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FAQs about Seahares, Suborder Anaspidea, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition

Related Articles: Sea Slugs, Nudibranchs,

Related FAQs: Seahares 1, Seahare Identification, Seahare Behavior, Seahare Compatibility, Seahare Stocking/Selection, Seahare Systems, Seahare Disease, Seahare Reproduction, & FAQs on:  Seaslugs 1, Seaslugs 2, Seaslug Identification, Seaslug Behavior, Seaslug Compatibility, Seaslug Selection, Seaslug Systems, Seaslug Feeding, Seaslug Disease, Seaslug Reproduction, & Marine Snails 1Marine Snails 2Marine Snails 3 Nudibranchs, Nudibranchs 2, Nudibranch Identification, Nudibranch Behavior, Nudibranch Compatibility, Nudibranch Selection, Nudibranch Systems, Nudibranch Feeding, Nudibranch Disease, Nudibranch Reproduction, Berghia Nudibranchs, Snail ID 1, Snail ID 2, Snail ID 3

Aplysia feeding  11/6/07 Hello everyone, A friend of mine purchased a sea hare as an algae-eater, on the recommendation of her local marine aquarium store. The slug devoured the problem hair algae within days. The owner of the store says that she'll probably have to bring the sea slug back because there isn't any food left; it seems he sort of loans them out as biological control rather than sells them as pets! Anyway, my question: will Aplysia eat anything other than live green algae? I suggested Plec wafers and Sushi Nori, but is there anything better? Or is the store owner right, that these sea slugs shouldn't be kept in tanks once the green algae is gone? <Well, I consulted with my friend Mike G. (gastropod enthusiast) and he informed me that the Univ. of Miami raises them on Gracilaria sp. algae. However, please note that these animals don't live very long even if you do feed them right. Even in the wild, they only live maybe 2 years. And when they come into the aquarium hobby, they're likely already at least 6 months old (maybe older). So please don't be too crushed if it doesn't last long even if you find some Gracilaria to feed it.> Thanks,
<De nada,
Sara M.>

Death to Caulerpa! Hey all, Everyone here has seen my tank. It's a pretty nice tank, and I am proud of most of it. Well, perhaps I should rephrase that. I am proud of everything except my Caulerpa. Grape and Parasail dominate my tank. The grape hitch-hiked on my Ritteri's foot, the Parasail literally grew out of the rocks. I saw it as benign, and left it. Huge mistake. For several months now, I have not seen my rocks. The Grape really does not grow too much, but the parasail does. It covers the rockworks, and has smaller stems and tough roots, making it impossible to extricate.  <I lived through this same problem quite a while ago. Aggressive manual removal which included hand picking and a stiff bristled scrub brush along with dropping the temp allowed grazers to get ahead of it.   Eric Borneman wrote a phenomenal piece on the specific nutrient ratios that favor certain "algae", Cyanobacteria, Dinoflagellates, etc. It is hard to find (I recently looked and came up empty). If you can find it, it has some very useful information that could be used to develop a strategy based on manipulating an easily controlled nutrient (Nitrate perhaps).>  It grows over my corals, imbeds its roots in their flesh, and starves them of light. It grows around 4 to 5 inches a day, and will not go away. Daily I pull out about this much:

I have just recently acquired a 6" Sea Hare from IslandReefs.com. The owner there, Tom, says he feeds them Caulerpa as they have run out of hair algae. Sadly, I have yet to see mine even notice the stuff! He just glides right over it without a second glance...eats my Ulva sp. Seaweed, my Nori, my Seaweed Selects, and my Hair Algae, but not my Caulerpa. Tom swears they do, but I have yet to verify that. <I have also heard the claim that these guys will eat Caulerpa, but I would try and find out which kind they actually did eat. With such a noxious battery of defensive chemicals, it is very likely that some might be more or less palatable. Also, it is likely that Caulerpa will only be consumed as a last resort. If other foods are offered or available, they would be eaten first. So, you may have to starve the See Hare into eating it.> What other means are there of naturally controlling Caulerpa? I do know that a specialized species of Sacoglossan Slug, Oxynoe viridis consumes Caulerpa and Caulerpa only. I also know that no online vendor or local vendor sells them. Help! I HATE MY CAULERPA! Mike Giangrasso <You could take your cue from the loonies about San Diego bay and in Australia and put a big tarp over it... Oh, No! Even better.... blast it with bleach. Wait! Huge doses of Copper Sulfate delivered with a fire hose! OK, all of those ideas would kill everything in your tank, just like they killed everything in the immediate area they were applied in the wild. And for our next stupid human trick, we'll rid Hawaii of chameleons by exfoliating the whole place with Agent Orange (the herbicide, not the 80's Orange County surf-punk band). Sorry for the sarcastic rant. As for the O. viridis, try IPSF, Inland Aquatics and do a search on RC. Those are your best bets. Hope this helps.  AdamC.> 

Seahare comp., fdg. Hi Bob Another new question for you......Does a Sea Hare care what it has in its mouth? <Mmmm> That may sound really stupid but I have a Zoanthus colony with a very fine hair algae (green, massively invasive) encroaching and I believe smothering. If the Sea Hare chooses to eat the algae, will it also eat the polyps in the same mouthful? <I do think Aplysiids care... and Zoanthids are very toxic... Do read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/seaslugsopisthobranchs.htm and the linked files above... many Seahares are misplaced in aquariums... and elsewhere on WWM re Zoanthid comp.> Best wishes as always Sarah
<RMF>

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