Pencil urchin - Now I know why many people won't keep them in Reefs

[DensityMan]

Just a little PSA for those interested in Pencil urchins for their reefs.

I've kept a longspine urchin in my reef for some time and been annoyed at times by it nibbling on coralline algae, but this guy (the pencil urchin) is a coralline-eating-machine!

All the white areas on the rock in those pictures above were covered with purple coralline algae last night...

This guy is in Tim's pest "sanctuary" tank and was donated by a local reefer who removed it from his own tank. Not sure if mantis eat urchins, but at this time I think I'd prefer Tim eat it rather than letting the urchin eat his tank bare of purple.

 

[fijireef]

Have you tried "target feeding" it algae sheets? Keeps my globe happy and off my coralline if I feel he's hitting it a bit hard..It would appear you have the species Eucidaris tribuloides which will also take shellfish as food. Perhaps try the "target feed" method with some..

 

[marine_freak]

Urchins are coralline gobblers!!!!!!!! Will not have one for this reason. If it was me I'd remove it...sell it or give it to the lfs.....too many other options for algae grazing that do not harm coralline.

 

[DensityMan]

He's in a "pest" tank with my mantis. He's in there as "resuce" for another reefer.

I'll try to target feed him some until Tim (my mantis) takes him out to salvage some of the purple.

Thanks.

 

[Safir]

You'll have to tell us all about it if Tim makes a snack of the urchin

my fiance made me subscribe to the "tim" thread so she could keep up to date on his adventures

it's unforunate that you had bad luck with that urchin though - it sure is a neat creature.

 

[McBeck]

Tim's tank is now a rescue sanctuary?!? I think Strongbad, Darth Crab, Kryptonite, the Ninja Crabs, Team Green, Boris, Teddy, and countless other "dinner guests" would beg to differ!! :lmao:

It might be a rescue for the creatures remaining in the donor's tank, but it all amounts to hors d'oeuvres, entrees, desserts, and wafer thin mints for Tim! :lol:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=266915

 

[DensityMan]

In my defense, I did put "rescue" in finger-quotes. :lol:

(Still desperately trying to find the film for Darth Crab, but I'm fearing it lost between computers...) *sigh*

 

[sdm]

Warning: the Pencil urchin may (I repeat MAY) become EXTREMELY destructive toward corals. I say MAY because I don't know if anyone else has had my problem, but when I got mine (to eat ALGAE, not CORAL) shortly thereafter my kenya tree coral suffered MASSIVE lacerations and missing chunks every night until we figured out it was the urchin. (How massive? Well I'll just say this: It was somehow basketball-sized, now it is like a tennis ball.)

Just thought I ought to warn you.

 

[mejiggery]

I think aslong as its eating coraline your ok I have exactly the same urchin thats now in sump. When i first got it it ate right through the middle of a leather toadstool.

 

[tibbs2]

You can't trust any urchin not to eat your coral in my opinion. My longspine diadema liked to nibble on my montipora and my fox coral. It also destroyed corraline algae and would eat the nori intended for my tangs.