Urchin or Crab

[schryvertime]

Im interested in both but only going to get one or the other right now. Should I get an urchin or a crab, what type and why? I know urchins seem to have a wonderful skill of bulldozing everything in sight.....is that common for all urchins?

this is what i currently have...

60g reef tank thats about 11 months old with a hand full of typical beginner corals like Rics, zoas, kenya trees, gsp etc. I have some peppermint shrimp snails, hermit crabs along with clowns, yellow tang, flame angel, sapphire damsel and engineer gobies.

 

[CuzzA]

The urchin is by far the most effective CUC member. They will need significant amounts of coralline algae as well as other types of algae. Stay away from long spine urchins. Bulldozing frags is the fault of the hobbyist more so than the urchin. Securing frags with superglue first and then molding epoxy around the plug or base of the coral and the rock structure will insure the coral will not come off.

 

[schryvertime]

The urchin is by far the most effective CUC member. They will need significant amounts of coralline algae as well as other types of algae. Stay away from long spine urchins. Bulldozing frags is the fault of the hobbyist more so than the urchin. Securing frags with superglue first and then molding epoxy around the plug or base of the coral and the rock structure will insure the coral will not come off.

Well i guess i am one of those hobbyist.....everything has mounted naturally from time besides my xenia and brain.....i just got those two last week

 

[g_langley]

I can recommend one Blue Tuxedo Urchin, it keeps the rocks immaculate but you need to keep up with Coraline growth (i.e. grow it faster than it can eat it!)

 

[snorvich]

I can recommend one Blue Tuxedo Urchin, it keeps the rocks immaculate but you need to keep up with Coraline growth (i.e. grow it faster than it can eat it!)

That would be my choice but perhaps the OP tank is a bit small.

 

[sculpin2]

You could also add a porcelain crab. They're harmless and really cool.

 

[g_langley]

He has a 60g, mine is a mere 34g and I have no problems with my urchin (Bunny).

 

[g_langley]

You could also add a porcelain crab. They're harmless and really cool.

This also, don't have one myself but a pair of them is on my future purchase list.

 

[schryvertime]

I was looking at a porcelain crab or a pom pom crab. How do I exactly promote coraline growth?

 

[g_langley]

I was looking at a porcelain crab or a pom pom crab. How do I exactly promote coraline growth?

I find that using Kalkwasser (Calcium Hydroxide) via an ATO helps a lot with Coraline growth. Use 1/2 teaspoon per litre.

 

[schryvertime]

I find that using Kalkwasser (Calcium Hydroxide) via an ATO helps a lot with Coraline growth. Use 1/2 teaspoon per litre.

Awesome. Thanks! i think i might go with a porcelain crab first and work on getting the coraline to go a bit more than what it currently is. once it takes off then the blue tuxedo urchin is on the list.

 

[Buzz1329]

The urchin is by far the most effective CUC member. They will need significant amounts of coralline algae as well as other types of algae. Stay away from long spine urchins. Bulldozing frags is the fault of the hobbyist more so than the urchin. Securing frags with superglue first and then molding epoxy around the plug or base of the coral and the rock structure will insure the coral will not come off.

+ 1 million. Crabs will eat your snails. My fave urchin is the blue tuxedo, which patrols rocks and glass like an ibot rooomba vac.

Good luck,

Mike

 

[g_langley]

Crabs will eat your snails

I have 3 dwarf blue leg hermits, I did have 4 but there was a fight over a shell and so now we're down to 3. I witnessed the fight and the loser ended up without a shell, it looked very weird, like a cross between a crab and a shrimp.

That being said, they have not eaten any snails or bothered anything else at all. I can recommend the DWARF blue legs in this respect, not the bigger variety.

 

[schryvertime]

Awesome. I am still interested in getting my coraline algea growing a bit more before getting the blue tuxedo. I have a nice few patches and my smaller hermit crabs have it all over their shells. But this is great. Thanks.

 

[Buzz1329]

DNK whether dwarf hermit is same species as hermit. But blue-legged hermits in my tank ate snails (before I removed them). And I don't sump them -- they foul pumps in sump.

 

[CuzzA]

Blues are pretty bad. Whites are straight killers. Scarlett's are much more docile. My approach to hermits is to keep a few uncommon species for my enjoyment more than cleaning. I have a couple Halloween hermits and Hawaiian zebra hermits.

 

[Genera]

I have ornamental macroalgae in my tank (along with some coral too), so an urchin would be RIP macroalgae. I have a bunch of ceriths, a few nerites, brittle stars, and a small, red hermit that is very personable. If you are looking for a spotless tank, for example a frag (coral) tank, then an urchin is probably better than crabs, but I still vote snails and brittle stars. I once had an urchin in a previous tank that was so good at eating algae, that I had to supplement him with pieces of nori. Yikes.

 

[g_langley]

I had to supplement him with pieces of nori. Yikes.

What method did you use to get him to eat it?

 

[chimmike]

crabs are, and always will be opportunistic feeders. IT's not a matter of feeding them, it's if they get the craving for X one day, they'll eat it.

Every time I see an urchin it's a bulldozer, no matter what kind. I'm with others here in that i'd stick to snails and hermits.

But sometimes I know folks just want to get something different. Resist the urge!

 

[g_langley]

But sometimes I know folks just want to get something different. Resist the urge!

It's horses for courses. If it's glued down your'e OK. The Blue Tuxedo is a wonderful critter, snails are meh. That being said my tank is very much focused on inverts. My favourites are the Sexy Shrimps, poetry in motion.