Sea Cuke Puke

[journey0820]

I am so upset. My sea cucumber is in the process of vomiting his intestines out. He's seemed so happy and healthy. I'm at a loss. I did hear the mantis shrimp clicking just before the incident but I thought I had him locked up in a cave that I covered up. I can't think of why the cuke is feeling threatened unless it is the mantis.

I'm siphoning the resulting goo out with a turkey baster and HOPE that he is not one of the guys who will poison my tank. He is supposed to be one of the Pacific variety who does not.

My salinity is at 1.024 which is slightly higher than it was on Friday when I did a water change and upped the salinity (by .002) after reading some invert books that suggested this. I've also slowly been increasing the temp. From 74 to 76 since Friday. There have been some fluctuations in the mean time. My water parameters are the best they have been in a week...but they are still adjusting. Ammonia is less than .10, Ph 7.8, Nitrites .25, Nitrates .20. It's a new tank so things are still stabilizing.

The set up has been nontraditional - if you think that might be related you can read more about set up at: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147828

Any thoughts? I have a second cuke in there and I don't want this happening to him too.

What do I do now? I know in the wild they can regenerate their intestines but I don't know about in captivity and if there is anything I can do to help...ugh...

 

[journey0820]

Another thing:
Yesterday one of my cukes was laying across my stone anemone...could the anemone have stung it and it is just reacting now?

 

[journey0820]

Found this:
The sea cucumber, when stimulated, will raise the anus, point it in the direction of the stimulation, and contract the body wall to expel the tubules through the anal opening. The Cuvierian tubules are sticky and toxic, and are used to simply confuse the predator. These digestive tubules are lost when the sea cucumber takes this action, and can be re-grown later. In at least two species of holothuroids auto-explosion of the Cuvierian tubules occurs seasonally, but it is not known exactly why. http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses05/PapersMarineEcologyArticles/SeaCucumbers.html


But what are the chances that mine are the two types out of 1500 that do this seasonally?

 

[liverock1]

Found this:
The sea cucumber, when stimulated, will raise the anus, point it in the direction of the stimulation, and contract the body wall to expel the tubules through the anal opening. The Cuvierian tubules are sticky and toxic, and are used to simply confuse the predator. These digestive tubules are lost when the sea cucumber takes this action, and can be re-grown later. In at least two species of holothuroids auto-explosion of the Cuvierian tubules occurs seasonally, but it is not known exactly why. http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses05/PapersMarineEcologyArticles/SeaCucumbers.html


But what are the chances that mine are the two types out of 1500 that do this seasonally?

Normal behavior.....if a cuke dies you will know it as they turn to a pile of white snot....and also is not toxic...like indo cukes!

Richard TBS:grinyes::grinyes::grinyes:

 

[journey0820]

Normal behavior.....if a cuke dies you will know it as they turn to a pile of white snot....and also is not toxic...like indo cukes!

Richard TBS:grinyes::grinyes::grinyes:

Thank goodness...ignore my email inquiring about the same thing. I went into freak out mode. I think I discovered the culprit if there was one...darn mantis that I thought I had so craftily confined to his cave. But- oh no - he is smarter than me and found another exit to torment my creatures (somebody's always got to be the bad guy right?). Anyway...he was evacuated after the cuke incident.

The cuke is filling back up with water. Hopefully this is a good sign.