Sea Apple Help Please

[BostonReefer300]

My Sea Apple cucumber which has been perfectly healthy and happy for months just started expelling thick white mucus from the same hole as its feeders come out. Is this a sign of it dying? Should I remove it immediately? Or did something just irritate it? It did move from its normal spot by several inches, but other than the mucus, nothing is different. It's still inflated at its normal size. Many thanks! @Jay Hemdal are sea apples in your expert scope?

 

[Nano sapiens]

My Sea Apple cucumber which has been perfectly healthy and happy for months just started expelling thick white mucus from the same hole as its feeders come out. Is this a sign of it dying? Should I remove it immediately? Or did something just irritate it? It did move from its normal spot by several inches, but other than the mucus, nothing is different. It's still inflated at its normal size. Many thanks! @Jay Hemdal are sea apples in your expert scope?

I kept one of these successfully for a few years back in the '70's, but it never moved from the first spot it selected (under the outflow from a HOB).

Since yours moved, I would suspect something is not to it's liking. If it were dying it would poison the aquarium, but expelling mucus may just be a sign that it's irritated.

I'd keep a close eye on the other inhabitants and if they appear in any kind of mild distress perform ~30% water change and add some GAC for potential toxin removal. If they look severely distressed, and the Sea Apple isn't releasing any more mucus, perform a larger water change and change GAC frequently to ensure that any toxins are mitigated.

Obviously, if the Apple is continuously releasing mucus and/or starts deteriorating/loosing it's appendages, it needs to be removed ASAP.

 

[vetteguy53081]

No panic. Its evisceration. Its what ?? A sea cucumber behavior wherein they can EXPEL their guts THROUGH their body wall. Yuck. AWESOME. The most awkward super power ever!
Its often associated with defense but not always. They also do this seasonally , when feeding and even digesting mud they eat. It often expels those viscera (which are often quite sticky, gross and inundated with toxic body chemicals) towards oncoming predators-which usually include fish and hungry starfish.
To sum it up, the intestines in cucumbers will often build up metabolic waste and associated wear and tear" type chemicals. A regular evisceration could conveniently and economically excrete or purge these chemicals (along with the intestine and other viscera material) causing what you see.

 

[BostonReefer300]

I kept one of these successfully for a few years back in the '70's, but it never moved from the first spot it selected (under the outflow from a HOB).

Since yours moved, I would suspect something is not to it's liking. If it were dying it would poison the aquarium, but expelling mucus may just be a sign that it's irritated.

I'd keep a close eye on the other inhabitants and if they appear in any kind of mild distress perform ~30% water change and add some GAC for potential toxin removal. If they look severely distressed, and the Sea Apple isn't releasing any more mucus, perform a larger water change and change GAC frequently to ensure that any toxins are mitigated.

Obviously, if the Apple is continuously releasing mucus and/or starts deteriorating/loosing it's appendages, it needs to be removed ASAP.

Thank you!

 

[BostonReefer300]

No panic. Its evisceration. Its what ?? A sea cucumber behavior wherein they can EXPEL their guts THROUGH their body wall. Yuck. AWESOME. The most awkward super power ever!
Its often associated with defense but not always. They also do this seasonally , when feeding and even digesting mud they eat. It often expels those viscera (which are often quite sticky, gross and inundated with toxic body chemicals) towards oncoming predators-which usually include fish and hungry starfish.
To sum it up, the intestines in cucumbers will often build up metabolic waste and associated wear and tear" type chemicals. A regular evisceration could conveniently and economically excrete or purge these chemicals (along with the intestine and other viscera material) causing what you see.

Thank you @vetteguy53081 ! Will the viscera (which also has red in it) harm anything? It’s very sticky and a big glob is currently stuck on a nearby rock. I tried to siphon it out, but it’s like glue almost

 

[dhnguyen]

If you start seeing eggs being released then it's time to panic.
I had a sea apple nuked my tank once years ago and took out every fish I had. Never again.

 

[Nano sapiens]

I see, your description of 'mucus' is in actuality the stringy viscera that they often expel when perturbed.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

A picture might help. If the sea apple has actually eviscerated, that can release toxins into the water - that is a defensive reaction that they have to some stressor. I've only kept sea apples in a single species tank because of that risk, so I can't really tell you exactly how toxic that release can be.

Jay

P.s. - sea apples poop out of the same hole they feed from, and their viscera get released the same way.

 

[BostonReefer300]

I see, your description of 'mucus' is in actuality the stringy viscera that they often expel when perturbed.

Thank you!

 

[BostonReefer300]

A picture might help. If the sea apple has actually eviscerated, that can release toxins into the water - that is a defensive reaction that they have to some stressor. I've only kept sea apples in a single species tank because of that risk, so I can't really tell you exactly how toxic that release can be.

Jay

P.s. - sea apples poop out of the same hole they feed from, and their viscera get released the same way.

Thank you Jay! I put it in a hospital tank for now. I've looked up evisceration in cucumbers and that's definitely what it is. I don't know what could have stressed it as nothing has changed with the tank that I can tell in a while. He did move though from the same spot he was in for a few months. I'll watch him for a few days while I try to figure out if I'm going to keep him or return him to the LFS. That would be a shame since he's such a unique creature in the DT