Pencil Urchin and Brittle Star??

[Draces]

Has anyone had any luck with keeping brittle stars and pencil urchins together? I just found out they aren't a good choice together !! I'm really bummed! Is there anyone who has kept them and done alright? Or is it a resoundingly bad idea?

And if no,
Can I keep urchins with anything? (Invertebrate wise?)

And yes, any fish I keep I will make sure they are compatible with inverts.

Thanks in advance!

 

[olemiss reb]

Where did you hear that they are not a good mix? I've kept a pencil urchin with a serpent star in the past- no problems. I currently have a pencil, rose, and banded longspine urchin with a tamaria stria- they pay no mind to one another.

 

[Draces]

Really!?

Really!?

I'll only have a 55 though, does that make a difference? That would really be awesome if I could house both of them together!

Thanks!

 

[rssjsb]

I thought the problem with pencil urchins is that they can eat corals. Never heard of them bothering starfish.

 

[disenchantedone]

For well over a year, I've had a Brittle Star and Pencil Sea Urchin in my 55 gallon reef with no problem. They're fine. My Brittle Star is smart enough to know not to attack it and the pencil urchin doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything.

Just recently, I moved my pencil urchin to a 34 gallon solana tank because of that fact. He would eat coraline algae and knock down all of my sps. Rock structures would come falling at any given time if not epoxy'd. In my smaller 34 gallon Solana, though, he became a predator and skewered my sailfin blenny, so be careful what rock and hard places you give him to wreak havoc on!

 

[Ahwagirl]

Mine leave each other alone completely. Never had an issue.