It was a pretty cheap experiment. I found a place nearby to sell me some. They are cannibalistic but also eat detritus. I've got plenty of pods as well. I feed the tank frozen mysis, rotifers, cyclops and some other plankton, so I'm guessing they will get some of that. This is good, since the tiny barnacle blennies go after the larger frozen mysis. I have added two new nassarius snails for excess food clean up too.
I'm not certain mysis will survive long term, but I've wanted to try them forever. I think they would make a excellent addition to the crew. I do think there is room in the trophic structure of the system for them. I just don't know if they can match predation with reproduction, given that ALL the fish eat them. But hey, I've got pods all over, so who knows!
Yes, I agree Taricha-cucumbers often starve to death, but like the sea apples, it takes years. Unless you have a huge sand bed, one should be plenty. I waited for the tank to accumulate a lot of detritus, before adding mine. It was hard not to tidy up but I think allowing some buildup, then adding various detrivores to let THEM whittle it down, was good idea. What a beautiful, lazy excuse! Seriously, I have really enjoyed working on the bottom of the food chain. (Of course I personally don't do any of the actual work)
This way of doing things, employing natural beings, teaches me so much!
