sea urchin only hangs out at filter

[Ankaa]

Aloha,

so, I'm completely new to the hobby (I did have a small freshwater community tank aaaaages ago) and might even be a little wrong here since I don't have a reef tank and won't have one, eventually. But I was hoping I could still find some help for my saltwater tank, after all

So, I'm still in the setting up phase. This translates to: my tank is still empty and waiting for the fish.

However, a friend gave me a sea urchin, already, to actually get started and have something living, while waiting. However, I'm not sure he's doing ok. The first night I got him, he moved into a hiding place and from there didn't move ONE BIT for the whole night. In the morning I checked if he's still alive and from there on he started moving. However, now he's ONLY hanging out between the filter and the opposite wall, going back and forth, and only towards the top of the tank, close to the water surface. He even went upside down (like literally!), yesterday, his mouth at the surface, attached to the side wall and slowing making it's way back. Even if I gently put him down on the sand somewhere else on the tank, he's going back to this side.

I wonder what's wrong with him and am a little worried I have a 40 gallon breeder with a hang-on filter for up to 55g. A friend mentioned I may not have enough dissolved oxygen, but is this really a possibility? Especially since nothing has been living in the tank, before, and thus used up all the O2?

What else could it be? (Ammonia was fine, still need to check other parameters. But again, why would they be bad? Nothing in there, yet...and I'm using - ocean water)

I'm worried about this little guy - or is he just being weird? But I also wanna make sure there's nothing wrong with my tank before putting any fish in.

Thanks for any help and advice

 

[j_mazzy]

Use some prime and do a water changes inverts aren't fans of nitrite and nitrate

 

[Ankaa]

Thanks already for your reply!!

Hm, but where would that come from? I use (good) ocean water and there hasn't been anything in there. Only the filter running for the past two week.

I did change a good 5 gallons of water, yesterday, too.

Will pick up a test kit and test for nitrates and anything else that isn't ammonia (which I already tested and which was perfectly fine).

 

[Golotron]

Is it possible the sea urching needs food? As you said is a new tank, if the parameters are ok it is possible that the algae population is not sufficient to sustain your buddy. I have had a couple of them and currently only one. When they are recently introduced in the tank they may wander all over, but when acclimatised,they are mainly inactive in a "safe" place during the day; only to become active at night unless something is troubling them up. If it starts to release its spines may be time to discard.

 

[Ankaa]

Possibly it needs food, hard to tell. I offered him some sheet algae, but he ignored it. However, I see algae starting to build up, so hopefully there soon will be enough food.

Yesterday I moved him again in the morning since he was hanging out at the thermometer (opposite from the filter). I moved him to same algae in another part of the tank and put in some prime. That seemed to have done the trick, he didn't go straight back to the filter as the night before, but actually staid in other places and also down. He still hangs out at the surface quite a bit ...is that normal?

He does poop a LOT, though.

I'll keep an eye on him.

 

[sam.basye]

Do you know what kind of urchin it is? Can you post a pic of it?

It may be a meat eater, like a rock boring urchin.

 

[Ankaa]

It's a collector urchin (and in lack of shells, he actually collected my thermometer :lmao: - I gave him some shells, now)

I have plenty of algae on my rocks, now, but he's not going to the rocks. While he's more active, now, moving back and forth, he still stays close to the surface :sad2:

I really wonder what's bothering him. Just saw my friend's one, yesterday, and he hangs out on her rocks and also on the sand.

 

[Louis Z]

Could be water movement. Mine also do that . I have two types L variegatus and Arbacia punctulata . Both gulf coast. They do eat meat. Put shrimp or fish in their spines and they slowly move the food and eat. I blender fish shrimp scallop and use that as food . The variegatus eats algae off the glass the other I rarely see chewing algae. None of mine ever seemed to eat nori . I also have chaetomorpha that the varigatus eats

 

[Ankaa]

Hu, strange. I posted something, yesetday, but the post is not there anymore. Here is what Iäd written.

Mine is a collector urchin. The poor fella actually 'collected' my thermometer due to the lack of shells (I had a few, but he obviously hadn't found them). I put some more shells in for him

I now have a lot of algae built up for him to eat, but I never see him there. He is moving back and forth, now, but even if I put him on the sand or rocks (where there are algae), he never stays there. He only hangs out on the glass and only close to the surface :sad2:

I really wonder what's bothering him

 

[Louis Z]

Good thing is that he has all of its spines . I wouldn't consider a sea urchin as first inhabitants. They would probably do better in established Aquarium . Not to say that it can't be done. Is there enough water movement in the tank . When you say algae in the tank , does that mean macro algae or algae on the glass. Try putting a small bit of food between the spines on top to see if he moves it towards its mouth. I started using tongs to feed mine that way . Rather than waiting for them to move and find the food , I put the food directly on them . If they don't want to eat it , they will quickly shed the food off themselves with their podia .

 

[jayball]

If the only thing you have in the tank for water movement is the HOB filter than you need to add a powerhead (or two).

I would start there, saltwater tanks need way more water movement than freshwater tanks and you are going to have trouble keeping anything healthy with no water movement.

 

[Ankaa]

I have a 55 gallon filter for my 40 gallons, that's what I've been told, that's what seems to be working fine for other people, I thought it was fine :sad2:

I had an additional air bubbler at the other side for a few days, but didn't change its behavior at all.

He doesn't take food (sheet algae) that I get him. And yes, I have algae on the glass and the rocks building up (brown, the good one).

Point taken about inverts not being the first things to have in a tank. :sad1:

 

[jayball]

I have a 55 gallon filter for my 40 gallons, that's what I've been told, that's what seems to be working fine for other people, I thought it was fine :sad2:

That would be approprate for a freshwater tank

If you want to get something cheap look at Jebao for a controllable one or Hydor korilla for a reliable AC powerhead.

I had an additional air bubbler at the other side for a few days, but didn't change its behavior at all.

You do not want to deal with the salt creep an airstone will cause

He doesn't take food (sheet algae) that I get him. And yes, I have algae on the glass and the rocks building up (brown, the good one).

You mentioned you have seen him poop on a regular basis so hopefuly he is getting enough, I do not think there is any way to actually tell

Point taken about inverts not being the first things to have in a tank. :sad1:

Yeah, urchin's are some of the more sensitive ones too, good luck.