The Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber is one of nature's more exotic detritus eaters. With its brown body spotted with white and dressed in numerous spiny papillae, Holothuria sp. is also a visually stunning addition to the home aquarium. Since it is a very adept and agile scavenger, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber can clean detritus from beneath rockwork and difficult-to-clean tight corners. Native to the oceans of the Indo-Pacific, this member of the Holothuriidae family can grow to impressive lengths of up to six feet long in the wild. In the home aquarium, however, most max out in length between 12" and 18" long. In general, keep only 3 inches of worm for every 20 gallons of aquarium water. For best care, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber should be kept in larger systems with thick sand beds and rocky caves for shelter. The natural diet of the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber consists of diatoms, microalgae, bacteria, meaty foods, and other detritus. Interestingly, the Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber is one of the few species that attaches its lower body to the inside of its shelter and only extends its anterior half when searching for food. Like other Sea Cucumbers, Holothuria sp. has the potential to poison an aquarium. The chances of this happening are very rare unless the animal is accidentally sucked into an uncovered pump intake or overflow boxes.
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