home.
 
I currently keep a Dolabella with a Radiant Wrasse (Haliocheres iridis) and Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) and no problems at all. But as greenbean36191 points out, it can be hit or miss with wrasses and sea hares.

Know thy fish well before adding the hare.

Lee
 
I just bought a sea hair yesterday and he has already cleaned about half my tank! bright green algae, hair algae and some redish algae! looks like i am gonna have to buy some algae for him to eat pretty soon!
 
When I had the problem with hair algee I bought a sea hair but did return it to the store when he was done with the job. I did get a credit in full also. (which is nice)
They most of all end up starv'n.

Also have a Leopard Wrasse and Niger Trig and 2 maroons. Ever thing went well.
 
Greenbean glad to hear you mention these animals are not toxic. I've had them for years and at times they have released the dye's into the water such as recently one fell right into the middle of my greeen carpet anemone which tried to eat it. The anemone was covered in the dye along with the sea hare which got away yet nothing in the tank died. These are great animals for clearing algae out of the tank but it also helps to have a great protein skimmer as well which for a while I did not.

Scott
 
i have an algae problem, and now after reading am thinking about a sea hare. Question is will it get killed by my pistol shrimp.
 
I have a Dolabella in with a pistol shrimp with no issues. Pistol shrimp seem to keep to themselves pretty well.
 
I had the worse luck with my Pistol shrimp. Even took out my CLAM!@ lol
If the sea hair gets close enough the snap alone might disturb it. (depend on the size of sea hair)
Also keep in mind when it does spit out the ink.
 
At some point there was a post about a sea hare getting stuck in the plumbing of someones tank and releasing a toxin that killed everything. I guess this is not true?
 
I've kept a couple of Seahares in my 100gal. with NUMEROUS wrasses, ( Leopard, mystery, 2 lineatus, clown, yellow coris, blue sided, redlined and other wrasses ) none of them picked on the seahare. It ate all my problem algae. Except bubble.

tankpics005-5.jpg


I supplemented feeding with soaked nori. They ARE though very vunrable to strong pumps, closed loops etc.
 
Nope, I just get the same looking one. The first one lived for over a year. Cleared out all my caulerpa mexicana and Hair algae. but after over a year, it got stuck in a SEIO1500. same happend to the 2nd one. The 3rd one recently got squashed with 2 big frags. None of the 3 ever messed with the tank when they died. But I will always get these guys. Great to watch, I usually just grab them and place them where I want them to clean.
 
Different colors would probably indicate different species. There's no question that the different species behave differently and have different diets.
 
Just wondering about it. My bud had this Black with Blue marks type that lasted 1 day before the sump got it.


With Colors being different species, (example) Dart forgs. Different color but all the same
;)
 
I recently put 2 in my tank with a Paddle Fin Wrasse, Clown & Stingray. I was worried & bought the first, waited a week & all was good, so I bought a second. No one has bothered them.

My 220gal should have sufficient food for them. I need about 10 for a week.... too bad you cannot rent them.
 
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