yellow sea cucumber

Moonstream · #1 06/26/2007, 10:14 PM

I just found out that my LFS carries yellow cucumbers. Would they be good additone to the clean up crew? Care? reef safe? Good choice for beginner? Also, will they eat macro algaes, have some I want to get rid of?

Moonstream · #2 06/27/2007, 10:23 AM

hello... I know you are out there

delsol650 · #3 06/27/2007, 01:14 PM

from what I've heard the best ones are the pinkies/black ones and like what I have a tigertail cuke.

as long as they are the moping type not the filter feeding type like a seaapple , you might be cool

StickFish · #4 06/27/2007, 01:30 PM

IM just going to copy and paste my responce to the last cucumber question. These r jsut general requirmenets for all cucumbers.

Have a mateur tank, at the very least a year old, preferably a little older and large er than 30 gallons, at least. Cucumbers are venomous and produce a very nifty and equally deadly toxin that, in a fish tank will most surley kill everything (depending on size of the worm and tank). They are very sensitve to improper water conditions (fast salinity shifts, nitrates, copper) and if they die or get picked on or sucked into the intake of your filter they will realease their digestive system and this will poison the tank.

Many need a deep live sand bed to be maintained as they pass the sand and digest the organic material in it. Others (sea apples) Have mouthes like feather dusters with branching filter feeding organs that catch their food. They are sensise and usually find a desierable spot and stay there. The black ones and any long ones that feed on the sand bed will crawl slowly and get into all the crevaces.

If you dont have any fish that will hurt it, your intakes arent very powerfull or are protected, and you have a suitable set up they can be quite interesting and beneficial detrivores. But if you screw them up you can essentially nuke your tank.

Your cucumbe rhowever is a filter feeder. It will not eat algee, it does not have a "mouth" like other cucumbers, it is more sillimar to a sea apple. It will need to be fed particulate matter. (maine snow, phyto/zoo plankton, or detritus from your sand bed) You will need to spot feed it atleast every week, if not every few days.

They are NOT beginner safe. Have an OLD tank. I didnt put a cuke into my tank till it was 5 years old. Thats being over zealously safe, but i would definatly not put a cuke into a tank any younger than a year, at least.

Moonstream · #5 06/27/2007, 01:41 PM

um.. the cucumbers grow to 1-2" and are less than 1/2 an inch at purchase. I dont think something that small would poison a tank that (in comparasin to the animal) is large.

Moonstream · #6 06/27/2007, 01:44 PM

okay, well I have to feed the dusters I have, so why not? They are just soooooo cool! I will make sure the tank is a good haome before I put them in too.

delsol650 · #7 06/27/2007, 03:08 PM

I got my tigertail at 3-4" now within 2 months its about 6" and about 1 1/2" thick... tank is 1.5 yrs old roughly...

from other invert experts some are actually more of an irritant than venomous, but with a water change and a good skimmer most shouldn't have to worry much..