Any ideas?

Im just wondering if anyone can help me figure out what this is. Im new and more worried about if this is something I should get rid of or if its ok to keep. There seem to be only 2 of them right now. Ones about an inch and the other is about 2.5

 

looks kinda like a sea cucumber, but i could be wrong

 

Sea cucumber was my guess also. They can be good for your substrate but if they die in your tank they can be bad for everything.

 

Sea Cucumbers are arguably the ugliest things you can put in your saltwater aquarium. On the other hand, a number of them do an excellent job of cleaning the substrate in a saltwater aquarium, stirring the sand surface as they they inch along at glacial speed.

Many Sea Cucumbers will not only consume detritus and uneaten food, but also snails and other substrate dwelling critters, making them unsuitable for reef aquariums.

 

So they are a risk to keep but I shouldnt be to worried? Not something I need to get rid of probably?

 

Personally I would get rid of it. Maybe the lfs can give you something for it. Some can be poisonous and like ibefishy said can ruin your whole tank. Your better off with a nice CUC or a sand sifting star if you want something to keep your sand clean.

 

Thanks for the advice, I've learned a lot from reading up on here

 

I accept Karma and most major credit cards, jkin.

 

These animals are some of the same species sold in the hobby as "sand-sifting cucumbers," and aren't very closely related to the most toxic ones. I'd classify them as harmless. They are mainly detritus feeders, and while they may have parasitic snails (eulimids) that live in them or on them, I don't know of any cases of them actually eating snails? I'd be interested to read about that if you have a source.

Cheers,



Don

 

How toxic they are may very well depend on tank size/water volume. If attacked by crabs for example they may let out some of that substance, IMO its not worth it and much safer to go with other options