Ack! Wtf Is This?

[Jpl3k]

I just bought a lb of crushed coral for my tank and this is what fell into the tank:

I'm a little frightened... Help!

[klagos]

It looks sort of like my featherduster right before it dies. It lost its plume and wandered out of its case. It had a mouth and looked similar.

[janasleah]

Kind of looks like a peanut worm, too. No wait, on second thought it does look like a duster...poor thing!

[Jpl3k]

Its about 1.5" long, clearly fat and very soft. It is pink/pruple in color and has tons of tiny white bumps all over it.. That any help?

And I didn't see it in thek he pulled the sand out of, so it must have been buried..

[janasleah]

Can it stretch itself out, or crawl? Does anything come out of the "mouth"?

[tMoney]

That is no featherduster! I personally would get that out of my tank ASAP. I think I've seen one of these before and it wasn't very good. I think it's a sea cucumber. I'm gonna go research, hopefully I'll be back with a positive answer.

[jenniebutterfly]

looks like it could be a cucumber maybe

[janasleah]

Sorry..double post...I hate it when that happens!

[tMoney]

It kind of looks like a peanut worm, like janasleah said earlier. But, I've never seen a peanut worm with bumpy skin like that. That's why I think it is some sort of cucumber.

 

Whatever it is, it's disgusting. And if I see something disgusting, it's gone. I know strange creatures are in my tank, but if I don't see them, they're safe.

[Jpl3k]

Uhhhhh... This is not sounding good. I'm glad i didn't actually 'pay' for it! This 'slug' (as I'll call it) doesn't seem to move much at all. It is slightly bent now.. I'm checking on it every couple minutes. One end must be the mouth, it is sorta white and I guess flat. The other end just kinda comes to a point, I don't know what else to tell ya.

 

EDIT:

If I'm not mistaken, I beleive it had a mouth like this, but it was white/clearish (not very colorful).

http://www.the-inncrowd.com/imagesubin/ima...ucumber_jpg.jpg

[Jpl3k]

This looks A LOT like it..

http://www.seaotter.com/marine/research/ch...ridota.jpg.html

Except I haven't seen 'it' stretched out.

Any thoughts?

[mwp]

I'll hop on to the cucumber bandwagon! "Sea Cucomber Red", Holothenia Sp. - that's how something similar to what you've pictured recently came in from Bali.

 

FWIW,

 

MP

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

if it is a cucumber, id leave it in the tank. i've had mine for 4 months. while they can go off like a bomb, this is very unlikely to happen. if thiers something in your tank that picks on the cucumber, then and only then would i remove it. thats just my opinion.

[willlgr1]

looks kinda like a medusa worm

[Jpl3k]

icyoud2: What do you mean 'go off like a bomb'? What can happen with this guy?

 

I was watching him for a minute before work this morning, he was pretty much in the same spot as last night, just a little more stretched out. It looked like he was eating junk in the sandbed/crushed coral.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

bomb as in ka boom! a cuke nuke!

 

the last desperate attemp to protect itself is a violant erruption of toxic slime. usually resulting in death-as in everything in the tank. that being said, its a last resort for the cucumber. first they'll try to get away, lose parts of thier body etc. and the risk differs depending on species. i've had a pink cucmber in my tank for 4 months. my urchant crawls right over top of him and he doesnt stop feeding/filtering the water. unless something in the tank is picking at him, i wouldn't worry to much. that is if it is a cucumber and depending on species.

[Kogut]

CUCUMBER!!!!!!!!!

[adinsxq]

did you poke it?

[Jpl3k]

adinsxq: Its in my G/F's tank now, and she never sees it. It just so happens I have ANOTHER one of the same thing in my reef now, too. I got it from the same large tank at the LFS in some LS/CC. I never see mine either, they just bury themselves and never come out. Strange, but I guess its not causing any harm.

I haven't poked them for fear of what it may do, but it seamed very soft when I moved it.