Longspine Urchin

[Jeremy.XIII]

Okay, so to set the scene I've got a "new" tank (months old started with water from my year old previous tank) and I just realized last night it's turned into a semi-aggressive tank. Sorta, lol. Here's the livestock currently.. And before the tang police get me, I know a 4 ft tank isn't ideal for a tang. Everybody does, it's just simply a baby and I got stuck with it from a buddy of mine. Seriously, it's maybe an inch long. It's tiny and I'm attached. I'll get her a bigger tank in the near future but for now, she will be fine. Anywhoooo...
Livestock:
- Blue Hippo Tang
Approx. 1" to 1.5"
- Mated pair Oscellaris clowns
Approx. 1.5" and 1"
- Two Yellowfin Damsels
Approx. 1"
- Haddoni Carpet
Approx. 5"-6"
- New (pink?) BTA, recovering from bleaching, came with tang
Approx. 2"-3"
- Sea Hare
Approx. 3"
- Molly Miller Blenny
Approx. 2.5"-3"
- Sand Sifting Starfish (I have a shallow bed and an algae problem a lot without a sump and skimmer)
Approx. 2" across
- Scarlet Reef Hermits

My question is directed particularly at longspine urchins of the black variety. (I don't know if that matters?) I haven't ever kept urchins because for whatever reason I've always been scared of them.. Weird, I know. But anyways I've started to realize how beautiful they are and have fallen in love. Like I said, I didn't realize I had created a semi-aggressive tank until last night when my clowns attacked my hand for moving a rock near their anemone. So my question is two-fold. Firstly, will an urchin work in this tank? And secondly, could anyone give me the quick 411 on urchins and their care? Thanks!

 

[kjboggs]

Ny black long spine urchin is the best algae eater I have ever owned. I would wait unless you have some coraline or green algae to eat.

 

[Jeremy.XIII]

I definitely have a green algae problem. At least I think it's green algae. It's a coating almost. On the sand and the rock. The sea hare sticks to the rock and eats like a maniac but won't touch the sand.

 

[dendrite]

As above. I have a long spine and a tuxedo urchin in a 180 who are thriving on coralline. You can follow their tracks across the rock. They are so-so with hair algae. I have a pin cushion in my 50 gallon refugium who keeps the place clean; eating the nuisance caulerpa and leaving the chaeto alone. The only other bit of advice would be keep your water reef tank clean, and no triggers. Otherwise care is a non issue

 

[dendrite]

get a tiger tail cucumber or some nassarius snails for the sand

 

[Jeremy.XIII]

I actually thought about ordering about 15 nassarius snails. Should I remove the sea hare once I add the urchin?

 

[dendrite]

There shouldn't be any specie incompatibility . The only question would be enough food in a new tank. You could always feed the sea hare Nori . A well adapted sea hare is probably a good thing to have

 

[Jeremy.XIII]

I'll keep that in mind, had no idea sea hares would eat nori. Thanks!

 

[rssjsb]

How big is your tank? A four-footer can be anything from 55 to 150 gallons, and could make a big difference in diagnosing your algae problem and recommending a solution.

 

[Jeremy.XIII]

It's a 55.

 

[rssjsb]

Longspine urchins grow really fast and get really big when they're happy. Like to the size of a basketball. So I don't think it's a great option for a 55. They're also pretty sensitive to nitrates. Smaller urchins like tuxedos and pincushions are a better bet for you, I think. You'll need to keep on top of your nutrients and your calcium levels for any of them. Pencil urchins are cool looking, but have been known to eat corals.

And yes, you will eventually have to find a larger home for that tang. But in the short term, I would be more worried about the haddon's eating the tang given the dimensions of your tank. They're kind of known fish eaters. You're probably going to have some other compatibility issues down the road (haddoni v. BTA, damsels v. clowns, star v. starvation), but that's not what you're asking about here.