Pink "hot dog" sea cucumber dying or what?

[the other tang]

I have had a pink sea cucumber for several months now. I had a near tank crash a month or two after moving the tank to the new house, he looked really bad but survived. That was 6 months ago and the tank is very stable now.Today he looks even worse for no reason. He is almost in two pieces but both are moving. He has a couple strands of flesh holding the frond and rear halves together. Is he splitting or dying? I have him in a cup watching him and he is still moving. I accidentally tore a tigertail in half once moving rocks and both halves lived, is this how they breed, are they asexual? Thank for the info in advance.

Rusty

 

[LeslieH]

Many of the smaller holothuroids do have asexual reproduction in addition to sexual. It does sound like yours is splitting. Keep it isolated for a while longer so the ends heal up before you put it back in your main tank.

 

[the other tang]

Thanks. He is in a cup sitting on the hood of the tank, temp is not an issue but what about everything else? O2, C0O2 build up, and so on. How long can i keep him out of the tank? I have been refreshing his water every hour or so.

 

[LeslieH]

Why don't you float him in a basket?

 

[the other tang]

I believe they are toxic once they die, I remember something about there insides is toxic and must be removed asap. I may be wrong though. Thy might be talking about several hours to totally decomposing in the system as opposed to removing the as soon as they die. What do you think?

 

[LeslieH]

The degree of toxicity varies between species. These are not so bad and from your description it's splitting into 2 individuals (a normal procedure) rather than dying so it shouldn't be a problem anyway. Still, it's always good to be cautious so go ahead & keep it isolated until you're sure it's okay. Someone else will have to answer about water changes.

 

[RicksReefs]

it's probably stressful enough dividing, I wouldn't put the added stress of quickly changing parameters (in a cup) in the mix. I'd at least drill holes in the cup and put it into the tank near the flow of a pump. you can still keep an eye on it and dump it if needed, but like Leslie said, it should be fine.