Reef Discussion

[daniel]

have no idea where to post this for a id maybe under inveterbrates? i dont no but can some one give me a id saw this in the live rock tank at the lfs any idea what it is, looks nice should i offer some cash for it?

thanks guys

 

[brendore]

Looks to me like what we call a 'Sea Apple'. They are a type of cucumber that filter feeds and very difficult to keep alive for any length of time unfortunately

 

[MagicJ]

Looks a bit deflated, but would agree with brendore - this is a good article on them http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/3/inverts

 

[mscott]

yep i agree with the upbove also. Something i was told by an LFS was that is they die in your tank or are unhappy they will release a toxin which would mostlikely wipe out everything, not sure if its true or not?
cheers

 

[MagicJ]

The linked article above discusses this very point :rolleyes

 

[daniel]

wel fuck that then if it releases toxins hahaha looks nice but, yeh looks deflated becasue was at the bottom of the tank squashed betwee the glass and the rock
thanks guys

 

[Dr. Schell]

these animals feed upon tiny "suspended" food particles that they capture by using their feeding tenticle that surround their mouth. Very beautiful but as in nature, the birght colours advatise their toxic nature. As long as it is well fed (feed it things like plankton, marine snow, etc.) and not stressed (don't have fish that harass it and keep your water quality up) this species will not cause any issues.

 

[daniel]

exaactly what i was thinking, but how was it stayling alive in a tank full of rocks they dont feed rocks lol, and even if they wanted to feed it, it was basicy cut off from everything else the way it was trapped it

 

[Dr. Schell]

if you watch your tank at night (provided you have live rock in it), you will see that plankton, worms, pods etc will swim to the surface and swim all around your tank. I assume that the animal would have been feeding at night. However, like all echinoderms (starfish, sea-cucumbers, brittlestars, sea-urchins, etc..) these animals can persist for a relativley long period of time without being fed adequately. To do so, the animals start to break down their own tissue to "feed themselves". This also may be what has happended to this animal in the shop. I wish you every success with this beautiful animal. The only way we can sucessfully keep an animals is to understand its basic needs, and you have taken the first steps to do so.

 

[daniel]

cheers,i dont no if i will buy it im to scred it will wipe out my tank, does anyone have a rough price on how much i should offer the guy if i do decide to do it?

 

[Dr. Schell]

in QLD they sell for around $30.

 

[Agent M]

Lol Daniel - I think you like the same things as me :) I also have owned a sea apple when I was new to the hobby - it actually did very well with supplementary feedings, but I only had it for around 6months and then had a tank crash (ie. electricity got switched off for a couple of days in winter). I have tried other filter feeding cucumbers since and they slowly died from starvation - I just couldn't feed them enough.