4 days ago I purchased a tiger tail cucumber from an only dealer. It arrived in great shape and after an over 2 hour dip acclimation it was added to the tank. The tank has now been estlibished for over a year. Once the cuc. was on the sandbed it went to work right away but headed towards the rockwork. I know they are nocturnal so I wasn't worried. It then settled underneth a rock over hang until all the lights went out for the night. After a few hours of darkness I went to check on it. It was in the same location but was now moving towards the rock work again. I didnt notice anything wrong with its appearence and I did see sand pellets behind it. However, I did notice that there were quite a few pods crawling. It was ungulating and still moving. In the morning I check on it and it was completely in the rock work and not much was visible. I had to look through tiny cracks in the rocks to see what I did. After that morning I have not seen it since. Do they/can they live in the rock work? I have not seen any more pellets which would indicate it's still alive. And on top of that my skimmer is normal which I would think would be going nuts if it was dead. I'm just concerned bc of all the pods that were covering it they first night. Any one know anything about this particular species. Can it live solely in the rock?
Tiger tail cuc.
- Thread starter jmowbray
- Start date
per liveaquaria.com:
"For best care, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber should be kept in larger systems with thick sand beds and rocky caves for shelter. The natural diet of the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber consists of diatoms, microalgae, bacteria, meaty foods, and other detritus. Interestingly, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber is one of the few species that attaches its lower body to the inside of its shelter and only extends its anterior half when searching for food. "
you would know if it was dead.. since pretty much everything else in the tank will be dead too
"For best care, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber should be kept in larger systems with thick sand beds and rocky caves for shelter. The natural diet of the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber consists of diatoms, microalgae, bacteria, meaty foods, and other detritus. Interestingly, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber is one of the few species that attaches its lower body to the inside of its shelter and only extends its anterior half when searching for food. "
you would know if it was dead.. since pretty much everything else in the tank will be dead too
According to numerous people this species of cuc does not expel a toxin when dead. I also forgot that when I transfered it it did expel some inerds so I'm sure its hidding and healing. I hope it get's out and cleans the sand a bit. Not that it's dury but it needs to be mixed up a bit.
cloak
New member
The picture below was the last time I ever saw my Tigertail cucumber again. I'm not sure if it died in the tank or not, but I never did experience anything out of the ordinary so to say. (toxins)
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/inverts
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/inverts
You'd be surprised how many places there are in your tank for a soft bodied invert to hide. It's the same reason so many pests go unnoticed even while livestock is disappearing. I'm sure the cuc is just recovering from the stress of expelling its innards and will turn up again at some point.
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