Sea urchin and turbo snails

[baruchbl]

I have in my reef aquarium some sea urchins and i want to add some turbo snails.
My question is: Do thay eat the same food?
I dont want one of tham to starve.

 

[Julio]

Yes they both eat algae, they can normally coexist in a reef tank though.

 

[fppf]

Urchins will eat coralin at an alarming rate.
1 of my larger Urchins can eat a piece of LR white in less than a day.

I got the last laugh when my Red African Sea Star ate the Urchin.

 

[NoSchwag]

I'm going out on a limb here and say your urchin will eat your snails.

 

[Julio]

Urchins are not Carnivorous, not the ones that we see in the trade anyway.

 

[bkwudzjeep]

Urchins will also bulldoze anything that is not attached.....on top of eating coralline at a quick rate.

I put one in my fuge to get it out of my tank and it ate most of the chaeto I had in there....(that is the only explanation I can come with why my chaeto was disappearing so fast)

 

[NoSchwag]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6973277#post6973277 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Julio
Urchins are not Carnivorous, not the ones that we see in the trade anyway.

Can I see a link?

I have watched all of the urchins I have owned flip over Astrea (turbo snail) and suck the meat right out of them.

 

[NoSchwag]

check this.. I have NO algae in my tank since the original "new plastic" outbreak. This is 3 months and over 100 snails later.

 

[NoSchwag]

This guy was the worst. A snail assassin.

 

[NoSchwag]

This is the best behaved one.. Although I do see him mounting empty snail shells.

 

[NoSchwag]

I have watched my urchins go from snail to snail, flip them over, and eat them. I have pics somewhere.

Actually I'm pretty sure that all urchins are carnivores.

 

[Joao Monteiro]

by NoSchwag
This is the best behaved one.. Although I do see him mounting empty snail shells.

ThatÃ"šÃ‚´s a Mespillia globulus, I have one of those, too.
ItÃ"šÃ‚´s strickly herbivorous - voracious microalgae eater -and does not attack snails nor eat coralin. I think its the best option for a reef.
But, as you said, anything not attached to the rocks, will be (sooner or later) attached to its back...Mine has two residente mushrooms that he carries around the tank

 

[razzmatazz]

I have one of the above urchans and it consumed almost all of my coraline in no time. Never seems to eat any other algae. Must have a taste for coraline. Alwasy had snails stuck to him and anything else it could carry.

 

[NoSchwag]

voracious microalgae eater

What if there is no micro algae in the tank?

I would think urchins would need some sort of protien.

 

[REEF-DADDY]

Found you in the advanced forum again eh?

Based on what I am hearing that big black one will LOVE my sump!

 

[fppf]

If you really don't like your Urchins I can loan you my Sea Star.
He will make quick work of them, and any snails that cross his path as well.

 

[Ti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6973631#post6973631 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NoSchwag
This guy was the worst. A snail assassin.

That's one good looking urchin

 

[GPB]

I have 5 diadema urchins in my 38G that came on my TBS rock as microscopic hitchhikers. Now they are the size of a half dollars. They eat algae like crazy. Won't touch bubble algae though. They do like to eat coraline. I'm planning on giving all but one away. Maybe that will let mt tank "Purple Up" a little bit.

 

[Gallandro]

They will eat Nori seaweed

 

[gussy]

I have about 5 Urchins in my 55 gallon fish plus something else tank. They have not bother the snails. I've got the Tuxedo, Pencil, Slate, and Pacific. I don't have the Diadema as they grow big. I've got lots of large brittle stars too.