spiny sea urchin- spines turning white

[stephers1203]

i have a spiny sea urchin that i'm a little worried about. his spines are starting to turn white...what does this mean? i've tried to catch him a few times because he's quickly outgrowing my small tank, but he's very hard to capture and then his spines start breaking....
thank you!!!

 

[jhildebrand]

[welcome]

are the spines falling out too, or just breaking? that would be a sign of major stress. when you say "spiny" are you talking about a diadema? all black with long, thin spines?

never heard of the spines turning white. hopefully someone else can chime in. you're right though - this tank is going to be too small and either way it probably won't get enough to eat. i'd take it back to the LFS for trade if possible...

 

[7808]

ive seen them with white spines... dead on shore

 

[stephers1203]

thanks! i googled diadema and that's him! no, the spines aren't falling out. i've tried to catch him a few times to take him back to the lfs but that's when the spines start breaking and i kinda freak out. i'll keep trying, though. thanks so much!

 

[jhildebrand]

wait until he's on the glass and slide something thin under it - they'll pop right off. you risk injury to the critter if you try to get it off a rock...

 

[Capt56]

Check your water parameters! My urchin has white tips. I think its a sign of growth. Best time to get it is at night, when the lights are off.

 

[Gools]

Mine is doing this too. His spines are all turning white at the base. I have a dinoflagellate outbreak right now, and has me worried, because it kills all the sanils I put in, so I'm hoping it's not doing the same to him.

 

[69.nova.ss]

you might have bad water quality thats why he's shedding his spines