Are Mangroves Safe with Urchins?

[kenny b]

So my girl friend wants a pincushion urchin but I'd really like to grow some mangrove trees so I'm thinking about setting up a little 5.5g mangrove/urchin lagoon tank. I don't want an urchin to destroy my display 10g full reef I've been putting together. Does anyone know if the urchin will eat the tree roots?

Thanks!

 

[Calappidae]

So my girl friend wants a pincushion urchin but I'd really like to grow some mangrove trees so I'm thinking about setting up a little 5.5g mangrove/urchin lagoon tank. I don't want an urchin to destroy my display 10g full reef I've been putting together. Does anyone know if the urchin will eat the tree roots?

Thanks!

The only urchins really small enough for either of your tanks are the tuxedo and pincushion kinds, those ones will probably not eat your mangoves, but they are very destructive and pick up rocks, snails, anything they can find and travel with them. I watched one pick up a horseshoe crab at my LFS

 

[Nina51]

i don't see it as much with my tuxedo urchin but my pincushion urchin is constantly picking stuff up! he's been wearing this same piece of rubble for about 5 days now.
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg"/></a>

 

[Calappidae]

i don't see it as much with my tuxedo urchin but my pincushion urchin is constantly picking stuff up! he's been wearing this same piece of rubble for about 5 days now.
<a href="http://s6.photobucket.com/user/Ninapearl/media/urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/Ninapearl/urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo urchinrock_zps90b6f422.jpg"/></a>

imagine if that rubble was a mangrove root tho..

 

[Nina51]

well, he'd look pretty spiffy but that's just what you don't want! lol

 

[fabulousfavia]

I keep and grow mangroves and I doubt pincushion or tuxedo urchins would mess with mangroves if provided with a rock island and if the tank was not overcrowded with mangroves.


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[squeakymcmurdo]

If you give him other treasures to pack around like shells and pebbles, he probably won't make the effort to disturb bigger things.