urchin with soft wavy spines?!

[timrandlerv10]

my long spine urchin 'shed' over 90% of his spines while i was on vacation--i found him nearly spineless saturday night, but as long as he was still moving, i was hoping he'd recover.

today, i noticed he has TONS of new spines...but they aren't spines, they're like little black tentacles.

will these lengthen and then harden into spines?

any idea what may have happened?

i've got a pair of btas, 2 gsm, mushrooms, wallhammer, snails and crabs.

there are two koralia's in there, but for some reason i dont think thats the cause (nice logic eh?).

thoughts? ideas?

thanks!

 

[iamwhatiam52]

They are not spines, they are tube feet. Always there, but you didn't notice them until the spines were gone.

 

[timrandlerv10]

Wow cool thanks...but now the spines thing has me more worried...

 

[Elysia]

Losing most of its spines is usually an indication of extreme stress. I have seen urchins die soon after losing spines. Make sure that your tank water salinity is in the proper range, the pH and calcium levels are good, and nitrate isn't too high. Also keep an eye on the temp. and oxygen levels, and make sure the urchin has good food available to it all the time. Then, perhaps, it will be able to recover.