Reef Discussion

[winnydapoo]

Hi folks,

Just discovered this thing in my tank, not sure what it is if it's forces of evil or good?



Thoughts? I have it isolated in a a container at the moment. It's 12 to15 cm long I reckon...

 

[aussieant32]

@dr_schell

 

[winnydapoo]

If it helps it seems nocturnal, I discovered it after lights out for an hour or two, and have never seen it before in about a year of having this tank running.

 

[chris1987]

Horrid Sea Cucumber - Stichopus horrens - Schrecklich Seewalze

 

[chimaera]

Looks like a sea cucumber to me. Not sure on the type however ...

 

[winnydapoo]

Googled them, and yeah, it's mouth looks exactly like that. All feathery kind of. Probably fairly safe then?

 

[Alex Blake]

Looks like you need the doc

 

[chris1987]

i would remove it no way i would have a cucumber in my tank

 

[winnydapoo]

What nasty effects can they have on the tank?

 

[chimaera]

Keeping cucumbers seems to be a personal thing - some see them as potential nukes waiting to go off, others see them as valuable CUC. Do a bit of reading and make up your own mind ...

Personally I have a couple that came as hitchhikers, only small (maybe 2-4cm), but I really like them and they have certainly done no harm so far.

 

[Dr. Schell]

sea cucumber - feeds on detritus.

 

[winnydapoo]

Thanks guys, barry the sea cucumber it is :D

 

[Ian G]

What nasty effects can they have on the tank?

I keep sea cucumbers in all my tanks.

There are lots of horror stories about sea cucumbers and they're probably true BUT I have never met any one who has personally had a problem with them, NOR have I ever met anyone who even personally knew anyone that had a problem. I ask all LFS that I visit about them too and I'm yet to even find an LFS that knows of anyone that actually had the problem.

To me this suggests that the problem is real but rare, just blown up out of proportion. I have had as many as 4 different species of cuke in a tank, I've picked them up and they've released mucous but it caused no problems. I've had more issues with anemone and we keep those.

They're good sandbed cleaners. They ingest the sand and deposit little pellets of cleaned sand from their bum.:eek


Go Barry & The Dancing Pooh Pellets

 

[Buddy]

I have a few of the little purple and red hitchhiker cucumbers and haven't had any problems. I've even had one set up camp on my tunze 6105 intake grill.