Is this a bad sign?

[breutus]

My cucumber is on the glass near the top of the water??? I have never seen this type of behavior before from him. matter of fact I have never seen him on the glass!

I have heard in starfish this can be a bad sign. but I have done anything out of the ordinary lately.

Lucas

 

[icepick96]

Never seen or heard of a cuc on the glass near the top. Is it crawling along the glass or floating? Do you have more than one in the tank? Did it get caught in a pump intake? I would definitely watch it because they can release toxins if they die.

 

[Nanook]

It is filter-feeding.

Do you have enough food sources for it?

 

[Nanook]

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/inverts/echinoderms/seacucumbers/seacucumbers.htm

 

[scbadiver]

When I set my tank back up last spring, both of mine were climbing the glass regularly. Sometimes all the way to the top. after the 30 days or so they quit doing that. They were also climbing the rocks too. Nanook be on to something, after the "stuff" starting growing in the sand they went to it and I haven't seen them on the rocks or the glass since. I guess maybe they were hungry?

 

[frenchie]

my sandsifting cucumber goes up glass by top of water, its only bad sign when it start puking out its organs, thats what it does when its stressed or in danger from predators most cucumbers not all are poisonous when that happens.

 

[breutus]

well he's been in the for well over a year now and never seen this behavior, I did just clean the sand though recently and thats something I don't do very often so maybe he was short on food, but he is definitly on the glass, though much closer to the bottom now. thanks guys I'll keep you informed!

 

[frenchie]

why did you clean sand for, if you have a deep sandbed you can cause a nitrate spike or a small cycle. in a deepsandbed critters keep it clean plus enough water movement to lightly blow around top layer, if you really want something to clean sand get a little two spot gobie, good sand sifters.

 

[frenchie]

i moved sand around alot once moving all my live rock around and started having algae problems and lost a few corals before so my rule of thumbs is get everything the way you like it and don't touch it.

 

[breutus]

well I only have about two to three inches of sand, and I have had a bad diatom problem lately and after a couple of months the whole sandbed is brown so clear it off. I don't think I have enough flow but haven't had the money to pick up another Pump