If you ever have a problem with green hair algae, I have found the cure!
- Thread starter rach4194
- Start date
R
red79
Guest
Ugly...........What is it?
fishtanknewbie
Member
Where did you get it I must have one! :yes:
rach4194
Member
It is called a sea hare. At first he looks a bit ugly, after a while he really grows on ya, he kind of looks like a sheep dog, his face. Also he really gets the job done. I have to feed him sheets of algae now because he has ate every last bit of it off the rocks. If you look real close you can see his eyes. There tiny black dots.
In this picture you can see he has two open holes on his body.
In this picture you can see he has two open holes on his body.
R
red79
Guest
How big is that thing? It looks like it takes up alot of room. SO what happens when he runs out of algae? Do you just start buying nori in bulk?
monalisa
Active Member
Are those sea hares reef safe? I don't exactly have a reef yet, but it is in my future. I'm fighting with a little bit of hair algea that came on a piece of base rock. It's slowly receding, but very slowly. Also, how much does a critter like that go for? I might be interested if all looks good.
Thank you,
Lisa :happyfish
Thank you,
Lisa :happyfish
55gsw
Member
I had one several years ago. Not exactly the same as yours, the one I had seemed to have less ruffles and more spots on it. Anyway, my son collected it on a field trip one day at school (we live in Florida). He gave it to me, and how could I refuse it? So into my tank it went. I didn't have much of an algae problem but it took care of what few strands there were. Then I ended up giving it romaine lettuce and nori which it devoured. It grew and grew and then one day it did the most amazing thing. It started to SWIM!! I know, I know...they don't look like they can swim but by golly that thing was swimming back and forth!! It "flattened" out it's outer edges and started waving them in the water type of thing, very odd..... anyway, I ended up releasing it back into the same waters that it came from....it was just getting too big for my tank!
fishtanknewbie
Member
I just ordered mine at my LFS and it was on there list it will be here on Tuesday and I will post pics can't wait! :jumping:
:happy:
rach4194
Member
I was on my way to buy a clean up crew for my 30 gallon tank (hair algae problem) and that is when my LFS guy told me about the sea hare. He had a bunch of them, they were huge! I pick the smallest, which when he is all stretch out he is about 6 in. long and really fat! He cost $16.00, well worth the money he also cleans all the algae off the walls of the tank. He has made water changes a dream for me.
I researched this guy as much as I could before I got him and found that they have a pretty good survival rate as long as they have food and good water. I did read one thing, I have yet to see, I read that they can release a bright pink ink if they are threatened or being harassed.
I have three tanks. One tank just has live rock in it and I have been letting hair algae grow on the rocks in there and then transfer them to the 30 gallon to let him eat, which is gone in about 5 min, and some of these rocks are really covered with the stuff. I noticed he actually prefers the nori over the green hair algae.
I just got a 55 gallon this weekend. I will be setting up and transferring the 30 gallon today. I am going to have two clowns and one sea hare with a whole lot of room.
:happyfish
I researched this guy as much as I could before I got him and found that they have a pretty good survival rate as long as they have food and good water. I did read one thing, I have yet to see, I read that they can release a bright pink ink if they are threatened or being harassed.
I have three tanks. One tank just has live rock in it and I have been letting hair algae grow on the rocks in there and then transfer them to the 30 gallon to let him eat, which is gone in about 5 min, and some of these rocks are really covered with the stuff. I noticed he actually prefers the nori over the green hair algae.
I just got a 55 gallon this weekend. I will be setting up and transferring the 30 gallon today. I am going to have two clowns and one sea hare with a whole lot of room.
:happyfish
cowfishrule
Active Member
i have an lfs by me that "rents" sea hares. you buy him, use him to lose the algae, then you return him for credit. the lfs currently has 2 of them out on "lease", and i put my name on the list.
i also finally started using RO water, so i should see a big decrease in my hair algae.
i also finally started using RO water, so i should see a big decrease in my hair algae.
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally Posted by COWFISHRULE
i have an lfs by me that "rents" sea hares.
That's cool. I was wondering a bit back if my local reefing community was large enough to support such a business. So many of the animals that are good pest controlers will pine away with no more pests to eat, and would be happiest jumping from one infested tank to another.
i have an lfs by me that "rents" sea hares.
That's cool. I was wondering a bit back if my local reefing community was large enough to support such a business. So many of the animals that are good pest controlers will pine away with no more pests to eat, and would be happiest jumping from one infested tank to another.