anorexic cucumber

[drgriff]

OK, I have a green cuck that has been in my tank for 6 weeks. He opens everyday, seems to eat well, I don't directly feed him but he continues to stick his tinticles into his mouth constantly. The front 3/4s of the cuck is still big and fat but I have noticed that the back 1/4 is shrinking. Is he not getting enough to eat? What can I supplement him with? I was planning on buying some DTs phytoplankton to feed the xenia and ricordia and mushrooms, will it help the cuck? He is the coolest thing in my tank to watch eating and I don't want him unhealthy. I also don't want him stressed enough to puck his guts out, literally. Does anyone have experience with cucks? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[drgriff]

The pic is about 4 weeks old and you can see the hole animal is full size. I will try and get another pic this afternoon of what he looks like now.

 

[ophiura]

It is a close relative, but is a very common cuke in the hobby. It is not considered to be as problematic as a sea apple, but nonetheless can be a problem and should not be kept with animals that might bother it.
Any sort of filter feeding food is quite critical for these guys. In general, it takes many months for cukes to starve to death, which is, unfortunately, very common in our tanks. Shrinking in size is a very bad thing, but you haven't had him all that long...did someone else have it before you? Get some filter feeding foods in there- liquid diets. What are your water params like, and how old is the tank?
Also be sure and protect all powerheads. Most problems with these animals come from being sucked through power heads.

 

[drgriff]

The tank is 4 1/2 months old. I added the cuck about 6 weeks ago. LFS said he would do good in my tank.
water params:
pH-8.2
temp-80
salinity-1.023
calcium-435
nitrates-0
Ophiura, what type of filter food do you recommend? DT's, Kent's, or something else? Should I directly feed the cuck, maybe with the coke bottle trick or just add it to the water? How often should I feed my filter feeders?

 

[drgriff]

here is a slightly fuzzy pic of the cuck today. The rear of the cuck is what seems to be flattening. Yesterday afternoon it was more filled out than it was yesterday morning or this morning.

 

[drgriff]

having trouble with the pic, here it is

 

[ophiura]

Well, I never recommend these sorts of animals in tanks less than 6 months old, but no worries now I wouldn't take him back there.
It is not unusual for sea cukes to change shape a lot. The body is very flexible, and they breathe out of the rear end, so water coming in and out may causes changes in the shape. General reduction in size is a bad sign, but I am not currently too alarmed.
Feed a diverse range of filter foods; diversity is always best. Follow the label instructions. You may wish to search for this on the boards, or start a topic on how people dose the tanks for certain animals. It is a hard call to make, and it would help to get more opinions on that. It usually doesn't work to spot feed these guys...they will only feed in certain concentrations of food. If a bunch is injected near them, they may close up.