Urchins?

ninjamunky

ninjamunky

New member
I'm thinking of adding a long spine urchin to my tank. I think they look really cool, but they don't seem to be as popular as other invertebrates, so I'm having trouble finding much information on them.

They should be reef safe, right? And from what I've read they can't carry ich. What should the QT procedure be for these guys?

The only warning I've seen is that urchins can over turn rocks. I've got some rocks stacked, but the rocks on top easily weigh 20-30 lbs. Can an urchin really move these rocks???
 
No but they will eat the Coraline algae as readily as they will unwanted algae! Ume sushi is delicious tho! Just sayin'...
 
Well that could be a problem as I'd like more coraline algae in my tank. It seems that every invertebrate I research comes with downsides.

I'd like to have some sort of a cuc, but now I'm not sure at all. :worried:
 
Rocks should be safe... I don't have a long spine..but I do have a pincusion..
One of my favorite animals in my tank..

I have one the size of a gulf ball.. I can follow it's daily path by following the bright white trail across the rocks lol..

And +1 for eating any and all coraline... I have very little in the display... tons in my fuge..

They eat anything and everything... except corals...

Mine devastated this little colony of tiny green feather dusters.. ate nearly all of them..



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I did not QT mine at all... I did drip acclimate it for 4 or 5 hours though...
They don't transport or transfer well tank to tank.. the longer you can drip them the better...

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LeJeune981 said:
I did not QT mine at all... I did drip acclimate it for 4 or 5 hours though...
They don't transport or transfer well tank to tank.. the longer you can drip them the better...

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Click to expand...


Yes from what I have seen people don't QT them at all. They just "rinse" them before introduction to the DT. I was thinking I could rinse one with some water left over from a water change. Although I'm not even sure how you would "rinse" a long spine urchin.

It seems like they would be hard to handle.
 
ninjamunky said:
Yes from what I have seen people don't QT them at all. They just "rinse" them before introduction to the DT. I was thinking I could rinse one with some water left over from a water change. Although I'm not even sure how you would "rinse" a long spine urchin.

It seems like they would be hard to handle.
Click to expand...
I'm a bit scared to hold one.. I'll pet mine when it's up at the top of the tank.. it's kinda neat to feel the urchin touch you back..

When I put mine in the tank... I cut the while corner of the bag off... and with water and the urchin inside.. I put that in the tank... then cut the rest of the bag off around it lol.. scared to get poked... Or to hurt the lil fella

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Urchins would be a really good addition. Martin Moe has done some research for NOAA and he found a direct link between the urchin dieoff in the Caribbean and the subsequent degradation of the Caribbean reefs. Urchins are the only herbivore we can add that actiually remove the "holdfast" some algae attach to rock with. If you are worried about your coraline I would suggest a Tuxedo urchin.
 
Lol they take the whole top layer of rock off lol

Do not get an urchin if you have an acrylic tank.. that would be bad

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Had one eat right through a horseshoe crab shell, bulldoze some corals occasionally.
I have no clean up crew except snails, I use water with a TDS less than 5, and my hands followed by balanced photoperiod, and a small toothbrush. I use carbon dosing daily.
 
I have 12 of them. They all came in my tbs rock. They haven’t ever caused any issues for me. About the worst I have ever had them do was rearrange a few corals. That doesn’t really happen often though & they aren’t the bulldozers that a lot of people make them seem. Although the specific species does have a lot to do with it & some seem to be worse then others
 
Some of the pin cushion urchins will "collect" things on it's back like small rocks, frags, etc. They do eat coralline and won't mind eating a bit of silicone or plastic either. I've never had a long spine urchin, but they are venomous (like a bee sting). I've had pin cushions and pencil urchins.
 
My pincushion may pick an empty shell up once every two weekends. Leaves corals alone. Tuxedos will pick up a bunch of stuff though.
 
my hairy pincushions are the worst! they have killed dozens and dozens of astrea snails by picking them up, and also love to move coral frags

my pencil urchin developed a taste for zoanthids, and was caught red handed munching and cleaning out a small rock of zoas in 2 days

my main DT currently only houses a shortspine urchin, which was, and continues to be a model citizen
 
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