Sea hare experiment

sean48183

sean48183

Member
The Sea hare - supposedly the number one hair algae eating machine out there. Well we are going to see. Bought one from my lfs to help with a nasty hair algae outbreak. Going to document if there is any improvement.
Here is this freaky looking dude.

Here is the tank with hair algae all over.

Several years ago I had an outbreak in my 55g and tried every critter known to try to eracicate it. Lawnmower blenny(Never touched it and starved.), Emerald crab(never touched it and starved), Sailfin Tang(Picked at it but had to supplement seaweed sheets), 2 Lettuce nudibranchs(Both caught on powerheads within 2 days and died), and everytype of snail and crab out there. I do not believe anything eats hair algae and is just a gimmick by lfs's to sell people stuff that will not really work. So far this sea hare has crawled all over it and not eatin a single bit of it that I can see. On a positive note though even my lunar wrasse won't mess with this guy and I thought for sure he would pick it apart like he does everything else.
 
canareef

canareef

Member
I had one that looked exactly like this guy and he was unreal. He ate some much so fast he ate himself out of a job.
 
sean48183

sean48183

Member
Lots of big pooping machines that get fed a whole lot and to small a fuge which I am going to upgrade when I get a little cheddar.
 
my obsession

my obsession

Member
Hi everyone, I just bought one Sat. I don't have hair algae but I do have places on the sides of my tank that I can't get to with a mag float to clean the glass and this little guy went to town and left it spotless. He's always on the move cleaning things. I really find him fascinating to watch.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
He will starve without very much algae in there. He'll need to be supplemented with Nori or something similar.
 
morval

morval

Member
be carefull mine got sucked into my power head. luckily he didnt ink until i pulled it out so no nuking my tank. always make sure u can find it dont want them dying in your tank
 
makoshrk2

makoshrk2

Member
I had one, I think it ---- more than it ate. It will also kill everything in your tank if it dies or gets picked at to much, by releasing the ink. Gave mine away
 
sean48183

sean48183

Member
Well day 3 and no change in algae. He is now behind the rocks. I can see him but can't get to him. Haven't seen the lunar mess with him but am beginning to wonder if he is picking at him behind the scenes. The eel swam right up to him and looked at him for about 5 seconds then took off. Just didn't look good enough to taste I guess.
 
bigjakec

bigjakec

Member
Originally Posted by sean48183
http:///forum/post/2912283
Well day 3 and no change in algae. He is now behind the rocks. I can see him but can't get to him. Haven't seen the lunar mess with him but am beginning to wonder if he is picking at him behind the scenes. The eel swam right up to him and looked at him for about 5 seconds then took off. Just didn't look good enough to taste I guess.

I've not had a an outbreak so i don't know personally, (thankfully) but by LFS claims the large mexican turbo snails are the best at hair algae consumption, and i have book i purchased from barnes and noble that supports this fact. didn't see that you tried these guys yet maybe give them a whirl!!!
 
sean48183

sean48183

Member
Tried 20 of them. Never touched the stuff. Moved all around the stuff but never touched it. Like I said I tried every type of snail you can think of-Astrea(great glass cleaners), Turbos, Bumble bees and some I don't even know what they were. NONE OF THEM EVER TOUCHED IT. Hair Algae that grows in our tanks is not the same kind of algae growing on the reef. I don't think critters from the reef find it edible in any way.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Yes, Those snails work too, But I also just got 2 seahares yesterday, 1 for each of my tanks...They are pretty ugly though...LOL...Never heard anything about ink though...Should I be concerned???
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by subielover
http:///forum/post/2911340
Have you found the cause of the algae?
Again..with this...Have you found your algae cause....Mine was caused by new lights, and small amount of phosphates...I added a phospure pad to my filter, and am doing good water changes with ro/di water (was using tap) and my hair algae has almost vanished.
 
sean48183

sean48183

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/2912340
Again..with this...Have you found your algae cause....Mine was caused by new lights, and small amount of phosphates...I added a phospure pad to my filter, and am doing good water changes with ro/di water (was using tap) and my hair algae has almost vanished.
Yeah I pretty much know the reason is my high phosphates and nitrates from feeding too much(Although they are zero and zero due to the hair algae) and my fuge is not ideal either. When I built my sump I needed alot of room for my octo300 recirc skimmer so used a smaller deeper compartment for my fuge then I wanted. It is 20" long but 22" deep(Yikes). On my old 55g I used a longer shallower tank for the fuge and I believe that is ideal for growing algae. I am working on redesigning my sump to make a better fuge.
I am not willing to sacrifice my feeding schedule though because I believe it optimal for my fishes health. I believe underfeeding fish leads to stress and disease and lack of growth. I used this same feeding schedule on my 55g for several years and after adding the fuge never had hair algae problems. I am hoping until I get this new sump that this little freaky dude will help slow down this algae problem(But not counting on it)
 
sean48183

sean48183

Member
I have in the past but I believe my main problem is nitrates. It's the fish crap more than uneaten food. There is never any uneatin food in my tank.
 
creekchub

creekchub

Member
I bought a Sea Hare last Sunday, and that thing has not stoped eating yet, I like mine. Paid $30 for him the lfs says it's a different type
, he has blue dots all over him.
 
my obsession

my obsession

Member
I've had mine for almost a week now. She is always out cleaning. My glass is spotless. I fed her some seaweed yesterday and she gobbled it all up.
 
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