sea cucumbers

[JDVC]

Just picked this guy up... definitely one of the more interesting looking creatures!!!

Any special care tips? I'm sure it'll eat the mush I feed everything else in the tank.. and I put a little piece of sponge over the intake so it won't get sucked in!

-John

[the plumber]

Hello John,
I have had mine about 18 mo. and it feeds off the bottom, glass and rocks, I do nothing special for him...
Yours is much better looking than mine , mine is the black variety..
Dave

[sculpin]

John,

Yours is probably the poisonous variety, as it looks like a planktivore more than a bottom mopper. The plankton eaters tend to nuke tanks when they die, secondary to toxins they maintain in their tissues to prevent predation. You might want to add a phytoplankton food (like DT's or Tahitian blend) to your mush and see whether it responds to it. If it seems to be doing well I wouldn't mess with it.

Mike

[kermit the krab]

Good advice from Sculpin. It looks like a spiny sea cuke and these kind are more toxic than the dull ones that stay on the bottom surface. They use their tentacles to filter feed and it is a good idea to feed it with marine snow or other plankton particulates. If it starts to shrink, it might be starving.

[JDVC]

Thanks for the tips!

Yeah, I've read that cukes will release toxins when they die.. so I will be sure to give it extra care and watch for signs of trouble.

I also read that some cukes can like 10-15 years... is that the same for all of them or just some species?

-John

[sculpin]

Your guess is as good as mine. You could try showing your picture to Ron Shimek over at Reef Central and see what he thinks.

In general, if you provide for it and don't harass it, it will likely do quite well. I'd be pretty serious about giving it either DT's or Tahitian blend though. BTW now is the best time to order Tahitian blend, as it is cold enough that it won't denature during shipping.

[MontanaRocknReefer]

That is a beautiful looking animal you have there!! I had a sea apple over 30 years ago and really loved that critter! Johnny

[Shack]

What are some of the safer sea cukes?...and why is there a keanu reeves link? Questions like perplex me all day!

[hoginme]

What is up with the keanu reeves link?

[kermit the krab]

Holothuria bottom dwelling species like the tigertail and donkey dung are supposed to be less toxic than the more colorful filter feeding kind that have tentacles like the sea apple which can lay toxic eggs that can harm your fish if they eat them. Bottom dwelling ones are more useful imo because they help cleanup the sand and stay on the bottom away from any potentially hazardous powerhead.