urchins in an SPS tank?

[keith sprague]

anyone keep urchins in their SPS tank? if so are they safe? any results good or bad. talking about black spiney urchin by the way.

 

[tahoe61]

Personally I like the pin cushion or tuxedo urchins better for reef tanks. The black spiny can get too large, and will bulldoze any corals not securely attached to the LR. Remember also that most urchins will dine on your corailline algae as well. I would only put a black spiney in a larger tank anything above 75 gal or even larger to ensure it has enough room to graze. JM2C

 

[JamesJR]

I like the tuxedo urchins as they stay very small and have a good track record in terms of compatibility with corals. My experience is that they will eat coralline if they have to but prefer softer algae. I put a little nori on a rock with a rubber band in my tank every week to feed my scavengers as it seems to keep them more active.

Some urchins can really just be bulldozers and some even will bore into rock.

 

[Paco]

I have a black spiny one that came in on my Fl Keys rocks. It has been known to bulldoze as stated. I would probably get rid of it if someone would take it but nobody seems to want them.

 

[reefsic]

I have 1 Pencil Urchin in my 100g SPS Dominant tank and that guy does not stop eating. I completely love him...I've watched closely several times, and as it touches SPS with its dull spines, it moves away from the colony...very gentle-like! Keep in mind, this is my own experience.

Also, all my SPS are either encrusted or super glued to LR. HTH...GL!

 

[keith sprague]

so on a whole besides being a bulldozer and consumeing coraline they are ok. my concern also is if a fish swims into it being they are venomous, can they harm your fish?

 

[stevek480]

I watched a black urchin from some Florida LR eat a chunk out of a monti cap frag. It left a line of missing tissue straight across it.

 

[Mossrope]

it will hinder a lot of your tank maintenance in future if you have to...
i will hide it away in the refugium if the black spiny is a must have

 

[MechEng99]

The "black spiney" urchin (possibly Diadema sp?) will grow very quickly and get very large (if you weren't aware.) If you see them in the wild, they're just monstrous. I got one before I knew how big they got...and within a few months he had outgrown my 40g. They'll start out eating coralline algae, but there's a point where they sometimes won't distinguish between coralline algae...and the bases of your SPS corals. You may find some damage as they grow large (including damage to your hands!)

I had a green and a purple "rock-boring" urchin, but they never did anything other than eat coralline algae. The green one died, but I still have the purple one (going on 4 years now). Never does any damage, but I moved him to the sump after I accidentally grabbed a rock with him on it. Didn't feel so great.