Long Spiny Urchin

[e! monster]

I've recently introduced a long spiny urchin (1st experience with these) to my reef aquarium about two weeks ago. It has taken up residence at the top corner of the tank during the day (away from any cover) and does not move from it's position there. I have relocated it twice to the live rock, thinking it will take cover from the light and it makes it's way back up to one of the top corners again. Does anyone have any thoughts on this unusual behaviour, or is this, perhaps, normal?

 

[Guygettnby]

urchins are not reef safe. i would get rid of it, they destroy everything.

 

[lancer99]

I had a black long spine that came in as a hitchhiker on some LR. It was so good at hiding, that I never noticed it until over a year after I got the LR, at which point the spines were about 6" long. After that it became much bolder and was sometimes out & about during the day.

Mine was fine in my 75g. Occasionally I noticed small trails of white in my coralline where it had snacked, but it never knocked anything over (having said that, my LR was Thorited together, and I was always very careful to mount corals securely).

That's weird that it likes the corner of the tank, but since you've already tried relocating it twice, I would just leave it where it's apparently happy....

HTH,
-R

 

[finsurgeon]

My seven urchins seem pretty safe. It sounds like yours wants to be there - they can get around pretty fast when they want to, so yours probably wants to be where it is. If you're worried about it getting food, you might drape a small piece of nori on it. Mine seem to like it when the algae comes in big pieces.

 

[billsreef]

They typically spend the daylight hours in one place, often the same place every day. Night time is when they move around and do their thing The long spines are one of the more reef safe urchins, normally the worst they do is knock over unsecured frags.

 

[Purple Penguins]

Guygettnby
some urchins are not reef safe, some are, the long spine is pretty safe as well as several others, I have a tuxedo and have never had any problems with him, he even manages not to knock everything over. I personally love urchins and if I have to sacrafice some coraline algae so be it. I have seen debates to this as well, yes they do eat coraline, however the subject has come up before about the possibility of them spreading it as well

 

[Guygettnby]

i had several differnt urchins as i though they were cool too. until i noticed them eating my live rock and turning it into rubble. maybe you have had good luck with them, but they have been nothing but problems for me and all i know who have had them. i have personally seen them destroying my live rock and making holes in it. not too mention eating my corline algea, uprooting all macro algea, knocking over my live rock and killing off some corals. Too me that is enough to make these things not reef safe. maybe too some they wouldnt care about this or have the money not to care if they have to replace something.

 

[e! monster]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and/or advice.

1) Two months later - my urchin is still alive and growing. Yay.
2) It seems to spend its day in one place, near the top corners of the tank and then ventures out at night, as you mentioned Bill, however it rarely has wandered from the tank walls and onto the rock.
3) It has been feeding on the algae (albeit some of the coraline, but in no way decimating it)

I will certainly heed your warning guygettnby, but for now this particular urchin seems to be playing nicely in my reef tank.

 

[str1988]

I have a spiny urchin and he shows similar behavior. He also does not cause any problems.

 

[gholland]

My wife thinks of our long-spined urchin as a pet... (she named him Sauron after the way his anus looks like the Great Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings). It did cause some trouble snacking on our nice red macroalgae and also on some GSPs and brown stoloniferan coral, but now that we've started feeding nori he leaves the coral and decorative macroalgae alone. She defends the urchin -he was just hungry- and hand feeds it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKITRnZfDpo

 

[aspinn]

cute haha dont those things sting like a son of a B? (never had an urchin before debating weather or not to get one or not for when i get this tank set up) id be afriad to stick my hand in there lol

 

[Tennyson]

I agree with Guygettnby, these aren't reef safe and will move the live rock around, though not alot, and will dislodge corals if they move too much.