Fuzzy Sea Hare (Algae Eater)

2026-04-21T11:59:14-07:00

Type: SLUG
Price: 39.99

Fuzzy Sea Hare

If your tank has a hair algae problem, the Fuzzy Sea Hare (Dolabella auricularia) is the closest thing to a silver bullet the reef hobby has ever produced. This soft-bodied, slow-moving gastropod is an absolute machine — methodically grazing hair algae, turf algae, and filamentous growth off every surface it passes, working through your rockwork patch by patch with a quiet, relentless efficiency that snails and hermit crabs simply cannot match. A single healthy specimen has been known to clear a fully infested 125-gallon tank in just a couple of weeks. It doesn't rush. It doesn't skip. It just eats.

Up close, the Fuzzy Sea Hare is one of the more alien and captivating animals you can keep in a reef tank. Its soft, textured body shifts and flows as it moves, two ear-like appendages on its head giving it the unmistakable look of a tiny underwater rabbit shuffling across the rockscape. It's not the flashiest animal in the hobby — but watching one methodically work its way across a rock face at 2am under a moonlight is genuinely mesmerizing. Once hobbyists have owned a sea hare, they almost always want another one.

Fully reef safe and peaceful with all corals, fish, and invertebrates, the Fuzzy Sea Hare earns its keep from day one — and then some.

Available Options

Fuzzy Sea Hare — Single

One healthy Fuzzy Sea Hare (Dolabella auricularia), ready to get to work

Drip acclimate carefully before introduction — sensitive to salinity and pH swings

Best introduced to a tank with an active hair algae supply to graze immediately

Care Information

🌡️ Temperature
72–78°F — stable temps essential

🧂 Salinity
1.023–1.025 — drip acclimate carefully

🐠 Temperament
Peaceful — reef safe with all inhabitants

⚙️ Care Level
Moderate — needs stable parameters and food supply

🍽️ Diet
Herbivore — hair algae, turf algae, filamentous algae

🏠 Tank Size
30 gallon minimum — larger tanks preferred

Special Considerations

The Fuzzy Sea Hare's biggest risk is its own success — once it clears your tank of hair algae it can starve unless supplemented. When algae runs low, supplement with dried seaweed sheets (nori) anchored to the rockwork. Never expose to copper-based medications. If threatened or severely stressed, sea hares can release an ink-like defense substance — while not directly toxic, it introduces organics that can spike ammonia quickly, so keep with peaceful tankmates and avoid housing with aggressive fish or large predatory inverts. Always drip acclimate slowly for at least 30–60 minutes. Keep away from powerhead intakes — sea hares are slow and can be drawn in by strong suction.

🔍 Aquarium Insights

The Fuzzy Sea Hare is a uniquely effective and entertaining addition to any reef system with a hair algae problem:

Works where nothing else does — gets into crevices and grazes surfaces that snails, urchins, and tangs overlook entirely

Nocturnal and surprisingly active after lights out — a moonlight or dim evening setting reveals just how much ground this animal covers every night

When your hair algae is gone and the job is done, consider rehoming or passing it along — a sea hare that runs out of food is a sea hare at risk

Learn More

For detailed species information, compatibility, and care tips, visit our Species Library.

Livestock Disclaimer
Due to natural variation, the specimen you receive may vary slightly in size, coloration, and body texture. Photographs are representative examples.

Algae consumption rates vary depending on the individual animal and available food sources in the tank.

As with all live animals, proper drip acclimation and a stable, established environment are essential for best results. Sea hares are sensitive animals — do not rush acclimation.