sea slug is dead!

[carsimex]

My sea slug (sea hare) was happy for a month or so until one afternoon I found some kind of damage on him. It looked like acid had been poured on him. He was still alive for a day or so and then he just shriveled up, stops moving and died. The only newcomer is a bubble tip anemone. Could Anemoni sting him?

 

[Tackett]

The anemone is fully capable of raping that slug. Slugs are very delicate and sensitive creatures. Even the most experienced (and lucky) people have a very hard time taking care of these creatures. Not to mention the fact that most species like to dine on coral. (even the ones that are "herbivores" though im not sure that any are herbies even though many are sold as such.) Lasty their life spans are very short, most less than a year. Not that that makes a crap because most cephs have a lifespan of about the same length, but people keep them happily untill their deaths.

There are two very good articles about sea slugs in advanced aquarist online magazine, uhh...this month and last month I think. Good reading. My advice, and my opinion. Leave them be, dont buy them and hopefully people will stop collecting them for export.

 

[Anonymous]

I am also of that opinion. While not impossible, sea hares are very tough to keep, imo.

 

[Anonymous]

Couple things on seahares, they are voracious algae eaters and can starve after a month or two when they've gotten rid of the algae. Two - they are sort of delicate and in addition to stings and such could make their way into open drains/overflows/powerheads. Lastly they don't live really long in the wild but a bit longer than many ornamental slugs - somewhere on the order of 2 years if I'm not mistaken.

Also temperate/subtropical species are often sold which do not do as well at reef temperatures - make sure if you do buy one you do your research on species. I had one for about 6 months to get rid of some bryopsis - the only thing I ever found that ate it consistently. It dissapeared a few months back and I haven't seen it since.