cucumber??

[smnw10]

Got this hitchhiker I believe from my Macro. I noticed it last weekend and it was about half this size. It pulls sand into it's "mouth" with it's tentacles and the sand seems to pass completely through it and out the other side, isn't this what cucumbers do? After seeing it double in size so quick, and looking an awful lot like an aptasia although not acting like one, I figured best to pull it out...not like it's colorful or anything but what the heck is it??

Fully extended it's maybe an inch long, that is very fine sand with it from the refugium and it's coloration is very much a light brown/see through color...you can actually see the sand inside it.

 

[Aquarium1]

Looks more like a feather duster IMO.

 

[cmor1701d]

Is it pooping sand pellets? If it is then it's a cuke. I have two in my tank. Exact species is important. If they get scared, picked on etc, they may evicerate their stomach (literlay puke its guts out) which may nuke a tank with toxins. I have two sand cukes that did that shortly after I got them. I did a 50% water change and didn't lose anything, so I think the ones I have are not that toxic. They are both still in the tank I do see them occasionally with a very clean sand trail behnd them.

 

[smnw10]

Yup, it poops out sand pellets. It was in my refugium so no fish or anything to pick on it but I decided to remove it to be safe. Interesting little creature.

 

[Zer0]

A1, just for reference, feather dusters don't do jack squat lol. They chill on the sandbed or on rocks and just basically, "dust" the water for any particles they could catch with their "feathers". The only movement of a feather duster you'll see is when agitated they suck their crown back in to the tube, but that's about it for dusters. As soon as i heard this creep was pulling in sand through it's mouth, i was like that's definitely not a feather duster lol. No feather dusters i know of do that haha. Anyways, smnw10, i'd say that's a pretty lucky find.

 

[cmor1701d]

My cukes go through periods where they seem to be twice their normal size. They're just stretching. The nex day they'll be back to their shorter size again.
Now that I think about, I haven't seen either of mine in quite some time.

 

[Aquarium1]

Oops lol. Well it does look a little like a feather duster lol

 

[melosu58]

Oops lol. Well it does look a little like a feather duster lol

Looks like one to me also.

 

[thincat]

Oops lol. Well it does look a little like a feather duster lol

If you watch a featherduster closely, with a magnifying glass,(Sherlock) you will see them catching food particules from the water column and passing that food from feather to feather (for lack of a better word) down and in to its tube as it feeds. Very amazing animal.

 

[cmor1701d]

At first I too thought it was a feather duster from the tube. But the mouth end looks like a cuke more than a duster, and if it's leaving sand pellets behind it's a cuke. Dusters don't do that.

 

[thincat]

cmor you are correct. I just wanted everyone to know that they should take a closer look at their animals and the wonders that are in plain view. I was amazed as I watched my featherduster feed for the first time. truely amazing.

 

[Aquarium1]

If you watch a featherduster closely, with a magnifying glass,(Sherlock) you will see them catching food particules from the water column and passing that food from feather to feater (for lack of a better word) down and in to its tube as it feeds. Very amazing animal.

I would love to do that

 

[smnw10]

I found another one in the fuge about the same size. Definitely a mobile creature pulling in sand and moving around the sand.

How beneficial are they to a system or are they too risky to keep around? It's in the fuge so it's only "tank mates" are some snails.
I've seen the much bigger ones at the LFS but never seen anything like this.

Should I keep it or remove it?

 

[cmor1701d]

Keepin git or removing it is up to you. There are differnen species of cucumbers with different levels of toxicity should they eviscerate/die.
You need to get your cukes identified by someone better at identification than me.
Please try getting some clearer pics (use the macro mode of your camera if available) and post in the Identification forum.