Sea Cucumbers

[mikeysfish]

I recently added a sand sifting Cucumber to my 90 gallon salt tank and less than a week later my Copperbanded Butterfly fish died early this morning and then this afternoon my yellow tang died rather suddenly. Both fish seemed healthy. My daughter said she saw the sea cucmber secreting something. Do you think the cucmber was the cause of the fishes death?

 

[Luketendo]

I'm no expert but I heard they secrete toxins.

Ah it only happens if they die.

 

[Lynden]

Sea cucumbers eject sticky threads from the anus for self defense. These are typically toxic and can kill fish. When the cuke dies it also releases poison, and if it is left to rot it will "nuke" the tank like many echinoderms.

 

[chrissaysyes]

is this all sea cukes? I dont know much about them but I thought I remembered reading about certain species that werent toxic?

 

[Lynden]

The info applies to all, though smaller ones will have a lesser effect.

 

[chrissaysyes]

gotcha, and definitely good to know. I'd like to keep my nem my only "death nuke."

 

[Lynden]

The tiger tail cuke appears less likely to "death nuke" than the others. Many people even keep them in nanos, but the risk, smaller as it is, still remains. Sea cukes are awesome animals in my opinion, but are best observed in their domain.

 

[chrissaysyes]

Sea cukes are awesome animals in my opinion, but are best observed in their domain.