Hey Bill,
Sorry to say, but I don't think your cuke is a Holothuria spp. of
sea cucumber, but rather,
Cucumaria or similar spp., which are mostly filter feeders (I may be totally wrong on this, but the smooth skin and activity of this cuke that you have relayed to me tends to support this ID). The
Holothuroidea spp. (the Tigertails are usually ID'd as
H. hilla) of cukes don't display the smooth skin that yours does. They usually have a very rough pebbly, almost spiky appearance associated with many ridges and convolutions on the surface of these Echinoderms. Although some substrate feeding cucumbers may occasionally display this behavior, it is usually only temporary, and usually associated with the broadcast of gametes when signals in the water column trigger this activity.
If this is indeed a
filter feeder, they most often extend their feeding tentacles at night, and seem to do OK on phytoplankton and some prepared zooplankton mixes, although in skimmed systems these creatures don't seem to have very long life spans. Target feed them at night after the lights go out. As a side note, although they
can be moved off the spot they have chosen, it is not recommended, as once they find a location they can feed well from, they generally will not move unless the conditions change. Once moved, they seem to stop feeding for a period of time, which, if they were barely making it by before the move, may lead to their ultimate demise. Personally I would not recommend this spp. of cuke to most hobbyists, although they are truly intriguing to watch, and may switch to early morning and evening feedings if they realize there is available foodstuffs. I have had some that have survived on finely divided flake food, but they have been exceptions, not the rule.
Hope this helps.
