Is Purple Pincushion Urchin Reef Safe?

[DiazE]

I just put a purple pincushion urchin into the main tank and wanted to know if it will strip my zoos, and green star polyps off the rocks. I am aware it dines on coriline algae, which I can live with.


All comments from the SW Veterans will be appreciated!!!
:wave:

 

[rssjsb]

It won't eat corals, but it will knock over or pick up anything that's smaller than itself and not glued down and carry it around. Mine has an affinity for zoanthid frags. Pretty funny, but can be annoying.

They do a great job on algae. Mine has eaten bubble and what I think was bryopsis.

 

[DiazE]

urchin zoo damage?

urchin zoo damage?

The Bryopsis algae control is great, but does the urchin damage the zoos that are attached to rock, when it goes over them?

thank for your reply!!

 

[rssjsb]

I've never seen any damage from the urchin, just transportation.

As a disclaimer, I don't actually know that what I had was bryopsis, but whatever it was, the urchin eradicated it, along with the bubble algae.