Black Cucumber help please!

wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
So I came home with some live rock the other day and lo and behold... a big freakin' Black Cucumber comes crawling out!!!
So I immediately took him out and did my best to acclimate him back in. While he was inthe accimation bucket, he stetched himself out to ~7 inches. From what I found online by doing a quick google search though is that black cucumbers are expert level inverts with the potential to nuke the tank if he dies... but on the other hand they are also supposed to be excellent sand sifters (something I am in the market in) and I think it looks cool too (already named him Mr. Hankey lol).
So my question is this... since I am going to assume that my tank's parameters are not exactly matchng the cucumber's specific requirements, I am doing my best to monitor the cucumber's behavior but the problem is I don't know the difference between a happy cucumber and a stressed one. Currenlty this Black Cucumber has been among the rockwork and as I write this he is on the glass of the tank... but I imagine that being the sand sifter that he is he would be down in the sand if he was happy?
If anyone has any experience with Black Cucumbers please chime in and tell me what normal cucumber behavior is so I can better judge it's mood.
Thanks! :D
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/386451/black-cucumber-help-please#post_3394796
I highly recommend trading it in to your LFS for credit.
Can you elaborate a little on your comment? Although I am considering taking it back (and the store said they would accept it), since I do kind of like it I would like to try for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. The only problem is I'm unsure of its habits (and neither do the people at a couple of stores I've been too).
Yesterday I found it hiding in some rock, so I moved it to the sand, and it felt around the sand for a while with it's feelers and eventually went back into the rocks. This morning, I checked and saw that it is still under the rock, in the same spot, but in the sand I could see what looked like tracks that I've never seen before, so I assume it was made by the sea cucumber during the night.
So the only two possibilities I can come up with is that either its nocternal and is simply sleeping in the rocks or its not and its hiding in the rocks because its stressed... only problem is that no one seems to know which it is.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
They really need to be kept in large, very established tanks in order to survive. They have a tendency to suck the life out of your live sand which can really create some issues for the tank. The worst part is that they're not good with any sort of parameter swings and if they die in your tank, they'll nuke it. To me, they're just not worth the risk.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The Black Cucumbers are good, easy to care for detrivores in my opinion. If it doesn't get enough to eat it will begin to shrink down in size.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
So today the cucumber spent all day on the glass at the top of the tank. Is this a sign that things aren't good? I would think so since it should be in the sand. I'm thinking that if its still there in the morning I'll take him out and return him before he gets a chance to disappear into the rockwork.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
No problem Bang Guy.

This is after I moved him back onto the sand. He felt around the sand for a little while, then went back up on the glass. Now I just realized, since a few days prior to getting the cucumber, I removed all of my crushed coral sand and replaced it with live sand. Could it be possible that the sand is just simply too new and there isn't much food in the sand and for the time being this cucumber would rather eat what may be groing on the glass like the snails do?
Also, I would say for about the last 24 hours, he's been on on the same spot on the glass, at the top of the aquarium. He moves when I touch him, so atleast I know he's alive.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
What type of live sand did you replace it with? Bagged? Out of someone's tank? From here?
They don't move quickly.
What size tank is this is and how much sand do you have?
Honestly, I don't recommend sea cucumbers in anything under 90+G.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
That's the Cuc I was thinking of. BTL & I disagree and it's probably better to err on the safe side in this hobby so I would not ignore that advice. That said I have not heard of a Black Cuc nuking a tank, that doesn't mean it can't happen. If it's not getting the food it needs it will shrink to a size that can be supported by the amount of food available. It will eat sinking food pellets if you want to see it eat.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Bang Guy, I was under the impression that even the cucumbers that aren't toxic can release their organs which can be toxic? Is this not one that can do that?
I just haven't seen many people have any sort of success with them long term in smaller tanks.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
This Black Cuc is actually edible, not that I would ever eat it again...
I would personally avoid any Cuc that has bright colors, basically anything pretty. If it starts shrinking then that means it's not receiving sufficient nutrition. If it were me I would wait a couple months to see if it can maintain its size.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Well, paranoia got the better of me today and I took the cucumber out of the tank. He was actually really good when stuffed in a hollowed out jalepeno and wrapped in bacon, then dunked in some rasberry chipotle grilling sauce!
J/K I took him back to the shop and traded him in for a master test kit lol!
Gonna miss you Mr. Hankey!
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/386451/black-cucumber-help-please#post_3395097
This Black Cuc is actually edible, not that I would ever eat it again...
I would personally avoid any Cuc that has bright colors, basically anything pretty. If it starts shrinking then that means it's not receiving sufficient nutrition. If it were me I would wait a couple months to see if it can maintain its size.
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386451/black-cucumber-help-please#post_3395098
AGAIN???????????
Exactly what I thought when I read that...
I was under the impression that even the ones that might be safe to us are not necessarily safe to a fish tank. I honestly can not remember who told me this.
 
slice

slice

Active Member
It wasn't a black one, it was kinda yellow-orange, but a year-ish ago, sea cucumber was one of the "Chef's Choice" "bonuses" on a sushi boat.
I tried it.
Luckly there was enough ginger, wasabi and Kirin for my taste buds to return to normal after a while.
I agree with Bang Guy....never again...
 
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