Cool as can be: Have you ever kept a cucumber in your aquarium?

[Liam's tank]

Cool as can be: Have you ever kept a cucumber in your aquarium?

Cucumbers are both vulnerable and dangerous to the other creatures in a reef tank. While they have limited external protection, a cucumber’s ability to secrete a toxic solution when stressed can decimate all the living inhabitants in the aquarium. Some cucumbers can sift microorganisms out of the sand and others can filter microorganisms out of the water column. Adding a cucumber to your tank does come with risks, but the reward of keeping a unique, alien-looking creature can be very alluring to some reef keepers. Have you ever kept a cucumber in your aquarium? If so, feel free to share pictures, tips, and any recommendations that you may have with the R2R community!

Photo by @MatteZ; Tiger Sea Cucumber


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

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I have a Florida cucumber that hitchhiked in on my live rock, been hanging out on my rock for 8 months now.

 

[forestsofkelp]

I’ve kept 1-2 for over 8 years. Never an issue. Handled them pretty roughly too. Had one die in the tank, no issue. Usually tiger tails.

I’m sure some species are dangerous, but IME no real issues. Meanwhile I’ve seen sea hares ink, sea apples are a different beast.

Keep in mind some animals have different danger thresholds.
If in squeeze/handle a cucumber or sea hare briefly, they don’t mind. Sea hares are more sensitive and will ink if handled too much/heavily/squeezed. Cucs I’ve never seen get really irritated.

 

[Joekovar]

I had a sea apple for a few days when I first started before my buddy told me if it dies it could nuke my tank.

 

[Jimbo]

Had a Tiger Tail for 2 years, was tiny but got real big. Hardly ever saw him. Then out of the blue he wrapped himself around an MP40…….got a little hacked up. Wasn’t easy pulling him out of it.

Ran some carbon and everything was fine but if you get one beware. Heard stories of them getting into overflows too. Be careful.

 

[Boehmtown]

I much prefer a sea hare. Then a conch. But I have a pink and black one now. It's always somewhere weird

 

[robbous]

I have one in my tank and have had it 8 years

 

[1979fishgeek]

I’ve had a spiney sea cucumber for 5 months, his name is Vlad (Dracula) because he is nocturnal and only feeds at night.

He climbed to my weir comb the day I got him and has never moved since.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Yes, So I brought this home from a friend’s house. I knew of the dangers but my reef is pretty well established and so I thought I’d just keep a close eye on it. After about 4 months it began to shrink, another word for starve. It didn’t make it.
Living in the south west, (Arizona) my blue star thought he’d play cowboy. Lol

 

[Spieg]

They are great for keeping the sand clean.

 

[TinnysReef]

Is it weird I love to see the pile of perfectly cylindrical sand poops from the cucumbers? Nice cleaned sand pellets. I have 5 right now - 2 red ones, one tiger, and 3 of these big guys.

 

[Macbalacano]

I had a sea cucumber in my last tank, but I lived in constant fear of it releasing toxins. It ended up dying after a while, and I got it out before it did any damage. I would not get one again personally.

 

[Labridaedicted]

I have 2 at the moment. Been in there for like 6 years. Ones a yellowish color and thr others a black one. Both are mid sized sand sifting varieties. Great little vacuum cleaners for the tank.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I collect small cucumbers (mostly small yellow ones). I have 2 in my 'Local' tank and 1 in my coral & anemone only tank.

 

[mfinn]

I've had at least 1 in my bigger tanks for 25+ years.

 

[jhadaway]

I have an ugly brown one. He's about 2 years old now and still getting bigger. Dirty sand goes in the front. Clean sand pooped out the back. Fantastic part of my CUC.

 

[exnisstech]

I’ve had them show up months after last sighting ….when I converted to bare bottom I thought I lost mine. only to discover it several months later alive and well in. my bare bottom…I actual saw it a few months ago

My experience is similar only mine has reproduced and one part has made it's way down to the sump. I find one every now and then when I'm rearranging things. I didn't even know they split when I got mine. I came out a few days after I bought it and saw two. Not really sure how many I have now.

 

[Labridaedicted]

Nighttime so my 2 are actually out (kind of)

 

[Doctorgori]

My experience is similar only mine has reproduced and one part has made its way down to the sump. I find one every now and then when I'm rearranging things. I didn't even know they split when I got mine. I came out a few days after I bought it and saw two. Not really sure how many I have now.

Wow, as it also turn out I had a similar story to yours…
Anyway, a long time ago during a emergency tear down I found 2 cukes when I only bought one…
I NEVER had nerve to post it as I wasn’t sure how in the heck I ended up with more cukes than I started with, but apparently they divide or something..

 

[philippe scuba]

i have one for 5 years
my kids call T****

 

[AlexandraDreadlocksPanda]

DON’T TAKE THE GAMBLE! I had a Holothuria edulis in my 680L system, it was the size of my little finger. I had switched off pumps to feed fish as is my morning routine, put Nori in clip, Nero pumps restart after 15 mins. Cuke had climbed about 18” up the glass, and into a Nero 5 pump. Normally the Tangs would have demolished all the algae in the clip in about 45 minutes. Hardly any of it was gone, so it must have happened when pumps restarted and I was getting ready for work.
Went in the next morning, looked in the tank and thought ‘where is everybody?’… then I saw them all either floating or on the bottom. 100% mortality. I still hate myself for putting that cuke in there and it’s been a few years now….