longspine urchin ate a zoa

[firebrooks1]

i got a new zoa frag and the longspine ate it. it was just 1 polyp so i'm hopeing this is a 1 time thing. does this happen often? are zoa food for urchins?

 

[Elysia]

I have a pencil type urchin from Florida, Eucidaris tribuloides. It has eaten algae for some time until, last month, it took a bite out of one of my gorgonians. I had to give it a shake to remove it, and the tissue was removed.

The longspine isn't suppose to resort to carnivory as often as the one I have (according to Shimek's book.) Are you certain that the urchin ate the zoa? If it was only a single polyp, perhaps the urchin simply dislodged it and it is still somewhere in the tank.

 

[firebrooks1]

thats possible about it falling. i hope that was the case

 

[lvsuckerfish]

I do know from experience pencil urchins will eat zoas mine wiped oit a full colony in a night. and dumb me thought he was getting to the coraline. I have a motto in my tank if it does it once it will do it again which is more cost effective to replace. so I have my urchin in a 10 gal crussin around. by himself.

 

[itsdarrow]

yep i had to get rid of my longspine because of the same thing. It a 3 of my new zoa frags !!

 

[jhildebrand]

a starving critter will resort to any means to stay alive. if no coraline or edible algae are available, all bets are off. i had to move my diadema out of my display because if a monti cap or zoas were in the way of his grazing path, he would "sample" on his way through.