Yellow Sea Cucumber?

[donna4909]

I was looking around at liveaquaria, and saw these little yellow cucumbers.

 

Would one of them be okay in 2.5 gallon tank, with LR and sand only? I know it would need to be fed in a tank like that, but is that enough space for one of these lil guys? And how often do they need to be fed?

 

Also, do they have any lighting preferences? Would just plain ole fluorescent be okay?

[nano-nater]

they do not require light,u cant really feed it because it eat detruis,algea they find i think,and if it dies itl crash your tank for sure,because they have toxins that they relese when they die.

 

 

my .02$

[donna4909]

I read that they eat phyto and zoo plankton.

 

Also, crashing the tank wouldn't be a huge deal, since it'd be pretty much the only thing in there.

[kgbenson]

Colochirus robustus, they are filter feeders and will establish themselves in a high flow area. I feed mine simply by putting one of the planktonic foods in the water stream that blows over him/her/it. They are pretty cool little characters, and from what I have read, less likely to crash a tank than most cucumbers.

 

Keith

[Caesar777]

Yeah, filter-feeders. They like being fed directly, and I had a similar one--can't remember the Latin name, but it was a pink and yellow spiny Hawaiian, also a filter-feeder--and he lived for over a year until I moved him to a new tank. He didn't like it, and slowly shrunk. I had to take him out...Least there was some warning.

[Tballa]

I have one, that split into two, in my 1.6g hex with a harlequin shrimp and corals and everything and both of them are doing great. It would take a lot for one of them to get messed up enough to polute your tank. They are great creatures, but I'd definatley put more than just a cuc in a 2.5 gal tank.

[Tballa]

i have hermits and snails and a harlequin w/ mine and they all get along fine. These creatures are a lot more resilient than most people give them credit for. Go for it and get one.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

my pink cuc stays at the very very top of my tank. he was there for 4-5 months without moving much. my turbos bump into him all the time. my blue tuxedo urchant crawls over it all the time. my rbta sat side by side with the cuc for a few weeks. never had a problem with any of the inhabbitants.)

i've had to pull off the cuc from the side of the tank, to do a total tank tear down/clean.(probably ripped off 50 or so of his suction cups in the process) i stuck him back to the glass when finished, and hes been in the same spot for a month. everytime i do a water change hes totally out of the water for 5-10mins. these are very tough little critters. they like the fast flowing water, so i imagen yours will stay close to your water return.

[Caesar777]

Mine stayed at the very top, too. And if I moved him elsewhere, he'd go right back.

 

Some fish will nip the feathery feeding tentacles, but other than that...

[steelhealr]

Hi..I'm surprised that there aren't more cautionary comments to Donna4909 from our more experienced aquarists. Donna....your tank is new, right? from your sig? am I right?

 

Although in the right hands, cucumbers may do well, it is well known that when stressed it can expell it's internal organs and contaminate a tank. Listed is the following on LA.com:

 

Care Level: Difficult

 

Caution: Poisonous When Stressed or Dies

 

Donna...my advice would be to not add it or at least wait before adding this to your tank. Although it may do well, you must weigh the risk...if there is even the slightest chance it may crash your tank, is it worth it to add to your system? It's easy to 'breeze over the fine print' (which isn't so fine).

 

JMO

SH

[Reef_Mad_Man]

AND A BIIIIIIGG BIG BIG BIG DIDDO ON THAT RECOMENDATION FOR SURE!

[donna4909]

What would be the harm if something did go bad, and the cucumber died? Of course, I'd hate to see anything die, but keep in mind that it would be the sole occupant. It's not like I'd be killing other fish or corals if it went downhill.

 

What I am considering is a species specific tank here, but the tank isn't even set up yet. I am still in the planning stage. I know that cucumbers are toxic if they die, but I'd still really like to have one. That's why I had considered setting up the Mini-Bow specifically for them, that way it wouldn't be so dangerous.

[Tballa]

Since all of us have had great success and nobody on here has actual experience of them ending bad, I think I'd go with all of the people who have actually had them, and not the people who quote stupid websites that half the time don't even get their facts right! It is true that they CAN secrete their insides and poison the tank, but that is very rare, and they are VERY hardy creatures. steelhealr: Instead of saying stuff of which you know absolutely nothing about, leave the question answering to people that have first-hand experiences!

[steelhealr]

Tballa, incidental success stories don't evaporate marine fact and other negative experiences posted here. It also doesn't make you an expert. This forum is not only for experience, but opinion as well. Donna 4909 is researching her tank and doing a good job of it. She can choose to add whatever she wants based on her own fact gathering.

 

If every post on this forum was based purely on experience and we shelved everyone else's opinions because they were based on text research, article reading or by reading OTHER people's experience, there would be a large educational void. JMO. Donna, good luck with whatever way you go. Experience IS the best teacher..educating yourself beforehand is the best springboard. I hope that EVERYONE here enlightens me with their input on all my posts. Good luck. SH

[trekbear]

Wow, I can't believe anyone not heeding warnings of this type: "Poisonous When Stressed or Dies " And I believe more books and sites state this warning, not just Live Aquaria... And from personal experience, "IT CAN HAPPEN". I Lost a few cleanup crew members and 2 fish and softies from an accidental cucumber crushing!

 

Tballa, I think that in this matter Steelhealr was doing donna4909 a great justice and favor in letting her know that there are dangers/concerns in her selection. And your opinion of it (poisoning) being very rare, does not negate the fact that IT CAN POISON THE TANK, 'IF' it does die or get stressed.

 

Donna4909, You can absolutely keep the cucumber in that tank if you choose to do so, as long as you are aware of the risks it entails. Which is what people here are trying to inform you of.

 

You might want to keep more than just the cucumber in the tank to help keep the tank in balance, like a clean up crew for the algae that will accumulate from the regular phyto feedings that cucumber requires.

 

HTH,

TrekBear

[MrKrispy]

wow a range of misinformation.

 

Yellow cukes won't crash normal nanos, but since you only have a 2.5 gallon it would be something more to worry about. I don't know how long they tend to do in small aquariums, I asked the same question here and didn't get a response. That isn't good. I have had 2 in my 20L for several months, they are doing good. However, my tank is established, and I add DTs to the tank 2-3 times a week. If you don't add some phyto they aren't going to live long in your tank.

[donna4909]

I think that in this matter Steelhealr was doing donna4909 a great justice and favor in letting her know that there are dangers/concerns in her selection

 

Can I point out that I knew that already? Not to be a grouch, but it keeps getting mentioned... I did know the beforehand, hence a species specific tank. I did find the cucumber via liveaquaria, and they do have a warning posted. And *gasp* I did read it! My question is not whether they are dangerous or not. I know the risks.

 

My question was: Is the tank size suitable, and how often to feed?