Longspine urchin eating bryopsis

[Calappidae]

Do black longspine urchins eat bryopsis? I got one and it looks like it's going where the algae is and munching on the bryopsis. A sea hare starved confirming it's not regular hair.

I'm asking as other than a lettuce slug it seems to be the only success I'm having so far as something controlling and eating it.

 

[ReeferBill]

Have you red about raising magnesium to 1600 ppm with Kent's Tech M magnesium? This has killed off bryopsis!

 

[Calappidae]

Have you red about raising magnesium to 1600 ppm with Kent's Tech M magnesium? This has killed off bryopsis!

If only my lfs didn't just sell the large bottles at unafordable prices that'd be the first thing I do. A test kit for mag alone is 60 up there.. and they charge 10 to test it for you.

I have a one spot foxface, kole eye, 4 emeralds, 15 hermits (various), tuxedo (which I just got for the coral he was holding.. which I lost when he let go anyway -.-), mexican turbo, astraea snails, and I currently have a lettuce nudibranch that's only 1" (got at .25) in a floating container I'm waiting to grow to avoid predatation.

Nothing is touching it and the sea hare died.. never saw any progress with it anyway. The lettuce slug I forget why I even bothered as he isn't going to clean up a 125 by himself anyway.. although he is eating what's being target fed. I've been pulling it out only for it to grow back next day

The urchin is the most progress I've seen so far. With me pulling it and the urchin eating the roots under it I'm not seeing much grow back since I got it a little while ago. I wanted to confirm if they're a good control to the algea as a form of bryopsis CUC.

 

[neontreefrog5]

Elysia crispata would definitely solve that problem. theyre one of the few things that actually will feed on bryopsis, and they will eat other nuisance algae as well. plus theyre pretty damn gorgeous. maybe its just that you only have one, because you gotta imagine that one in such a large tank cant do it alone. they could help out the urchin and you should be okay, without having to dose your tank. if you stop target feeding it, it will start to go for the algae and bryopsis. not many nudibranchs and sea slugs eat bryopsis but if you look through BlueZooAquatics they have a few species that are known to.

 

[Calappidae]

He's only 1" big (growing fast ) I'm afraid the crabs and fish not to mention the powerheads I have yet to cover will be huge threats to him right now.

 

[neontreefrog5]

youre right about the powerheads, but im not entirely sure about the crabs. i dont believe they will cause any problems