NEWS 115
13
Pseudocolochirus
are also known as sea apples.They seek out quiet spots for themselves in the
aquarium.
Holothuria atra
- this species can grow to more than 30 cm long.
Pseudocolochirus
sp.
skinned sea cucumber is smoked or boiled
and is used, under the name trepang, for
medicinal and culinary purposes, especially
in China and the Philippines. Incorrect
preparation can lead to poisoning, though
holothurin isn't very dangerous for humans.
Skin contact can lead to burning pain, and
contact with the eyes can even cause
blindness.If you swallowholothurin then the
result is muscle cramps, stomach pains, and
in severe cases death through respiratory
paralysis.
In the aquarium
Their toxicity for fishesmakes sea cucumbers
potentially dangerous to keep. The mere
presence of some species can lead to the
demise of the entire fish population, though
usually a sea cucumber needs to be seriously
irritated or hurt in order to represent a
danger in the aquarium.
The greatest danger lies in pump intakes.
Anyone who wants to keep sea cucumbers -
and there is no denying some species are
extremely attractive - must be sure to take
appropriate measures to prevent them from
being sucked in.It is also inadvisable to keep
them with large crabs or other crustaceans,
as these ever-hungry creatures may attack a
sea cucumber and thus endanger the entire
population of the aquarium.
Sea cucumbers themselves have an
immense capability for regeneration. Their
entire internal organs can be replacedwithin
a fewweeks.
The attractive sea cucumbers of the genera
Colochirus
and
Pseudocolochirus
are
plankton feeders, and can readily be fed on
Artemia nauplii,frozen plankton,Cyclops,etc
in the aquarium.The less attractive species of
the genus
Holothuria
are also increasingly
being maintained, and can be outstanding
biological helpers in aquaria with large areas
of sand. They don't usually need any extra
feeding.
Sea cucumbers are sexually dimorphic. If
they are hermaphroditic then they are male
for some of the time and female for some of
the time. There are as yet no reports of
breeding in the aquarium.
The risks of poisoning should always be
taken into consideration before purchasing
sea cucumbers. Holothurin doesn't have any
toxic effect on corals, etc, but is deadly for
fishes. It must be made quite clear, however,
that to date there have been only very rare
reports of mishaps with sea cucumbers in
the aquarium!
