Sea Cucumber ID & Info

Cruz427 · Oct 28, 2022

First off can anyone ID this species of cucumber for me?

I picked this guy up at a frag swap last spring. Today was the first time I have seen him since I put him in the tank. I thought he had did but also my tank didn’t crash so I never was sure. (I was told that cucumbers can release toxins and crash your tanks if they die). Should I be concerned that this is the first time I’m seeing him and he’s on the glass? Could he be starving or is this normal? I have been back and fourth between school and my home where the tank is over the past year so that may explain why this is his first appearance to me.

Thanks in advance!

ISpeakForTheSeas · Oct 28, 2022

Could you get any photos of it under brighter, white lighting?

It's possible that it's starving, and (assuming you know what it eats/needs to eat) you could always try feeding it more if you're concerned about that. However, it's also possible that you haven't seen it because sea cucumbers are generally nocturnal (so it might just not be out and about at times when you're typically there).

With regards to the toxins and tank crashing, it likely varies from one species to another, as some are more toxic than others, but for many cucumber species, it is possible it could "cuke nuke" your tank upon dying. To deal with the toxins, it's recommended that you keep carbon on hand and be prepared at any time to do a water change. For more details on the toxin, see the links below:

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vetteguy53081 · Oct 28, 2022

Cruz427 said:
First off can anyone ID this species of cucumber for me?

I picked this guy up at a frag swap last spring. Today was the first time I have seen him since I put him in the tank. I thought he had did but also my tank didn’t crash so I never was sure. (I was told that cucumbers can release toxins and crash your tanks if they die). Should I be concerned that this is the first time I’m seeing him and he’s on the glass? Could he be starving or is this normal? I have been back and fourth between school and my home where the tank is over the past year so that may explain why this is his first appearance to me.

Thanks in advance!

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Looks like a tiger tail sea cucumber and they are detrivores often feeding on detritus, bacterias and uneaten foods. As they require thick sand beds for food, I cant see your tank bottom but assure your nitrates and phosphates are not becomming elevated which will rattle this guy a little.