At a glance the quick version
SeaLifeBase gives a maximum of 25 cm; Wikipedia says about 40 cm long and 5 cm across. A US retailer lists up to about 30 cm in aquariums.
Looks how to spot one
Soft, wrinkled, worm-shaped body
A long, tube-shaped sea cucumber that narrows toward the rear. The thin, soft skin is covered in pale, thorn-like bumps on a pinkish, golden or brown background, and a ring of about twenty yellowish feeding tentacles surrounds the mouth on the underside.1
Personality what they are like
A calm, slow-moving bottom dweller that keeps to itself. In the wild it is mostly active at night, living on sand and rubble among rocks and boulders.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Moves slowly over the sand all the time, sifting it as it goes.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs no grooming. Keep water quality stable with regular water changes, and pick calm tankmates so it is not disturbed.3
Home where they are happiest
A mature reef tank of at least about 190 L (50 US gal) with a deep sand bed and rock hiding places. Retail guidance: 23-26 C, pH 8.0-8.4, specific gravity 1.024-1.026, gentle to moderate flow and low to moderate light.3
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A detritivore: it scoops sand into its mouth with its tentacles, digests the bacteria and organic bits, and passes clean sand out. In a tank it also takes leftover food, diatoms and sinking pellets.123
Company who they like around
Lives alone and does not need company; it is peaceful toward fish and other invertebrates.3
The story where it all began
The French naturalist René Lesson described the species in 1830. It is common on Indo-Pacific reefs and has become one of the sea cucumbers most often chosen by reef keepers as a sand cleaner.13
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It eats sand, keeps the tiny food particles, and releases the cleaned sand behind it.1
- 2
It can reproduce by splitting itself in two, mostly in cooler months, and spawns in warmer months.1
- 3
It has been recorded from very shallow water down to around 200 m deep.2
- 4
In Hawaii it is known as the light spotted sea cucumber.1
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Described by Lesson in 1830; family Holothuriidae.1
- IUCN Red List (via SeaLifeBase)
- Listed as Least Concern (assessed 2010).2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
- Salinity checkevery week
- Water testevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Light checkevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Holothuria hilla (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, range, size, description, diet, reproduction, history
- Holothuria hilla (SeaLifeBase) sealifebase.seused for maximum size, depth, nocturnal habit, IUCN status
- Tiger Tail Cucumber (Saltwaterfish.com) saltwaterfish.comused for aquarium care, water parameters, tank size, diet in captivity
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.