Indonesian Sea Apple

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How to Care Indonesian Sea Apple

written by Dave Burr

The Sea Apple uses its oral tentacles to catch food that floats by. As each tentacle becomes full of food it draws its entire tentacle into its mouth. The Sea Apple should be target feed fed foods for filter feeders including marine snow, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. A colorful and bizarre addition to any reef aquarium, the Sea Apple can live for many years in the home aquarium.

Behavior: A Sea Apple will move around the aquarium until it finds an area with a good current where it can filter plenty of food. Once it finds a desirable spot it may stay there for many months.

Feeding: The Sea Apple should be target fed foods for filter feeders including marine snow, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. If not properly fed, the body of the Sea Apple will slowly begin to shrink. Try creating a storm in your aquarium using a turkey baster to blow jets of water into the dead spots of the aquarium to stir up the detritus. Then sit back and watch as it feeds on bits of detritus that float by.

CAUTION! When harassed, and upon death, the Sea Apple may release toxins that could kill fish in the aquarium. Do not house with butterflyfish, large angelfish, or other fish that are not safe with invertebrates. If you observe a fish picking at it, remove the fish or the Sea Apple immediately to a separate tank.

Tip: The Sea Apple can be harmed by the intakes of any pumps or powerheads in the aquarium, so make sure to protect all intakes to prevent the Sea Apple from being sucked in.

Vivid Aquariums cannot accept any responsibility for any losses that may occur should the Sea Apple poison the aquarium. Instances of Sea Apples causing death in reef aquariums are very rare but it can happen. It’s a gamble - you choose to roll the dice, or not.

Care Level: Expert Only - poisonous when stressed or after death 
Reef Compatible: Yes 
Diet: Filter Feeder 
Range: Indo Pacific 
Family: Holothuriidae 
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4 Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates <10ppm, Phosphates < .10ppm

Water Chemistry: It is important that proper calcium (420-440 ppm), alkalinity (8-9.5 dkh - run it 7-8 if you are carbon dosing) , and magnesium levels (1260-1350 ppm) are maintained. Raising magnesium levels gradually up to 1400-1600 ppm can help to combat algae outbreaks, just keep CA and Alk in line as you raise the Mg. Nitrates should be below 10 ppm and phosphates should be below .10 ppm. We recommend doing a water change when Nitrate levels rise to 10 ppm. It is important to replace your phosphate media when phosphates rise to .10 ppm. Media Reactors make the most efficient use of your phosphate media by fluidizing it.

Dosing: Vivid Aquariums uses and recommends dosing pumps to automate the dosing of additives and keep your levels more constant. A dosing pump can alleviate the chore of manually dosing your aquarium with Ca, Alk, & Mg 2,3, or 4 times per week and will benefit your aquarium by keeping your levels constant through frequent small additions of Ca, Alk, & Mg. Our tanks all progressed when we switched from 3 manual dosings per week to 70 automatic dosings per week and we got a lot more work done.

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