Daily Aquatic Factoid - 7.23.03

ryebread

ryebread

Active Member
Sea Cucumbers are wierd!!
Did you know that all sea apples are sea cucumbers but, not all sea cucumbers are sea apples?
Thelenota anax is one of the largest Sea Cukes in the ocean. It can reach 3-4 feet in length and weigh in at 20-40lbs!
In Asian cuisine, Sea Cukes are becoming more and more popular. Not only for thier taste but, for certain healing properties that are believed to be within the Chinese culture. Tasty. :D Chinese medicine folk believe eating certain parts of certain Cukes can lower blood pressure and are thought to be a "sea-ginseng" which is the Chinese translation hai-som.
Holothurin is the toxin that is contained by most Sea Cucumbers. Although Holothurin is toxic....it is not always fatal to aquarium inhabitants if something should happed. In most cases, if a Cuke dies or becomes stressed it will let out a bit of "mucus" that contains the Holothurin.....this can weaken other aquarium inhabitants or kill them if they consume too much of it. In the worste case scenario, the Cuke becomes extremely stressed ( something trying to eat it, rock falls on it, etc..) it can eject it's internal organs........this is bad news if this happens. The internal organs are much more potent as far as toxicity goes........if the Cuke expells it's organs you might be in for a total tank wipeout. :eek:
 
ryebread

ryebread

Active Member
Wouldn't it be interesting if you were in Japan minding your own business just chowing down on your favorite Cuke Fried Rice and all of the sudden a little Gobie popped out of your Cuke's butt?
 
stumpdog

stumpdog

Member
Rye-
Where do you get this stuff from? Also now when I read your posts I can help by hear Strong Bad's voice. It's killing me.
Later-
Jeremy
 
leigh

leigh

Active Member
Yowsers!
As a warning on the toxicity--I would add however, that even if only one of your fish succumbs to the toxicity--the resulting death, ammonia spike, and water instability can wipe out a tank. So don't be fooled into thinking it may not be as bad as it seems. It is... I had a threatened cuke release it's toxin (not it's internal organs) and wipe out my tank--I only had 4 relatively small fish (a lmb, a damsel, and two clowns) in a 100 gal system--killed every fish and a snail...all corals and other inverts rebounded from the ammonia spike (though they were unhappy for a few days)... the cuke got returned to the store and putzed around in the store tanks like nothing ever happened. :rolleyes:
 
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