Pink Sandsifting Cucumber - Holothuria edulis

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This cucumber resembles a burned hot dog. Its smooth surface is black on top and hot pink on the sides and bottom. They are also known as the Pink and Black Cucumber, Edible Cucumber, Black Sand-mopping Cucumber, Burnt Hotdog Cucumber and several other common names.

Holothuria cucumbers are often known as "sand-sifting" or "sand-mopping" cucumbers. While most cucumbers extend feeding oral tentacles into the water to catch free-floating plankton, these cucumbers move along the bottom and use their sticky oral tentacles like mops to collect detritus, bacteria, microalgae and other food particles. Many will burrow into the substrate or extend their bodies out from the protection of rockwork to feed. With the exception of very large systems, it is best to limit cucumbers to one per tank. Multiple cucumbers can often deplete an aquarium of their food source and lead to the cucumbers starving unless fed heavily.

Like most other cucumbers, these cucumbers can release holothurin toxins which can be very harmful and dangerous to tankmates. They usually only release toxins when threatened or harassed; avoid keeping cucumbers with large hermits or other potential predators. Most fish will not eat a cucumber because of these toxins but cucumbers should not be kept with fish known to be invert predators like triggers, puffers, parrots or fish with similar temperaments and diets.