urchin/fish injuries??

[cottam411]

i am thinking of getting a long spined sea urchin are there any concerns for tangs/clownfish getting injured on its pointy spines this is a fish only tank

 

[sharla1234]

I have had a longspined urchin for two & 1/2 yrs. that was a hitchhiker on liverock as a baby. It grew fast. Never bothered fish or corals that I could see.
I just lost him two days ago, so I have to find out what caused it.
S

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

It's not often that a fish will actually injure themselves on an urchin. If they are injured, there is a chance that something else cause it such as a burst of water flow or something chasing or scaring it and it darts into the urchin on accident.

 

[reefshadow]

I had a diadema that never injured the fish that I knew of. I did trade it to the lfs though because it grew from softball to almost basketball size in a year. It knocked over everything and I stuck my hand on it a few times. Also it began to eat some of my plating type corals, oxypora and montipora, apparently not too uncommon. That really made me mad.

My 2 cents, I would try another type of urchin.

 

[reefshadow]

Oh, I see you have a f.o. At least it won't eat your corals

 

[pixburg-reefer]

I wouldn't be too concerned. As already mentioned, it is very rare. Even when bangi cardinals have fry, they commonly hide in the long spines for protection. I think you would be more concerned about the sea urchin being injoured by a fish... like a puffer or a trigger.

Kelly

 

[ACBlinky]

I have a pincushion that I used to keep in my 21g with a pair of saddleback clowns. The clowns were NASTY little buggers (but I loved them to pieces). I moved them into this tank so they could have a home to themselves; they weren't safe with other fish, but I figured larger inverts would be okay. I didn't count on the female trying to bite the poor urchin, and ending up with popeye as a result of (I think) a puncture wound. Now the urchin is in my 65g and lives peacefully with the fish and hermits. The only thing he's a threat to is coralline