Dead sea hare

[hypertech]

So, I came home and discovered my sea hare dead sitting on the sand bed. He had a clean cut across his back and the guts were pushing out. If it had been a predator, I would have expected some tearing or missing flesh where it had attacked and eaten, but there was none of that. Just a knife clean cut.

 

Could this have been the work of the tang?

[Coral Hind]

Sorry to hear the bad news. I really have no idea what would have caused that. I wouldn't think a tang would have a motive to attack a sea hare. Could it have been a power head? Maybe a predator killed it but then was turned off by the ink or taste so didn't actually eat anything.

[Jan]

Is it a cut or is the white shell sticking out and it looks like it's cut? I had one die and it looked like it was wounded. It had it's shell stickig out of it's back. I thought something was impaled until I looked it up. I lost one last week. I'm sorry to hear this. they're such nice critters.

[hypertech]

Yes, it looked like a shell sticking out. Sort of like the door on a snail, but with a clean cut over that spot. I didn't realize they had a shell. There is no sign of ink or reaction by anything else in the tank, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. There was still plenty of food in the tank so I don't think it starved, though a lot of the algae is going into what I am calling its brown phase. It periodically goes brown at the tips and leaves a brown smear on anything it touches. Seems like it might be dying but then the nasty stuff springs back to life on me.

 

I have a couple power heads in the tank, but they are no where near the rock work. I had seen the sea hare on the sand and in the rocks, but never crawling the glass, which it would have to do to get to a powerhead.

 

The tang has been a little aggressive with me lately. That's why I wasn't sure if it could have been the tang on purpose, or by accident maybe going around a corner and hitting it with its tail?

[Coral Hind]

I think Jan's on to something. It might not have been a clean cut you saw but instead it was the two folds of outer skin that cover up the shell that were seperated. When the snail died the skin flaps went limp exposing the shell. That still dosn't explain why it died but it might keep the tang out of jail.

[hypertech]

It was a very centered cut. I think you guys are right. The tang is off the hook, but he's still up for trade. The sea hare was making headway on the algae, but without him, I'm going to need to be in the tank pruning more and I don't want to get barbed. I wish I knew why it is expired though........

[Jan]

PH swing can cause them to die. I could never keep one in my hex. The PH is always off in that tank. They start off eating for a few days and then I can't find them. i've gone through 3 in that tank. I found one once. It died within 3 days. That's when I saw the shell. I tried pulling it out too. It was too hard. That's when I knew I needed to read more about these critters. That's when I read that they have a shell.

 

It was a very centered cut. I think you guys are right. The tang is off the hook, but he's still up for trade. The sea hare was making headway on the algae, but without him, I'm going to need to be in the tank pruning more and I don't want to get barbed. I wish I knew why it is expired though........

[hypertech]

I acclimated it for a long time and had it for a week or two, so I don't think it was an acclimation problem. I just checked the graphs and there is nothing strange about the pH. I have a daily swing from about 8-8.25 that coincides with the photo period.

[dakotasreef]

It is possible it was doomed before you got it. They tend not to live to long without food. I don't know if it is tank bred, but wherever it originated from it probably had not had food till it reached your tank. Most stores and wholesalers, do not keep hair algae. It wouldn't be good for business if they did.

 

It is an unfortunate part of this hobby. I'm not saying this is what happened in your case, but it's possible.

[Integral9]

dang, sorry for your loss. fwiw: Yes, there is a seam on their backs that goes from one hole to the other. They can also climb on the glass no problem, i've seen my other one do it all the time. Also, the pH swings in my tank are about the same as yours , but my pH is slightly higher at about 8.2 - 8.4, usually. Also, since you've had it a couple weeks, I don't think acclimation could have been the problem.

 

Any nitrates or phosphates or ammonia?

 

Also, they aren't the smartest of critters, mine likes to climb into my overflow and block a drain line. Other people talk about them getting sucked into powerheads alot. Did you find any other lacerations?

[hypertech]

No other lacerations. No detectable nitrates or ammonia. I don't have a phosphate test kit, but I am running GFO and battling the algae. I don't think the test kit would read anything because whatever there is should be being absorbed by the GFO and the algae.

[Integral9]

It periodically goes brown at the tips and leaves a brown smear on anything it touches. Seems like it might be dying but then the nasty stuff springs back to life on me.

 

The tang has been a little aggressive with me lately. That's why I wasn't sure if it could have been the tang on purpose, or by accident maybe going around a corner and hitting it with its tail?

 

The circle of life. Algea uses up all the food, then starves and dies. The death then creates more food for the algea.

 

The tang is probably upset that his all-you-can-eat-vegas-buffet was disappearing. Could the tang have knocked it into a euphylia patch or other aggressive coral that didn't appreciate being used as a landing pad? I'm assuming that since they have soft bodies, they are susceptible to the stings of corals.

[hypertech]

Maybe. I've got frogspawn, a hammer coral, and a couple acans in the tank. The tang isn't eating the algae. If he did, I wouldn't have needed the sea hare......