Tip of the Day – 8/21/2012

Got a big issue with hair algae and no matter how many water changes you perform, light bulbs you replace, or different filter media you use it just won’t go away? Elevated magnesium levels not doing the trick either? If that’s the case, it might be time to employ a slimy little friend…a sea hare. These shell-less snails, for lack of a better term, thrive on different types of algae, and in many situations, hair algae is on the menu. And these lawnmowers do an excellent job. Within minutes of being in an aquarium, a sea hare will start chomping away, grazing on and off all day until there’s no more left. When it’s not feeding, the sea hare will bury itself in the sand, coming out only to start eating once gain. Despite their huge benefits, they also have major drawbacks. For starters, they are sensitive to water parameters and may not thrive in your aquarium. Additionally, if a sea hare dies, not only is that a lot of tissue that’s decaying in your aquarium, but they can also release toxins and other harmful substances that kill other aquarium livestock.