sea cucumber/beginner

[jhnrb]

Sea cucumbers. these are animals that may in a defensive reaction, or, in response to severe stress, expel part of their internal organs through the anus. the ejected visdera are sloughed, and if the animal had been in prior good health and the eviscerating stress is removed, the animal will grow a new set of internal organs. if this happens in a well aireated or well skimmed aquarium, and the eviscerated guts are removed from the tank, generally nothing drastic will occur. on the other hand if the eviscerating cucumber is of the wrong species, some of the animals may be poisoned and die. Some tropical bottom feeding sea cucumber species have defensive structures called cubierian tubules or cuvierian organs. if these animals are stressed, they may expel these tubules from the anus during a partial eviscreation. the cuvierian tubules are sticky and in some species, contain a vertebrate specific toxin called holothurin. I HAVE KEPT CUCUMBERS IN ALL OF MY SYSTEMS FOR YEARS AND HAVE LOST A FEW WITHOUT A PROBLEM, HOWEVER, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM IN ANYTHING LESS THAN A 5O GAL SET UP WITH A DEEP SAND BED WELL ESTABLISHED AND ALL PUMP INTAKES AND HEATERS INSTALLED SO CONTACT CANNOT OCCUR. ( INITIALLY I WOULD PASS ON THIS ITEM. READ UP WELL BEFORE PURCHASE OF ONE OF THESE AND STAY AWAY FROM THE SEA APPLES).