Tigertail Cucumber ...

So I was at my LFS yesterday and when packaging my cuc, threw in a tigertail cucumber saying it was "highly recommended" ... are they? I had him take it back out since it was $59.95!!
Kat
 

ryancw01

Member
I took mine back to the LFS. I don't think they are that great...all they do is eat the sand and then poop it out. Mine moved a lot of my sand to the back of the aquarium behind the rocks...I hated it. And when they die it will most likely be somewhere where you will not be able to get it out because they chill underneath the rocks so could cause an issue...Diamond Goby is a much better sand cleaner.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by Ryancw01
http:///forum/post/3177216
...Diamond Goby is a much better sand cleaner.
I disagree. appearances can be decieving.
a diamond goby is a predator. it will eat the benificial microfauna out of the sand bed and leave the detritus behind, making for a less healthy sand bed. while it appears to be doing a better job cleaning its just hiding the waste by turning it over fast. though you do get some benifit from the rate it kicks up the sand by re-suspending some of the waste for your filtration to catch.
a tigertail cucumber is a detritivore, feeding on fish waste excess foods etc. not preying on the small animals in the sand bed that keep it healthy. while it doesnt seem to be doing much the cucumber actually re-processes more waste utelizing more nutrients that would just have to break down in-situ.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by SaltWaterKitty
http:///forum/post/3177014
So I was at my LFS yesterday and when packaging my cuc, threw in a tigertail cucumber saying it was "highly recommended" ... are they? I had him take it back out since it was $59.95!!
Kat
thats an outrageous price unless the cucumber is a foot or more in size. and at about a foot or slightly larger they tend to split so you wind up with 2 instead of one. even then at 30$ apiece its a bit expensive.
 

ryancw01

Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
http:///forum/post/3178003
I disagree. appearances can be decieving.
a diamond goby is a predator. it will eat the benificial microfauna out of the sand bed and leave the detritus behind, making for a less healthy sand bed. while it appears to be doing a better job cleaning its just hiding the waste by turning it over fast. though you do get some benifit from the rate it kicks up the sand by re-suspending some of the waste for your filtration to catch.
I guess this would depend on why you have sand in your aquarium. If you are using the DSM(deep sand method) for filtration purposes then I would agree with you because you need those microfauna to help with breaking down waste. I personally just use sand for appearance and decoration in the display and only keep my sand about an inch or so thick. I have a DSB in my refugium that is completely untouched.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
http:///forum/post/3178003
I disagree. appearances can be decieving.
a diamond goby is a predator. it will eat the benificial microfauna out of the sand bed and leave the detritus behind, making for a less healthy sand bed. while it appears to be doing a better job cleaning its just hiding the waste by turning it over fast. though you do get some benifit from the rate it kicks up the sand by re-suspending some of the waste for your filtration to catch.
a tigertail cucumber is a detritivore, feeding on fish waste excess foods etc. not preying on the small animals in the sand bed that keep it healthy. while it doesnt seem to be doing much the cucumber actually re-processes more waste utelizing more nutrients that would just have to break down in-situ.
Very much agree. A sand sifting cucumber is better for this. Having said that, they should never be added just because. They need a particular sediment size, and a mature tank with reef parameters.
 
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