Sea cucumber got shreaded in powerhead

[s.holmes]

Hey guys, i am new to all of this. I have a 25 gallon reef tank.2 days ago i went to my LFS. And not knowing much about sea cucmbers i bought a orange one because it was super cool.... But what wasnt super cool was how the next night it got sucked up in my powerhead and poisioned my tank. When i woke up all my fish had died and my corals were not happy. I did a 70% water change yesterday and im running carbon right now. Everything is looking good again today. but just wondering if anyone else has had a experence like this and how long did u wait to add fish again? thanks for your replies in adance .

[teemee]

Fingers crossed for you. My cucumber nuked my tank!
Never again...
That said, lots of people have them without problems...

[lemon604]

I had thesame problem before and it took me months and several water changes before I can put a fish. Start with a cheap one first like dampsel before putting an expensive one. Don't even try shrimps until you are sure it is ok or it will just die right on contact with the water.

[Din Gior]

I'd probably add bag of carbon to remove remaining toxins from the water.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by lemon604

I had thesame problem before and it took me months and several water changes before I can put a fish. Start with a cheap one first like dampsel before putting an expensive one. Don't even try shrimps until you are sure it is ok or it will just die right on contact with the water.

Damsels ?! That's probably the worst fish to put in a 25 gallon tank (and the best if that's the best first and last fish to be added in the tank). And I would choose a "hardy" fish over a "cheap" fish; life shouldn't be thrown away depending on the price tag....

[Magickiwi]

I am missing my black knobbly and I'm almost certain it was eaten by an errant rock crab that I just noticed a couple of days ago. Wouldn't it nuke my tank too? Or at least the stupid crab?

[Skimmer Juice]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

Damsels ?! That's probably the worst fish to put in a 25 gallon tank (and the best if that's the best first and last fish to be added in the tank). And I would choose a "hardy" fish over a "cheap" fish; life shouldn't be thrown away depending on the price tag....

thats exactly what I was thinking. Everything living I buy my intentions to keep it living .

[s.holmes]

Originally Posted by lemon604

I had thesame problem before and it took me months and several water changes before I can put a fish. Start with a cheap one first like dampsel before putting an expensive one. Don't even try shrimps until you are sure it is ok or it will just die right on contact with the water.

Its funny you mention about shrimps because i have a fire shrimp in there and he wasnt affected at all. Same with my hermits and my snails. Its was just the fish that died and today my corals all seem fine. So not sure if that means its ok again or if there is still stuff in their that would affect a new fish . maybe another water change and i will try. *fingers crossed*

Ps. Thank you everyone for all your replies

[Dearth]

Most Sea Cucumbers because they are slow moving have a defence mechanism where if injured or killed release a toxin into the water to deter eating in the open ocean it isn't an issue but a closed system it can be deadly.

People have had varying results with sea cucumbers but if you suspect that it has died or been injured what other reefers on various sites have recommended is to do a massive water change immediately 50-70% start running carbon and then a few days later do another big water change. You might or might not have massive loss it has been reported that some tanks have been virtually untouched from cucumber death while others virtually became a waste land overnight. If you run a quarantine tank catch what you can of fish, inverts and coral and wait for the water to get back to normal if not watch for illness or death.

I like sea cucumbers and have 2 in my tank but come with a hidden danger which is why it is always important to do your research before buying so you know what your getting into.

[Magickiwi]

Maybe mine was kidnapped by aliens. Didn't find a body or anything...