So I got a sea cucumber the other day and put in the tank. When we were trying to acclimated it into the tank it fell out of the bag. Later on in the evening I noticed that all my corals were closed. We are trying to save it right now.
A sea cucumber almost crashed my tank
- Thread starter dexter
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Krish
RF STAFF
Ouch!! Sorry to hear. Hope you dont suffer much losses. :doubt:
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Shalori
Active member
Good luck, I sure hope everything makes it through alright. I've been through a cuke nuke, and it was devistating. Hopefully you caught it in time.
yep. When a cuke is stressed, they expell their guts. That is what 'nukes' your tank. If the cuke is there just doing it's thing and is not stressed or you don't see it releasing anything into the tank through an open wound or its butt or mouth, then the cuke may not be your issue.
Dexter is my middle name actually.
Burke
Well-known member
What kind of cucumber was it?
Any chance of getting a description or picture? Leslie would be very helpful in IDing it AND giving the best suggestions. I'm fairly certain that only some species of Sea Cucumbers have the ability to cause harm to our tanks, when they die.
Here's a very good article, that explains a lot about Sea Cucumbers, including dispelling some of the myth surrounding Cuke Nuke. While Cuke Nuke does happen, it's a lot less common than people think. A cucumber, eviscerating it's gut, rarely releases chemicals in the process. The gut can regenerate, over time.
Sea Apples, on the other hand, are much more likely to cause a Cuke Nuke, so may be one to avoid.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/invert.htm
Sea Apples, on the other hand, are much more likely to cause a Cuke Nuke, so may be one to avoid.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2003/invert.htm
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LeslieH
Well-known member
Thanks for posting the link, Sid. I can't overpraise Rob Toonen's and Ron Shimek's columns on inverts. This cuke article by Rob is a great example. Full of good information clearly stated, it addresses aquarium issues, provides data from both the hobbyist side & the science side, tells you about food preferences, which are reef safe & which aren't, etc. They should be required reading for every reef keeper.
The weird thing is that it was letting out toxins even when it was alive. You could see that it was stressed though. We pulled it off pretty quickly and it is now in a quarantine tank at my friend Tuans house.
LeslieH
Well-known member
Not weird at all. As you noticed, it was stressed and that's a typical response. Good thing you were observant & got it out in time to save your corals!
