Blue Spotted Sea Hare

aaron1987 · 01/08/2009, 09:43 PM

LFS has some of these in stock and was curious if anyone had experience keeping them or knew whether they were prone to inking? I've seen anecdotal evidence that they do and that it's toxic on another forum, but Fenner at WWM is of the opinion that most tropical sea hares are either not prone to releasing their ink, or it's non-harmful if they do. Do they act in a similar fashion to the sea hares typically sold for nuisance algae consumption?

Bursatella leachii

Capt_Cully · 01/08/2009, 09:59 PM

Certainly don't know the answer to your querry, but I just saw one of these at my LFS and they are really beautiful in their own ugly way!

michellejy · 01/08/2009, 10:08 PM

There was just a post about these yesterday, I think. I have a regular sea hare (not blue spotted), and he doesn't seem prone to releasing ink at all. I've had him for two months, and even when he has fallen off a rock, been checked out by the other fish, or had me move something too quickly near him, he has never released any sort of ink.

TheH · 01/08/2009, 10:13 PM

I've heard that they are not prone to release ink as well. However, don't forget about powerheads shredding them.

Myself I would be more concerned about whether they do actually perform any nuisance algae consumption like their less colorful cousins.

greenbean36191 · 01/08/2009, 10:15 PM

This species does ink fairly easily- moreso than any other species I've ever handled, but the ink is not toxic. It's simply a soup of amino acids that overloads the senses of predators. They also need certain algae in their diets to produce the ink and they can only ink 2-3 times before their stored supply is exhausted. There's a good chance that by the time they get to you their supply has been depleted.

In any event I wouldn't advise buying one of these guys. They tend to show up in the hobby seasonally and there's a reason for that. They aggregate in huge numbers in shallow water to breed around this time of year and then most of them die within a few weeks. Collectors who either don't know or don't care that these are mostly dying animals take advantage of their abundance and scoop them up in droves.

aaron1987 · 01/09/2009, 10:24 AM

Thanks for the exceedingly helpful response greenbean! Gorgeous animal, but looks like I'll be passing on it with the seasonality in mind. What is the typical life expectancy for one outside of the aquarium trade?

kingfisher62 · 01/09/2009, 09:20 PM

Oh thanks lot guys , now you tell me!
I just bought mine about 5 days ago . I hope it last a while I like it alot. It is doing a great job cleaning so far.

greenbean36191 · 01/11/2009, 11:14 PM

The normal lifespan for most sea slugs is about a year or two in the wild. At least one species of sea hare has been kept for up to 5 years in captivity, but I wouldn't count on coming anywhere close to that. If you can get a year out of a slug in captivity I would consider that a real success.

01/08/2009, 09:43 PM	#1
aaron1987 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ames, IA Posts: 283	Blue Spotted Sea Hare LFS has some of these in stock and was curious if anyone had experience keeping them or knew whether they were prone to inking? I've seen anecdotal evidence that they do and that it's toxic on another forum, but Fenner at WWM is of the opinion that most tropical sea hares are either not prone to releasing their ink, or it's non-harmful if they do. Do they act in a similar fashion to the sea hares typically sold for nuisance algae consumption? Bursatella leachii

01/08/2009, 09:59 PM	#2
Capt_Cully Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Syracuse, NY Posts: 13,574	Certainly don't know the answer to your querry, but I just saw one of these at my LFS and they are really beautiful in their own ugly way! __________________ People say cars are a bad investment. Those people don't have reef tanks. Current Tank Info: 120, Radion Gen 2 Pro x 2

01/08/2009, 10:08 PM	#3
michellejy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: OH Posts: 1,076	There was just a post about these yesterday, I think. I have a regular sea hare (not blue spotted), and he doesn't seem prone to releasing ink at all. I've had him for two months, and even when he has fallen off a rock, been checked out by the other fish, or had me move something too quickly near him, he has never released any sort of ink. __________________ Michelle Current Tank Info: 30G FOWLR Clownfish tank soon to be replaced by JBJ 28 Gallon Nano

01/08/2009, 10:15 PM	#5
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	This species does ink fairly easily- moreso than any other species I've ever handled, but the ink is not toxic. It's simply a soup of amino acids that overloads the senses of predators. They also need certain algae in their diets to produce the ink and they can only ink 2-3 times before their stored supply is exhausted. There's a good chance that by the time they get to you their supply has been depleted. In any event I wouldn't advise buying one of these guys. They tend to show up in the hobby seasonally and there's a reason for that. They aggregate in huge numbers in shallow water to breed around this time of year and then most of them die within a few weeks. Collectors who either don't know or don't care that these are mostly dying animals take advantage of their abundance and scoop them up in droves. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

01/09/2009, 09:20 PM	#7
kingfisher62 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: massachusetts Posts: 4,972	Oh thanks lot guys , now you tell me! I just bought mine about 5 days ago . I hope it last a while I like it alot. It is doing a great job cleaning so far. __________________ 55g Tank - 216W T5's Foxface, tomato clown, yellow tailed damsel, Starrie Blennie, LPS and softies 29G Biocube- 120W LED's 2 percular clown, Six line Wrasse , LPS and softies Current Tank Info: 55 gl. Reef tank ,29g biocube Reef

01/08/2009, 10:13 PM	#4
TheH Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 1,278	I've heard that they are not prone to release ink as well. However, don't forget about powerheads shredding them. Myself I would be more concerned about whether they do actually perform any nuisance algae consumption like their less colorful cousins.

01/09/2009, 10:24 AM	#6
aaron1987 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ames, IA Posts: 283	Thanks for the exceedingly helpful response greenbean! Gorgeous animal, but looks like I'll be passing on it with the seasonality in mind. What is the typical life expectancy for one outside of the aquarium trade?

01/11/2009, 11:14 PM	#8
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	The normal lifespan for most sea slugs is about a year or two in the wild. At least one species of sea hare has been kept for up to 5 years in captivity, but I wouldn't count on coming anywhere close to that. If you can get a year out of a slug in captivity I would consider that a real success. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up