Help! My Sea Hare Disappeared!!

JT101

JT101

Member
I just bought a really cool-looking sea hare about 2 weeks ago for my AquaPod 24. It's not the usual brownish "poop-colored" ones you see in most stores - this one is grey with bright blue spots and long "hairs". Anyway, it seemed to be pretty happy eating away at some detritus and algae I had in my tank. One day it was gone! I mean VANISHED! I looked behind and around every single piece of LR, I checked for a "slime trail" in case it actually crawled out of my tank, I looked in the back chamber (both sides). I cannot find ANY evidence of it!

The ONLY place I have not looked is in the sand. I have about 2" of seabed composed of sugar-sized aragonite. Is it possible that it burrowed in the sand? If so, is this NORMAL behavior, or will it die and pollute my tank? I am afraid to start poking holes in a 1-1/2 year old sandbed.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks
John
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Mine disappeared as well.
Monitor you parameters and livestock for issues. Mine could be dead or could be hiding so far no damage here but I do have a larger system to absorb any toxins.
Be sure you are running carbon as well.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
Hi Lynne,

Thanks, I'm actually going to do some major water changes until I find it. Did you notice any warning signs with your sea hare, or was it fine one day, gone the next?

John
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
It was there and then gone.
I didn't do a thorough search since that is impossible with my tank.
 
jnohs

jnohs

Member
i had a large 1 dissapear once also. just did a large water change about 10 days aftr not seeing him.
 
UTCreefer

UTCreefer

Member
Mine vanished and then returned one day a week later. They are nocturnal so i wouldnt be surprised if you missed him during the day
 
new reefer 03

new reefer 03

Active Member
my dad had a sea hair to take care of his HA, but when the algae was mainly gone he saw the sea hair dead in the corner, with the CUC all over it. sorry to say, but you may have the same thing occuring, just not in a visible place.
 
JT101

JT101

Member
Hello everyone,

Well, it's been a few weeks and still no signs of "Harey". I haven't lifted up any LR or sifted through any sand, but the freakin' things is GONE. It wasn't exactly tiny either - it was approximately 2-1/2" long. My CUC consists of 4 turbo snails and about 18 or so local mud snails collected from Centre Island NY (a local body of water) that have been in the tank almost 2 years. I find it hard to believe that even with all those snails "Harey" could have been eaten so fast...but then again, I have no other explanation.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Their bodies are so "jelly-like" they can break down pretty quickly and easily vanish in a healthy tank. I lost one and found it's "CLEAR" remains a day later. The only way I KNEW it was the remains is because when I pulled it out you could clearly see the "shape" of the hare and it's "Ears". I venture to say if it had not of ended up in a filter sponge I would have never found it and put 2 + 2 together.
 
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