Urchin and Algae

[urchinkiller15]

I have a bubble algae problem in my tank and was wondering if an urchin would eat it?

 

[ReefMasta08]

not sure but i no they eat all coraline algae =(((

 

[slipondajimmy]

Are you sure? I have had a pincushion urchin in my tank for 6-8 months and have not noticed this

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12899121#post12899121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefMasta08
not sure but i no they eat all coraline algae =(((

 

[Guygettnby]

yes urchins eat coraline alge and will slowly destroy your live rock over time. very long process to destroy the rocks, but they love to munch on coraline. if you have a good enough coraline growth then it will grow back as fast as they eat it but it you have a slow coraline growth then they will eventually eat it all.

 

[urchinkiller15]

Will they eat bubble and other types of algae though?

 

[olaf]

I had an over growth of algae (3 types of caulerpa and hair algae) and the urchins I but in the tank took care of all the algae.
2 long spine urchins, 1 royal urchin, purple pin cuchin, and an sea egg (orange and white spines on a blackish red body). The rock was also black and covered with a thin growth of algae and now it is white and some coraline algae is finally starting to grow, since there is bare rock for it to grow on.

 

[urchinkiller15]

Thanks for the information Olaf. Maybe I can try and barrow my friends urchin for a couple weeks to see if it will eat the algae.

 

[DNickell]

Cowries eat every bad algae I have had thus far, plus they eat Cyano! They do not eat Coraline that I can tell. They are no worse about knocking things over than urchins are.

One Cowrie will eat as much as several Turbos, in my experience. They are pretty active.

 

[rivoth]

One warning about Cowries. They are also known to munch on Corals.

 

[DNickell]

I have no SPS, yet. I do have LPS and mushrooms and a claim and Zoas. I have seen my Cowrie crawl all around these, but never bother any of them.

Perhaps I have been lucky.

 

[dkirchoff]

all I know is that my urchin (atlantic pincushin) just collects all my live snails and hermits like junk collector

 

[DNickell]

The main thing I like about urchins is that they are so eccentric. I've had three or four of them in the past few years and each one of them had it's own little quirks.

 

[olaf]

The only issue I am having with the urchins in that Clients 125-gallon is that they keep mowing over the Ocellaris Clownfish eggs. These Clowns lay eggs every 12 - 20 days.
There has been at least 3-4 times that the Long Spine has decided it wanted eggs for lunch.

 

[johnmaloney]

emerald crabs eat bubble aglae.