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View Full Version : Cucumber Squirted "Webbing" What do I do?


milkit
07/21/2009, 10:24 AM
I have a small yellow cucumber (maybe 2-3 inches about 1/2 diameter) and I was just moving a rock around and found him dangling from the rock. Laid him and the rock back down, and shortly after this spider web type stuff started to appear all around in that area.

Its a 29g fish only tank, no sump/skimmer/fuge, just an eclipse3 hood.

I did a 10g water change, its all the water I had made up.

Should i keep chaning water or should I be ok?

Livestock = 2 x tomato clowns and a dottyback, coral banded shrimp, and various snails/crabs

milkit
07/21/2009, 10:27 AM
just took this pic

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3209/img0309req.jpg (http://img197.imageshack.us/i/img0309req.jpg/)

noahm
07/21/2009, 10:30 AM
Depending on the cuke (atlantic/gulf varieties are not nearly as toxic like some of the indo types), it may just be stressed and kicking out its insides. I have had my tigertails do this a few times with no ill effects. One is yellow, but d/k if this is the same kind. Crabs seem to love to eat the stringy goo. It wouldn't hurt to run some carbon and keep a close eye out for any ill effects. If it is an unknown origin/type, you may want to QT it until it settles down as a precaution as some can be quite toxic.

milkit
07/21/2009, 10:32 AM
it was from reefs2go.com their "mini" yellow cucumber. they dont have it on the site anymore though. it looks pretty much like this

http://technology.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn13420/dn13420-1_500.jpg

Amoore311
07/21/2009, 11:06 AM
That spider webbing is from the tube worms on your live rock, not the cucumber. I get the same thing any time I blow the rocks out or otherwise kick up some detritus into the water column.

milkit
07/21/2009, 11:16 AM
oh. i guess i bothered them too them. is it dangerous?

Amoore311
07/21/2009, 11:19 AM
Nope. That's how the little tube worms feed, they cast out their little nets. Then after a short time they pull their nets back in and eat w/e crud they catch on them.

Aquafred
07/21/2009, 11:22 AM
+1 on above these most probably came from those tubes on the rocks, forgot the exact name of those but it ain't tube worms. You should remove those tubes along with the base of those to kill them as their web can irritate nearby corals. maybe someone can post the exact name.

h2obaby
07/21/2009, 11:43 AM
I think they are called spaghetti worms...and they can really make a mess..I snap them off , but they return.

milkit
07/21/2009, 01:20 PM
ok sounds good. I will start trying to remove them when I can, however this tank has no corals and I dont plan to have any so I guess it wont be a huge issue, other than the webs looking dumb

demonboy369
07/21/2009, 01:50 PM
they are vermetid snails. not spaghetti worms.

their webs won't harm anything (can irritate corals about like an ant climbing your arm) they are just kinda ugly.

JaguarZax
07/21/2009, 08:30 PM
Watch them awhile, they are fascinating to watch moving around.