yellow cucumbers

[sly fox]

in shimeks marine inverts book it says that he did not know of nukes from yellow cuc's... are they ok to have in a crab free tank?

[dendro982]

This one didn't nuke tank, when died after a toxic tank crash:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/mix/goldenatworkAug25.jpg
Corals survived its death in hospital container, with some carbon, of course, just in case.

in store it looked like this:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/mix/goldencukeasinstoreAug7a.jpg

Only protect heaters!
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/mix/yellowheater2.jpg

I had it with small emerald crabs - no problem.

The substrate should be not so coarse, as on my pictures.
Love this creature!

[livingcorals]

I heard it might take a few days before the nuke'r lets out..

[sly fox]

interesting! they look great..

[livingcorals]

I have a tan one in my reef and it does do a good job with the sand!

[dendro982]

In my case, crash started, when I was at home and took few hours.

My tank had toxic crash after death of two not cucumbers, with followed evisceration on dark grey with silver grey sand-sifting cucumber. I removed bodies as soon, as I seen them, and moved all still alive in any containers at the hand (luckily, I have a big tank to take water from).

Yellow cucumber and pink-green filter feeding cucumber died on the next day, despite multiple water changes and constantly changed carbon. Skin lesion, as from toxic gases, no evisceration.

Corals are alive and well from the same tank, including xenia.
Sorry for gruesome description.

[livingcorals]

Gzzz in that case thank you for telling me that.

[gholland]

We had a tank crash a day or two after we stopped seeing our 1" yellow sea cuke... xenia, tubipora, zoas... all got sick and quickly diminished until they died.

[livingcorals]

Any idea what killed it off?

[LeslieH]

Ron was talking about the small filter feeder Colochirus robustus. Dendro, your's is a detritus sweeper, looks like a Stichopus.

[dendro982]

I thought, that I'm buying Colochirus robustus :D
Sits on the top, small, pure yellow, spiky...

BTW, there should be the yellow filter feeding Pentacta cucumber - P. lutea, may be as safe, as the pink-green was. Never seen them, although.

gholland:
Do you have a photo of your cucumber - how it looks in LFS and when expanded? To be able to recognize it in the store.

[LeslieH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11752464#post11752464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dendro982
I thought, that I'm buying Colochirus robustus :D
Sits on the top, small, pure yellow, spiky...


That's the problem with short descriptions - often they can apply to several species. A lot of current taxonomic research goes into cleaning the mess left by original descriptions that weren't descriptive enough!
:lol:

Take a look at the feeding tentacles. Colochirus has ones with tree-like branching. The ones on Stichopus look like sections of cauliflower. That's a really big clue as to how they feed.

[650-IS350]

I love my tigertail cucs.

[gholland]

Pretty sure mine was the Colochirus robustus... can't swear it was the cuke that wiped out the tank, but the timing is very suspect... enough so that I won't buy another one.

[dendro982]

That why I'm asking about photos from keepers - of cucumber contracted (as it frequently seen in the stores, for visual recognition) and open - to see is it filter feeding or sand sifting. There should be difference even between yellow Colochirus and yellow Pentacta. Love Pentactas - does anybody knows their maximal size?

[Wrench]

Here's mine, not sure on the species. Feeders branch and he filters the sand better than anything else in the tank. Had it for over a year now and it's around 7" long.

http://www.pbase.com/tonybracci/image/76089616.jpg

[dendro982]

Any problems with it so far?

[crystl]

ive had my yellow for about a year now with no problems ......it does a awesome job on the sand ...

i have in the past tried to id him but have always come up empty ...he looks just like the pics posted here in this thread ...

[Wrench]

Nope, no real problems with it. Every now and then it moves a coral around but that's it. Had it almost two years now.

[dendro982]

Thank you, Wrench!

crystl: Do you have a photo? For all of us - for visual recognition, especially, when in store :)

Maximal length and additional feedings (if ever) will help too.

Mine contracted was min 3", max extended ~7", normally ~4.5".
2 shrimp pellets for bottom feeders as an additional feeding - had only shallow sand bed in nano tank. In store I thought, that it was filter feeder...

[crystl]

as soon as i catch him out tonight ill snap a pic

[SINNERMF]

I've always used the Black "sand sifting" cucumbers. My LFS has one that as at least a foot not stretched out.

[Tajjo]

Do the Pink hot dog cucumbers release all the deadley toxins apon death?

[dendro982]

Pink-black sand sifting or pink-green filter feeding?

This one doesn't:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/mix/PentactaclosedOct4.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/mix/cukesbothAug10.jpg
his yellow relative, Pentacta aurea, shouldn't too.

Has habit of licking fingers - fun to watch:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/CukeSept26.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g78/dendro982/Pentacta_ancepsAug9.jpg

[Tajjo]

sand shifting