Tiger tail cucumber in SPS tank?

[jdamon]

Posted this in the invert forum and got nothing.... Maybe this is a more appropriate forum, as the high flow (for SPS) is causing the problem. Any of you SPS guys have a sea cucumber in your system?



I have a 5' x 2' x 2' tank with 2 MP40's. I added a tiger tail cuke as part of the clean up crew. Had one in the past, and it was awesome, always ingesting the sand and cleaning it! When I put this one in, it got blown all over (MP40's set to very low). It managed to get into the rock work and never came out. It spent a few weeks in there until I got paranoid and placed it into the refugium. I did read that some species set up shop in one spot, but I am used to my old cuke that would wonder all around the sand bed. I'm worried it will die and release toxins, should I just take him back to LFS? Is it possible to have enough food in small refugium for it to survive? Should I put it back into display and not worry about it staying in one spot inside the rocks? Is there any type if food I can feed it? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Oldude]

I had one years ago and it stayed hidden in the rear of the tank and at night stretched out to the front and ate all the sand and then pooped it all out in the back of the tank behind the rockwork. Never kept one since, I prefer diamond gobies for keeping the sand nice & white.

 

[nozleman]

I have about 4 or 5 in my tank they are awesome and don't hurt SPS at all, go for it!

 

[shih87]

I put one tiger tail cucumber into my tank at least 2.5 years ago, and it turn to four or five in my tank now and each one is huge. They do have the same behavior as you mentioned, stay under rock, but I can see and count them if I want at night time. It never bother me since they look pretty healthy, but function-wise is not that great.

 

[Whisperer]

I have two in my 120. They are al over the place and sometimes climb up the side panels. I have them for years, never reproduced. Great sand polishers.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Can someone post a picture?

 

[jda]

I have a few too. One tiger tail and one black one. Great sand cleaners for me with no complaints.

 

[jdamon]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Just feeling uncomfortable as all cucumbers come with a warning now that if they are unhappy or perish in your tank the can nuke it... that warning wasn't there in 2000! Ignorance is bliss

 

[jda]

I have had a couple die in my tanks. One from a delayed shipment with bag water about 60 degrees - it died a few days later. Another one from that same shipment after just a few days too. No issues other than the smell of getting a slimy, stringy blob of goo out of the tank.

The established ones that I have are VERY hardy.

I wouldn't grind one up in a powerhead, or anything, but these two dead ones did no damage to my tank.