[weez1959]

OK so I went and got me a sea cuke but unfortunately it wasn't a tiger tail
It's all I could get myy hands on without ordering one online (which kinda worried me because of the extra transport and acclimation)
Anyways he (my LFS) got them last night and I asked him if I could have one right away before he put them in his system so I could avoid another acclimation and extra stress on the fat little critter. I drip acclimated him for 3 hours last night and he was finally in my tank by 1:00 am
He was a sticky little bugger too!
So here's the question, you guys know of a site that IDs these things, my lfs says his shipping slip IDed them as black sea cucumbers but they don't look black to me:

[chromafi]

Im not sure what the species is, but it looks pretty poisonous. If it dies in your tank you may have trouble.

[Ninong]

It appears to be a member of the Stichopodidae. I wouldn't be concerned.

[weez1959]

Just so I know, what is normal behavior for these fatties?
How often do they eat,
how often do they scoot aroung the glass,
is laying there like a lump on a log normal,
what are the signs that one is dying (just in case)

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by weez1959

Just so I know, what is normal behavior for these fatties?
How often do they eat,
how often do they scoot aroung the glass,
is laying there like a lump on a log normal,
what are the signs that one is dying (just in case)

I didn't think it was a member of the Family Holothuriidae but more likely a member of the Family Stichopodidae, so I asked an expert for confirmation before I replied to your thread. I also asked him to confirm my opinion that this was a beneficial sand-mopping cuke.

Here is his response:

"Definitely, stichopodids are great animals. Most of them are quite non-toxic as well. Some of the temperate ones only feed for about 9 months a year though. They cease feeding for 3 months (worst of winter) and reabsorb the gut (if you do a dissection of them at this time of the year they are hollow). They then regrow the gut in time for the next spring's plankton bloom."

All sand-mopping cukes feed by processing the sand through their bodies -- dirty sand goes in the front end and clean sand comes out the rear. They feed on the bacteria, detritus and microscopic organisms that are on the surface of the sand grains and in the spaces between the grains. Some of these sand cukes feed only on fine sand, while others prefer coarse sand. My Holothurian cuke did this mostly at night. I would discover the proof the next morning in the form of little piles of processed sand that looked like something else but smaller. The water flow in the tank, plus the other fauna, would disrupt these little piles within a couple of hours.

My Holothurian cuke occasionally climbed on the glass but usually he cruised the sandbed. It is normal for them to "lay there like a lump on a log" for hours at a time. At least that's what mine did during most of the "daylight" hours. He tended to find a spot in the shade and then rest until "evening."

As far as the signs that one is dying, I guess one sign would be that it is shrinking in size. That would mean that it is not getting enough nutrition and it is gradually wasting away. If you're asking about signs that it is dying due to some traumatic incident, I suppose puking it's innards would be a bad sign. Again, as pointed out in the expert advice I received from someone who knows what he's talking about, these animals are beneficial and do not present an unreasonable risk.

In my opinion, many of the suspension-feeding cukes present an unacceptable risk. Some people keep them in a reef tank but I wouldn't. I wouldn't keep them even in a FOWLR tank. In my opinion, they are only safe in dedicated tanks. I'm talking about the animals that are commonly called " sea apples" -- in the genera Paracucumaria & Pseudocolochirus.

P.S. -- I forgot to ask you if the LFS told you where this animal came from? Did it come from the tropical Indo-Pacific? Did it come from the tropical Caribbean? Did it come from the subtropical waters near the Florida Keys? I have no idea what the range is for the animal you have because I have no idea (for sure anyway) exactly what it is other than that it appears to be a member of the Family Stichopodidae, possibly in the genus Stichopus.

Whenever I purchase anything alive from an LFS, I always try to find out as much as possible about its source. They usually know this and sometimes they're willing to tell you. This can be very important when shopping for fish. Of course, you have to have a certain level of confidence in the answers they give you. In my case, they know me all too well, so they will pull out the invoice list and show me the region of origin if it is given if it is the one that they know I want. In other words, if I tell them I'm only interested in a Regal Angel from the Red Sea, they will pull out their list to prove to me that that's where it came from. And if they don't, I won't consider buying it -- and they know that.

[weez1959]

Thanks Ninong! all stuff I wanted to hear
My LFS says they are from Bali.
And he now says since it was dark that I got the wrong cuke, I thought I was getting a black cuke but it turns out it was labeled a white cuke! I dunno, Where do they get "WHITE CUCUMBER"?
I saw the black ones and they were clearly blacker but to call mine a white cucumber!?! hmmm.
Did you show your friend the pics of my cuke?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by weez1959

My LFS says they are from Bali.

Good.

And he now says since it was dark that I got the wrong cuke, I thought I was getting a black cuke but it turns out it was labeled a white cuke! I dunno, Where do they get "WHITE CUCUMBER"?

I never pay attention to the common names the LFS uses to identify anything. Most of them know less than the average serious hobbyist who has spent at least a year on the boards. Even worse, they know stuff that's not true.

Did you show your friend the pics of my cuke?

Yes. I sent him all three pics to get confirmation on my tentative identification.

[weez1959]

Thanks, keep me posted

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by weez1959

Thanks, keep me posted

Consider yourself posted. I sent him the pics BEFORE I replied in this thread. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a mistake. Both of my cukes have been Holothurians.

[Yankee I Am]

Vey Cool Weez...Grats!!!

[weez1959]

Thanks
So far he's not moving much and I haven't seen him chow down on the sand but I guess he has to get comfortable with his new suroundings first
I hope that's all it is

[Yankee I Am]

Well at least your not wondering if your over your head like I am at the moment....You can read and read all you want...until you start this hobby its a whole new ball game lol (at least for me)

[FireEater]

That is one beautiful cuke. I have two yellow ones like that, a pink one and a tiger tail.

The two yellow ones are the most active, the pink one is nocturnal and the tiger tail only cleans around it's home where it is latched onto.

I always tell everyone who asks about them that "Dirty sand goes in and clean sand comes out."

[FireEater]

I saw these two out together a few minutes ago. The smaller one is what I call a Tiger Tail and the larger one I call a Yellow Cuke. Not sure if those are the common names of them.

This Tiger Tail here is actually a second one I have. I've never seen it until a few days ago so it must have hitch hiked in awhile back without me knowing. I've have had the other Tiger Tail in my tank for about 4 years now and they do not get very big. The Tiger Tails latch under a rock and make that area their home.

[weez1959]

Well it's been exactly 2 weeks since I got my little tank turd and he hasn't moved an inch since.
I know he's alive because I can see his feelers in front and the little sand nuggets in the back. I check everyday to make sure there a new sand nuggets and there are but he doesn't move at all.
Is this normal, should I try to put him elsewhere, do I leave him alone?

[charlie]

Is it entirely possible that he doesn't like the grain of the substrate. When I had mine, he would disappear into the sand and I would see him once every 2 months or so.

[Yankee I Am]

Hey Weez...Maybe hes just shy??

[FireEater]

Some move about and some don't. My pink one hardly ever moves and eats in one place for weeks. Then I will find a foot away and at times all the way across the tank.

As long as it is eating it will be find. When the food is depleted from that spot it will move on.