cucumbers?? - Page 2

jennmac415 · 10-24-2007, 07:45 PM

Sun... I do not see a picture of yours...

jennmac415 · 10-24-2007, 07:46 PM

awww.. now i see it... sorry

Geoff · 10-24-2007, 08:29 PM

in most cases it is the really pretty ones that can nuke a tank. one of those, they are really pretty for reason things.

they also do ok in a BB tank. i think i still have one, have not seen it for quite a while, but it likes to muck around in the LR instead of on the BB.

G~

b16drag · 10-24-2007, 10:53 PM

Got 2 in my 90g. One tiger and another yellow one. Heard they do expel their guts if they feel threatened but for the most part will not "nuke' unless its those really colorful ones.

tdwyatt · 10-25-2007, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jennmac415

Thanks Kelli and Tom ! Kelli... he is actually kindof "cute".... Tom... you have 10 in your 180... is that the recommended amount... I am assuming that your 180 is more heavily stocked than mine since mine has only been up since August...

This particular tank is set up with an older (>5yrs old) 10-15cm deep sugar sized aragonite bed. Although I have not had the issues associated with old sand beds yet, the cukes keep the sand very clean (so the algal growth clue does not present itself), so I do not know if I have phosphate saturation in the sand yet or not (no algal growth to speak of in most of the tank due to herbivory, and the glass gets green at about 10 days now, but I do get an occasional cyano growth once every few months in a corner on occasion, so I am not really sure where I am with phosphate in the sand bed yet, though this has always been a low nutrient tank, and I have changed out about 1/2 of the sand within the last year).

For most tanks, especially new systerms younger than 2 years of DSB age, I would recommend one 4" to 6" sea cucumber of the sand eating Holothurian type for every 90 sq cm of open sand substrate in the tank no younger than 12 months of age and seeded with sand from a mature tank (around 2 or 3 sq ft). This is quite important for the cukes to survive, as you will want the algal succession of new tanks to have already occurred (a mature system) to provide the sand grain biocoenosis including autotrophs in the first 3 cm of sand, and you'll want enough food their to feed a growing cucumber's energy needs. Think of the cukes as cows being released into a field to graze: There must be adequate grass that is well-established of good nutritional value growing well enough to replace itself as the cows consume the grass.

HTH

Kevin1000 · 10-25-2007, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdwyatt

For most tanks, especially new systerms younger than 2 years of DSB age, I would recommend one 4" to 6" sea cucumber of the sand eating Holothurian type for every 90 sq cm of open sand substrate in the tank no younger than 12 months of age HTH

Like most things in this hobby different tanks can handle different things .. with that said .. my experience would say that cukes need more room than that. I tend to keep my tanks less stocked and perhaps that impacts the overall food objective.

slamdorf · 10-25-2007, 11:41 PM

I have a bunch of cucumbers in my tanks, and I have never had a problem with them. I have had then die and stay in for a bit, and they didnt kill or NUKE my tank. I have heard that though, so my suggestion would be just that if you see one die... pull it out..