Sea Hare Poop...

[dolphinsandcol]

yep, I said it. Sea Hare poop. We are having a hair algea problem. So we bought a sea hare to help us. He helps alright! He eats and eats and eats, and then he poops and poops and poops. I vacuum it up about once a week, is there anything that will eat sea hare poo? It's everywhere. I'm worried it's just going to fuel the algea problem. I've watched the snails just slide right over it, and the crabs don't seem to notice it's there. Any suggestions?

 

[spanko]

He'll starve once the algae is gone. How is the algae problem going? Are you addressing the root cause of it along with putting in the sea hare?

 

[dolphinsandcol]

we are trying to address the cause. We are lowering the phosphate, slowing down on the over feeding, less light, pulling it out, and water changes. I think I am losing the war! It will be years before he starves to death! Just when I think it's looking better I get up the next morning and it back! Longer and yuckier than ever!!!

 

[spanko]

Always a pain when we get hard to control algae problems.
Take a look at this thread see if you can get any help from it.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/338819/reeftank-algae-control

 

[dolphinsandcol]

Thanks, we are purchasing a skimmer today. That has been our last BIG expense for a while now, it's finally time! I wish I would have gotten that before the nice lights! Newbie mistake

 

[alexmir]

trust me, it will definitely eat all of the algea, theres no way for it to grow fast enough for the sea hare to continually be fed enough. My old sea hare ate a 8" by 8" area of THICK hair algea in one hour. IT sadly got killed by a powerhead. But i would recommend getting it some dried algea from the store to eat, he will definitely comsume all the algea unless it is an extremely large aquarium. I would think he would even mow down a hair algea problem in a 150 and starve within weeks.
The hair algea does come back, but it will be just a little bit at a time, and there wont be enough in any one place at any time for the sea hare.

 

[dolphinsandcol]

He does a good job, but he can't compete with the algae. He can clean a few inches a night, but within a day the whole tank is covered again. AND he's leaving little poops every where! They end up making a slime covering over what every they touch. Do I just keep vacuuming it up?