Caribbean Sea Cucumber

Sea Cucumbers are among some of the most efficient sandbed cleaners in the reefing hobby. Sea Cucumbers are distant relatives of sea stars and sea urchins, sporting the same tube feet along the underside of their elongate bodies which they use to move around their environment. These animals are primarily detritivores, sifting through the sandbed at night and filtering out small particulate organic matter before excreting the remaining sand back out. Due to their direct ingestion of sand, sea cucumbers are extremely efficient at cleaning large volumes over a short period of time. It should be noted that during the day, many species of sea cucumber will hide in, underneath or between rockwork for protection and may not be seen.