How to Take Care of Sea Cucumbers

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms that are similar in appearance to a cucumber you find in a produce department. Related to the starfish and sea urchin family, sea cucumbers are "bottom feeders," scavenging for debris along the ocean floor. This makes certain types of sea cucumbers desirable in home aquariums, as they keep the surface of the sandy bottom sparkling clean. Sea cucumbers are available at pet shops and are not expensive. A few things must be kept in mind when caring for them.

Things You'll Need

  • Fine aquarium sand
  • 50-to-75 gallon (minimum) aquarium tank
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place inlet guards over filter intakes to protect the sea cucumber. Intake covers are typically included with aquarium filters when they are purchased.

    • 2

      Line the bottom of the aquarium tank with fine sand -- not gravel or crushed coral -- to create a sand bed. Some species will ingest as much as the top half-inch of sand, clean it of debris, bacteria and microalgae, and expel the clean sand particles. To do this, they require the sand particles to be very small; if the particles are too big, the sea cucumber is at risk of starvation.

    • 3

      Introduce your sea cucumber to a well-established aquarium tank, not a newly set-up tank, as an established tank should have sufficient food (organic detritus) for your new pet to eat.

    • 4

      Give the sea cucumber plenty of room; use only one sea cucumber for every 50 to 75 gallons of water. Smaller sea cucumbers are preferable to larger ones (which can grow to a length of 12 inches) to ensure there is plenty to eat.

    • 5

      Avoid placing fish in the same aquarium if they are known to be unfriendly toward sea cucumbers. Triggerfish, wrasses, butterfly fish and large hermit crabs can nip and stress sea cucumbers.